The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve, covering nearly 8,300 square kilometers, with elevations ranging from 1,020 to 3,577 meters. Often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, the area comprises a unique mix of landscapes, archaeological sites, people, and abundant wildlife, unlike that found in the rest of Africa. With volcanoes, lawns, waterfalls, and forests, the reserve is home to Maasai nomads.
The centerpiece and important landmark of the Conservation Area is the stunning Ngorongoro Crater, a natural amphitheater surrounded by steep walls that rise more than 600 meters from the crater floor. It is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, whose magical scenery and wildlife never cease to thrill.
The crater is a natural sanctuary for approximately 30,000 animals, including the 'big five' - buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros. It is also home to giraffes, cheetahs, hippos, hyenas, African wild boars, wildebeests, zebras, and a large number of insect and bird species, such as the countless flamingos, which form a pink blanket over the lakes.
Near the Ngorongoro Crater there are two other, less famous and less visited craters, ideal for tours, hikes, and safaris.
Empakaai Crater is about 6 kilometers wide with steep walls, rising nearly 300 meters. Nearly half of the crater floor is covered by a saltwater lake, but animals such as elande and cob-untuous can be seen. The trail to the crater floor offers spectacular views of the still-active volcano, Oldoinyo Lengai, and on clear days, the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro. On the way to the lake there are buffaloes, bauala, blue monkeys and rare birds, such as canaries and turacos.
The floor of the Olmoti Crater is shallow and covered with grass, where, in addition to the Masai and their cattle, buffaloes, antelopes, and reduncas can be seen. The Munge River flows through the crater before falling hundreds of meters into a spectacular waterfall. Another attraction of the Ngorongoo Conservation Area is the Olduvai Gorge, the place where, in 1959, Dr. Louis Leakey and his wife Mary discovered the remains of what was considered to be man's first step in human evolution.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority was created in 1959, pioneering multiple land use, in which conservation, tourism and pastoral activities coexist in a carefully managed harmony.
How to get to Ngorongoro Crater?
Ngorongoro Crater is a three-hour drive, or an hour's flight, from Arusha, a city in northern Tanzania. Two hours' drive from Tarangire National Park or about 90 minutes from Lake Manyara.