Conservation area
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact, unflooded volcanic caldera: about 260 km² of grassland, swamp and soda lake, enclosed by walls some 600 metres high. It is one of the most reliable places in Africa to see black rhino.
The crater sits inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 8,292 km² of highlands, forest and plains where Maasai pastoralists live alongside wildlife. The conservation area was created in 1959 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
We leave early to be among the first vehicles down the descent road. On the floor you will find lion, spotted hyena, large herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo, hippo pools, and some of East Africa’s biggest-tusked elephant bulls in the Lerai forest. Lake Magadi often hosts flamingos. Giraffe are absent: the steep walls keep them out.
Time on the crater floor is limited by the conservation authority, so a crater visit is usually a half-day game drive with a picnic lunch by the Ngoitokitok spring.
Mid-range
Ngorongoro Farm House
Lodge on a working coffee farm, 15 minutes from the conservation area gate.
Mid-range
Tloma Lodge
Cottages and gardens on a coffee farm in the Ngorongoro highlands.
Luxury
The Retreat at Ngorongoro
Luxury lodge with large suites and views across the highlands.
Budget lodge
Rhino Lodge
Simple, friendly lodge in the forest on the crater rim.
Mid-range
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Stone lodge built into the rim with views straight into the crater.
Camping
Simba Public Campsite
Public campsite on the rim; cold at night but unbeatable at sunrise.
Mid-range
Three parks in three days: elephants and baobabs in Tarangire, a full morning in the Ngorongoro Crater, and the forest and lake of Manyara. Ideal if you are short on time or combining a safari with Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar.
From US$860per personMid-range
The two icons of northern Tanzania in four days: two nights in the central Serengeti, where lions and leopards live all year, and a morning in the Ngorongoro Crater.
From US$1,350per personMid-range
The classic northern circuit in five days: Tarangire’s elephants, two nights in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Our most-requested itinerary for first-time visitors.
From US$1,720per personMid-range
A relaxed week covering Tarangire, Lake Manyara, three nights in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, with time to wait at a sighting instead of rushing to the next park.
From US$2,330per personMid-range
From December to March the wildebeest herds give birth on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti. This safari bases you at Ndutu for three nights, right among the herds and the predators that follow them.
From US$2,030per personLuxury
From July to October the migration reaches the Mara River in the far north of the Serengeti. Three nights near the crossing points, in small luxury camps, with a scheduled flight back to Arusha.
From US$5,170per personWho would you like to talk to?
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