The long rains arrived early to Tanzania this year, and when I visited northern Tanzania in March I discovered a landscape which was lush and beautiful. The Ngorongoro Crater particularly felt as if it was in full bloom and showing off its best side with stunning views from both the crater rim and from its floor. The wildlife and birdlife were truly excellent and, as always, with travelling at this time of year, I could enjoy it all with far fewer tourists than at other times of the year.
For those of you who are considering planning a safari to northern Tanzania and wondering how to include Ngorongoro Crater in your trip (or indeed whether to include at all), here is our complete guide for everything you need to know.
WHAT IS THE NGORONGORO CRATER?
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact, inactive volcanic caldera. Formed over two million years ago by a volcano’s collapse, the crater is around 610m deep and has a diameter of 19km. Located in Northern Tanzania, the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most iconic landmarks and is home to an abundance of wildlife year-round. The Crater is the centrepiece of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site which holds a rare mixed heritage status, recognised for both its natural and cultural global importance.
WHY SHOULD I VISIT THE NGORONGORO CRATER?
Visiting the Ngorongoro Crater is a once in a lifetime experience. Yes, it can be overwhelmingly busy at certain times of the year, and it can be an expensive addition to a safari (read on for tips of how to get the best from your Crater visit), but here are the top five highlights which make the Ngorongoro Crater a must-see:
THE BIG FIVE
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places in Africa to see the ‘Big Five’ (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino) – all in one game drive if you’re lucky. Whilst Tanzania’s northern safari circuit has superb wildlife, in terms of the Big Five, rhino are more difficult to see. There are a couple of areas in the Serengeti National Park where rhino exist, but by including the Crater in your itinerary you’re giving yourself the best chance of seeing this endangered species. Whilst the population of black rhino in the crater is small, they are frequently spotted.
INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE
One of the criteria for UNESCO WOLRD Heritage status is the density of wildlife here. Aside from the presence of the Big Five, it has one of the highest predator densities in Africa as well as a number of other classic safari species. The crater is home to hippos, hyena, wildebeest, zebra, jackal (black-backed, side-striped and golden – which has recently been renamed the African golden wolf), flamingos, a number of different raptors and many more. Animals do move in and out of the crater but not as frequently as they would in other areas, so there is an amazingly rich year-round presence of wildlife.
In my short time on the crater floor I saw zebra stallions chasing each other through the shallows of Lake Magadi, wildebeest wandering the plains, multiple prides of lion patrolling their territories and black rhino grazing on the edge of the Lerai forest. There was a bachelor herd of elephants who were playing very boisterously with one another, while hyena had trapped a wildebeest in a stream and a golden and black-backed jackal were fighting over a kill. If you’re looking to see as much wildlife as possible with action-packed game drives, the Ngorongoro Crater is hard to beat in pure wildlife terms. The only notable absence is giraffe – they can’t navigate the steep sides of the crater and their preferred food source of open acacia woodland is lacking.
STUNNING LANDSCAPE
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most stunning natural spectacles in Africa, if not the world. The crater rim offers breathtaking and panoramic views across the caldera and down into the crater itself. Once you’re down on the crater floor, you can appreciate the sheer size of the crater with its enormous sides creating a magnificent backdrop to photography.
LAKE MAGADI AND FLAMINGOS
Photographers will make a beeline for Lake Magadi – this shallow alkaline lake on the crater floor attracts thousands of flamingos and other water birds, especially in wetter months. I was lucky enough to see the lake covered in flamingos which was a beautiful sight.
MAASAI CULTURE
The surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to the Maasai people, who continue their pastoral life alongside wildlife conservation. While you’re driving across the landscape to and from the crater, you’re likely to see traditional bomas (villages), Maasai dressed in their traditional brightly coloured clothing and cattle herding. There are also plenty of opportunities to visit and engage with the Maasai to learn more about their culture.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM GAME DRIVES IN NGORONGORO CRATER
As you would expect, the most popular activity is spending a day, or half a day, game viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater. And this is actually the only activity available within the Crater itself. I was on a tight schedule so spent half a day in the crater but, for a first time visit I would suggest spending a full day. One day is usually enough time to explore. Game drives can only be conducted in a closed safari vehicle (open-sided vehicles are not permitted) and you must be accompanied by a guide or park ranger.
