Ngorongoro Conservation Area

“Africa's Garden Of Eden"

Overview

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Conservation Area ( NCA) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ngorongoro attracts global importance due to its biodiversity conservation emanating from threatened wildlife species located west of Arusha Town, 180km ( 110 mi). The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s gigantic intact volcanic caldera. The crater is one of the top tourist attraction sites in Ngorongoro. Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers 8,292 square km (3,202 sq mil) and is home to the famous “ Big 5” ( Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo).

Other top attractions include The Olduvai Gorge Museum, which exhibits numerous fossils and stone tools, and the Olduvai Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cradle of mankind with a history dating back to 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago. Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans vast savannah woodlands, highland plains, and forests. The wildlife co-exists with the famous Maasai pastoralists practising traditional livestock grazing. The crater and the conservation area offer some of the most magnificent landscapes in Tanzania. Visit the park and witness the magic nature of Ngorongoro.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Highlight:
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the main attraction sites with its unique and magnificent views and the largest caldera with a ground size of 264 square km. We always advise our guests to visit the crater viewing point before descending to the crater to get a chance to see mindblowing views of the crater. While looking down, you will spot the animals looking like dotted trees. The crater has soda lakes, which allure various bird species, including the pink flamingos.

Highlights:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area

OlDuvai Gorge

Olduvai Gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a remarkable archaeological site in East Africa and even the rest of the world. The gorge was formed 30,000 years ago, and It is invaluable in helping us understand early human evolution.
Highlights:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Empakai Crater

Empakai Crater is among the multi-volcanic calderas within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is 8km wide, with its floor covered by soda ash. At the centre, a magnificent lake makes up 75% of its crater floor. Thousands of flamingoes and other water birds flock to the lake, making it a tourist attraction. Surrounding the crater are lush forested cliffs with green vegetation, wildlife and various bird species. Empakai Crater is famous for walking safaris and hikes with armed rangers. You can explore the lake and its surroundings. The crater is visited all year round, but the best months are from June to December, the drier months.
Highlights:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Shifting Sands

The shifting sands, also known as “migratory dunes”, are some of the world's most breathtaking moving ash dunes. The sands are blown gradually across the plains at about 15 to 29 meters annually. The sands are formed in a spectacular crescent-shaped black dune, which consists of magnetic volcanic ash that holds the sand particles together from the active Oldonyio Lengai. The dunes are approximately 5 meters in height and 100 meters in width along their curves. You can spot the dunes from far and are easily accessible via trails down the Olduvai Gorge.
Highlights:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Wildlife

A visit to the Ngorongoro Crater is an experience of a lifetime. As the world’s only intact caldera, the crater is the top attraction of the 8,292km²/3,202mi² Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are few places that have comparable wildlife densities. It is not unusual to see the Big Five in one day here. And all this is in the most amazing setting with a backdrop of the 600m-/1,968ft-high crater wall.

Olduvai Gorge Cradle of Mankind

Olduvai Gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a remarkable archaeological site in East Africa and even the rest of the world. The gorge was formed 30,000 years ago, and It is invaluable in helping us understand early human evolution. Olduvai Gorge is a steep ravine in the Great Rift Valley stretching across East Africa, about 48km (30 mi) long, located within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. British/ Kenyan paleoanthropologists Dr Mary and Louis Leakey established excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge and unearthed the first dated fossils and artefacts. They discovered the famous Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus boisei) skull as well as remains of Homo habilis, the presumed maker of early stone tools dating back to 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago.

The Gorge is a vibrant chronicle of human ancestry and the evolution of the Serengeti Ecosystem. Visiting the site, you will feel like you are stepping onto Mars- red dust shifts and dunes over slight mounts that make up the terrain. The only thing breaking the illusion are low bushes collected together in small breaks of greens. Enjoy the astounding large bloom of rock that sits higher than the rest of the plains. The gorge is visited all year round. However, it is advisable to have an official guide to visit excavations.

Olduvai Gorge Museum

Olduvai George Museum was founded by Dr Mary Leakey in 1970. The museum exhibits fossils, stone tools, skeletons of our hominid ancestors, and many extinct animals excavated in Olduvai Gorge. When you visit the museum, you will learn about the history of mankind through outdoor lectures. There is also a cultural boma where one can learn about the culture of the Maasai people, as well as a small restaurant and a covered theatre-like viewing platform that provides an inspiring view of the gorge.

Experience the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro crater has a variety of wildlife and bird species. When visiting this unique park, you will see animals everywhere, including predators and prey. Animal species include lions, cheetahs, elephants and buffaloes, rhinos, and leopards. Ngorongoro crater is home to the rare species of black rhino, a threatened species worldwide. Around 20 rhinos live in the protected Ngorongoro Crater area. The rhinos are east of Leria Forest, specifically between Lerai and Gorigor Swamp. The best time to see the rhinos is on an early morning game drive before they scatter to feed. The drive into and out of the crater is a thrilling adventure. For a better experience, we advise booking accommodations at the nearby crater Lodges and camps. The crater’s rim has mind-blowing views and is the quickest to access the crater floor if your budget allows it. Staying close to the crater presents an opportunity to descend at the crater at first light to avoid crowds. Access to the crater is restricted between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to control the amount of traffic entering the park and prevent congestion. During lunch, visit Ngorongoro's popular lunch spots with your picnic basket and enjoy while sitting under a tree at the shores of the lake as you watch a sea of hippos and a dazzle of zebras come in and out of the lake.

Best time to visit: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Wildlife Experience

The Ngorongoro Crater is without a doubt Tanzania’s most productive Big Five destination. The crater floor teems with wildlife, and predator sightings tend to be exceptional. It harbors the world’s densest lion population and spotted hyenas are equally common. Look out for smaller carnivores, such as golden and black-backed jackals and bat-eared foxes. If you’re lucky, you might also see a serval hunting small rodents or birds. Most safari heavyweights are well represented in the crater. Black rhino is the star attraction and big numbers of buffalo sweep across the grassy plains. Elephant herds rarely come through, but many lone bulls carrying massive tusks have made the crater floor their home. Although giraffes are common in the greater conservation area, you won’t find any inside of the crater. Presumably the steep walls form a natural barrier for them.

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.

Best time to visit

Ngorongoro is an all-year-round wildlife conservation area that one can visit any time due to various attraction sites, including museums. The crater gets chilly between June and August, so wear warm clothing.

Dry Season: June to October is a dry season, otherwise known as the peak season/high season; this is a prime season for visiting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

December to February are also terrific times to visit Ngorongoro. It is also a calving season of the wildebeest, which follows the rains. At least 8,000 baby wildebeest are born every day during the calving season.

Wet Seasons: November to December and March to May: The months are not pleasant for visiting the park due to short rains in November and long rains from March to May.

Getting There?

By Air: You can access Ngorongoro by flying directly from the UK to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or connecting via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Nairobi or Julius Nyerere International Airport(DAR) in Dar es Salaam for international flights. There are no flights to Ngorongoro, but one can board a domestic flight from Arusha to Lake Manyara Airstrip, which takes approximately 40 minutes. Then, proceed on a 1-hour drive from Manyara to the Ngorongoro area. You should note that most international flights arrive at night at Kilimanjaro airport. Therefore, an overnight in Arusha is recommended.

By Road: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is approximately 185km from Arusha by road. The trips take between 3.5-4hrs. Most tourists prefer to go on safari by road.

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