Ngorongoro National Park

An overview:

Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to see the ‘Big Five’ and is an absolutely beautiful place to be on safari. The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands are part of Africa’s Great Rift Valley one of the continent’s most beautiful regions. Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the richest grazing grounds in Africa.

The most famous is without question the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. It is an exceptional place to combine game viewing and learn about how the Rift Valley came to be, and why it is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Ngorongoro crater is home to the highest density of big game in Africa. With 600 metre high walls and a rich volcanic floor, the Ngorongoro is one of the continent’s most famous safari destinations. Because of its reputation to amaze, the Ngorongoro Crater is busy, and sometimes very busy, but considering it’s contribution to African safari, it is expected to be busy. Due to this possibility of high crowds, we recommend a 2-night stay only, after which the safari time should be spent in the Serengeti.Ngorongoro’s attractions:

The Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to see the big five. A healthy population of black rhino and some of the largest tusker elephants left in Africa today are the prize spots, but the Crater is home to strong populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with good herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra.

Other game in the Ngorongoro includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, flamingo and bat eared foxes along with approximately 400 species of bird.

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Getting there:

Kilimanjaro Airport to Ngorongoro

  • Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), the second largest airport in Tanzania, has regular flights to major cities nearby as well as all around the world.
  • From Kilimanjaro International Airport to Ngorongoro Crater it is approximately 230 kilometres, about a 5-hour drive.


Arusha to Ngorongoro

  • Arusha Airport (ARK) is a small airport, but the closest airport to Ngorongoro. It can be reached on a regional plane from one of the nearby international airports.
  • The distance from Arusha airport to Ngorongoro Crater is about 170 kilometres. That’s about a 3-hour drive by car. There is a newly built highway to all the National Parks so the drive to Ngorongoro is safe and non-adventurous.


Nairobi to Ngorongoro

  • Nairobi to Ngorongoro is about a 7-8 hour drive with a distance of more than 400 kilometres. Driving on your own can be very exhausting, and you will have to search for petrol stations. A better alternative would be to fly into Nairobi and then take a local flight into Arusha.


Activities while at Ngorongoro:

Ngorongoro is highly protected, naturally due to its importance to Tanzania’s economy. Activities inside the park are limited to daytime only. Game viewing is usually an all day activity and our highly trained safari guides will take you to the right places at the right times of the day to be able to spot specific animals. There are also picnic spots in the park.
 

When you include the surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation area, a full range of activities are on offer including walking, trekking, visiting the Masai villages. If time allows, you should be able to pay a visit to the famous Olduvai gorge.

Best time to visit: Since the game stays in the crater all year, there really is no good or bad time to be in the park. However, given that the crater floor can be busy with vehicles the low season months can be beneficial. All in all, travelling to Ngorongoro at any time of year will guarantee great game.