There are two descent roads into the crater, the Lemala Road on the east side and the Seneto Road on the west side. Both roads open at 6am, so in order to beat the traffic and get the best of the early morning active wildlife, it is recommended to get to the descent roads as close to the opening time as possible in order to be one of the first on the crater floor. The latest you are allowed to descend into the crater is 4pm but as the gates close at 6pm that wouldn’t leave you much time to explore.
During your time in the crater there are rules which every vehicle and visitor must adhere to. In addition to having a closed vehicle and a guide, visitors are only permitted to leave their vehicles at designated picnic sites within the crater where they can stretch their legs, enjoy breakfast or lunch and go to the bathroom. Vehicles are not allowed to drive ‘off road’ at any point, but there are a number of connecting roads which allow you to do multiple different circuits of the crater and explore every corner.
A couple of the lodges based on the crater rim have access to private picnic sites on the crater floor – this experience does come at an extra cost, but for a special celebration to be able to enjoy a fully catered, exclusive lunch during your game drive is quite a privilege and something to remember!
WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE AVAILABLE?
WALKING
If you want to be more active, then the Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands offer excellent opportunities for walking outside the crater floor. The most accessible option is a crater rim walk, where you are accompanied by a local Maasai guide and a park ranger. In addition to being able to soak up the views, your guide will identify wildlife tracks and droppings, share their knowledge of local plants and how they are used by the Maasai people. If you’re lucky you may spot some wildlife, but this isn’t generally the focus of a crater rim walk.
If you’re looking for more of a walking focus to your time in Ngorongoro, specific camps offer longer or more challenging hikes into the stunning highlands, including other craters in the conservation area such as Olmoti or Empakai Crater.
MAASAI VILLAGE VISITS
If you would like to learn more about the Maasai culture, you have the opportunity to visit a local village, where you will be greeted in traditional Maasai style, see their homes, learn about their way of life and get to see their beautiful beaded jewellery (with the chance to make a purchase). During your visit your guides and the local Maasai are happy to answer any questions.
During my visit I combined both walking and culture and went on guided walk through the highlands on the north side of the crater with beautiful views overlooking the Serengeti and finished my walk by visiting a local Maasai village. I was welcomed with a traditional song and dance, after which they showed me around the village. Incorporating a Maasai village visit into your time in Ngorongoro allows you to come away from the experience with a better understanding and a deeper appreciation of the Maasai people and their way of life.
OLDUVAI GORGE
Whilst not part the crater itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world, famed for the discovery of hominin fossils. Olduvai Gorge and its museum are situated northwest of the crater, and can either be visited from a property on the crater, or en route to the Serengeti. For anyone interested in anthropology this is a very worthwhile visit.
WHERE IS THE NGORONGORO CRATER AND HOW DO YOU GET THERE?
The Ngorongoro Crater is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Northern Tanzania, southeast of the Serengeti National Park and roughly 250km west of Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha.
To reach the crater you will either drive from another safari destination or from Arusha (it’s a good four to five hour drive from Arusha), or you can fly to the closest airstrip at Lake Manyara and drive to the Crater from there. There is an airstrip on the crater rim but this is only accessible by private flights and is very subject to weather conditions. From Lake Manyara Airport it is roughly a 45-minute drive to the Lodoare Gate (the main entrance to the crater) from where you’ll drive up on to the Crater Rim and either down into the Crater, or onwards to your accommodation.
For my trip, I drove between all of the destinations that I visited – some of the drives were long, but it gave me flexibility to stop off along the way and soak up the scenery of northern Tanzania. A fully driven safari is also ideal for anyone who isn’t keen on light aircraft transfers. There are pros and cons to both driving and flying and it really comes down to individual preferences, time of year, and itinerary logistics as to which option will work best.
HOW DO I INCORPORATE THE NGORONGORO CRATER INTO A SAFARI?
If you are planning on visiting northern Tanzania for a safari, you are likely going to visit areas such as Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara and the Serengeti National Park. A classic Northen Tanzania safari itinerary would include one or two of these areas along with a couple of nights at the Ngorongoro Crater, creating a diverse and well-rounded safari experience. The Ngorongoro Crater is sandwiched in between all of these National Parks, making it very simple to include and the perfect place to break up your trip so that no leg of travel is too long.
The precise ins and outs of how to thread together a northern Tanzania safari circuit can be quite complex with a myriad of different options. An expert safari specialist will always talk through the various options of how to link the different areas to suit the way you prefer to travel and to get the most out of your trip.
WHERE SHOULD I STAY AROUND THE NGORONGORO CRATER?
