Ngorongoro Conservation Area| Image Travel

The Ngorongoro Crater:This is the main attraction and the centerpiece of the conservation area. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. It was formed when a massive volcano collapsed on itself millions of years ago
Dense Wildlife:The crater floor is a natural enclosure for an astonishing density of wildlife. It's one of the few places in Africa where you have a very high chance of seeing the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and the critically endangered black rhino) in a single day..
Olduvai Gorge: Dubbed the "Cradle of Mankind," Olduvai Gorge is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world. A deep ravine stretching about 50 km, the gorge has yielded some of the earliest evidence of human evolution, including hominid fossils and stone tools dating back millions of years.

Maasai Cultural Experience: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a "multiple land use area," meaning that the indigenous Maasai people are allowed to live and graze their cattle here. This offers a unique opportunity for cultural immersion. You can visit traditional Maasai villages to learn about their customs, traditional dances, and unique way of life.
Empakai & Olmoti Craters:Empakaai Crater: This crater is half-filled by a deep soda lake that attracts a large number of water birds, including flamingos. A hike to its rim offers stunning views.

Olmoti Crater: A shallow, grassy crater where Maasai pastoralists graze their cattle alongside wild animals like eland and buffalo. It's a great spot for a guided walking safari.
The Great Migration: The western and northern parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are part of the larger Serengeti ecosystem. During the Great Migration's calving season (typically from December to March), massive herds of wildebeest and zebras gather on the Ndutu Plains, a short-grass area that straddles the border with Serengeti National Park. This is a prime time for predator-prey action and an incredible spectacle to witness.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area Wildlife Experience

Variations in climate, landforms, and altitude produce a range of habitats that can support a variety of wildlife, and has led to a network of overlapping ecosystems. The crater basin is covered with fresh water and alkaline lakes, marshes and swamps. These alkaline lakes attract flamingos, which number in their thousands during the wet season. The crater is home to some 30,000 animals, some of which migrate here during the Great Migration, and others that stay here year-round.

The rich, volcanic, fertile soil of the crater hosts plenty of wildlife in the dry season, including warthog, impala, and buffalo. These prey in turn attract predators, including lions, hyena, cheetah, leopard, wild hunting dog and golden cat. Honey badgers, jackals, foxes, and ostrich can be found here year-round. A high population of cheetahs and lions can be found in the Lake Ndutu region west of the crater.

Best time to visit
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area

As the wildlife remains within the steep-walled caldera all year round, the question of when to go to Ngorongoro Crater is less about optimising your game viewing experience and more about how many other people and vehicles you want to share the Crater with. The dry season months are between June and October when temperatures are cooler and animal sightings are superb – it’s easy to spot them along the barren plains and they don’t wander far from watering holes. But this is also peak safari season when throngs of tourists flock here from all over the world. Tanzania’s two rainy seasons are from April to May and November to December. Temperatures are warm and the roads around the caldera can get rather muddy. But there are far fewer visitors during the wet seasons and the Ngorongoro Crater transforms into a wonderfully lush, emerald ‘Garden of Eden’.

How to get there

There are two options to get to the crater. The first is to drive from Arusha to the crater, which takes about 4 hours. A common setup is to get picked up from Kilimanjaro Airport. It is often a good idea to arrive early at the crater gates to avoid waiting in a queue to buy park tickets – this can mean it is worth stopping off halfway between Arusha and the crater for the night. Alternatively, you can fly into the national park from Arusha. This is known as ‘fly in camp’, and we'll provide a guide and vehicle for when you arrive at the park. There is one airstrip in the park, the Lake Manyara airstrip.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area Birdlife

There is excellent birding to be had in the Ngorongoro Crater. Even from a great distance, you’ll see flocks of pink flamingos in Lake Magadi. Come closer, and you’ll also spot ducks, herons, storks and waders. The crater’s most noticeable grassland residents include ostrich, kori bustard, grey crowned crane, secretary bird and rosy-throated longclaw. Be careful at the picnic spot: black kites are adept at swooping down to steal people’s lunch out of their hands. The forested crater rim has its own birdlife. Specials include white-eyed slaty flycatcher, Schalow’s turaco and several high-altitude sunbird species. Migratory birds are present from November to April. Although the birdlife in the Ngorongoro Crater is good throughout the year, the variety is greatest from November to April when Palearctic and intra-African migratory species are present, and many resident birds are in breeding plumage. The best time to watch wildlife is during the Dry season, which is June to October.