To access the Crater you can either stay closer to Manyara in and around the village of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Highlands, or you can stay within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and on the crater rim itself. There is a wide range of properties that accommodate all styles of travellers, from luxury hotels to rustic and authentic tented camps and the decision will be based on itinerary logistics, preferences and budget.
The Ngorongoro Highlands are extremely picturesque with forested hills and coffee plantations. Here you tend to find more lodge styled properties with a relaxed atmosphere. There are some very pretty lodges on working farms and plantations that offer another dimension to your stay in the area. Staying in these lodges can also offer better value than staying on the crater rim, but it is a much longer drive up to the Crater which means either a very early start to reach the park gates at 6am, or joining the busy tourist traffic later in the morning. A couple of our favourites in the area include Plantation Lodge and Gibb’s Farm.
Within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area accommodation varies from large luxury hotels to smaller traditional tented camps; and from properties perched on the rim of the crater with stunning views looking down on to the caldera, to options without crater views, but that still have convenient access to the crater floor. The smaller, more exclusive properties, especially those with prime views of the crater, come at a premium price, whereas larger mid-range hotels, or smaller camps without the view offer a more affordable option.
Whilst staying on or close to the crater rim has its advantages, there are also downsides. It can feel busy with a lot of traffic driving to and fro along the rim – unless you have the budget to stay in a more exclusive camp, it’s hard to escape the buzz of this notoriously busy area. The crater rim has an altitude of 2,286 meters (7,500 feet) which means it has a much colder climate than the highlands. The winter months in particular (July to September) can be very cold and windy and this is something to bear in mind, especially if staying in a tented camp.
I spent three nights around the Ngorongoro Crater with one night in the highlands outside of the park gates at Ngorongoro Farm House followed by two nights on the crater rim. My first night on the rim was spent at Entamanu, an exclusive lodge and the only property on the north side of the crater rim, with spacious and comfortable cottages and extremely friendly staff. For my second night, I stayed at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge – a much larger, hotel-style property but which had one of the best views of the crater I experienced during my trip. It is also close to the Seneto decent road – from here I had the fortune of being the first one down into the crater and had 25-30 minutes on my own on the crater floor as the sun came up and all the wildlife started to appear. A truly special moment.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT THE NGORONGORO CRATER?
In terms of game viewing and wildlife sightings, the Ngorongoro Crater has superb year-round wildlife owing to its unique enclosed habitat. What time of you year you visit is more likely to come down to the best times to visit other regions that you’re including in your safari and whether you want to try avoiding the crowds!
The dry season (June to October) is generally regarded as offering the best wildlife conditions in northern Tanzania. The downside to visiting at this time is that the crater does get very busy and as there are no regulations on the number of vehicles allowed in the crater, it can often feel very crowed. With large numbers of vehicles around each wildlife sighting, it can lose its sense of natural wilderness and feel very commercial.
January to February is often also regarded as high season for the Serengeti (with the migration calving season) and a good time to visit between the two rainy seasons. Again though, the crater can feel very busy at this time of year.
Tanzania then has two rainy seasons: the shorts rains between November and December and the long rains that usually occur between April and May. Visiting the Ngorongoro Crater during this time will mean you’ll encounter fewer other tourists; and the changing weather patterns can mean rains are not always so concentrated in these months. It’s also low season and so accommodation prices are lower. Note that while many of the camps in and around the crater remain open in April and May, this may not be the case for other areas of northern Tanzania so it will depend on other elements of your safari (and if you’re looking to include some relaxation time on the beach) as to whether the long rainy season is likely to work for you.
I visited the crater in the ‘low season’ in March and even though there were other vehicles, I felt that I could always find my own section of the crater where I could be on my own and take in the whole experience without the bother of numerous other vehicles. In the high season months, getting this kind of experience is unlikely as it is much busier.
IS THE NGORONGORO CRATER WORTH VISITING?
The Ngorongoro Crater is a jaw dropping spectacle with a fantastic range of accommodation for every type of traveller. To anyone thinking of venturing to northern Tanzania, I would whole heartedly recommend including the crater in your holiday as it is a once in a lifetime experience and is completely unique compared to other safari experiences.
However, I would express caution when deciding what time of year to visit the crater. If you are happy to put up with the crowds for the sake of prioritising wildlife then by all means go for the peak season, but if like me, you value scenery and solitude then I would recommend looking to travel closer to the rains.
Everyone is different and has their own opinions on how they prefer to travel but I think one thing that we would all agree on is that the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Earth’s greatest natural landmarks and can only be fully appreciated in person.
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