Often known as Africa’s Eden, Ngorongoro crater is one of the amazing wonders of the world. It attracts thousands of tourists each year just to come and get a glimpse of this one of a kind feature that nature placed here.
Ngorongoro crater is the world’s largest inactive and intact volcanic caldera. It is a UNESCO world heritage site that drowned in mystic beauty in the thickly greened slopes of the Tanzanian highlands. Several travelers have had their way to Tanzania to fully comprehend the accolades and the impressive phrases used when talking about the crater.
The whole idea of a big hole in the ground is so mysterious. Thousands and thousands of animals, almost all wildlife species calling Ngorongoro crater a home, it’s surely Africa’s Eden. Nothing you can fail to spot here.
Covering almost 260 square kilometers, tourists to the carter enjoy game drives down into the crater to spot numerous prides of lions, zebras, buffaloes, hippos, warthogs, waterbucks, wildebeests and many other animals that comfortably found peace in staying in this wonderful feature.
The spectacular bowl shaped crater is gold carpeted with the golden shimmering grass. Over 30000 animals dwell here, where you are in the crater, you will sight the countless animals with their young ones walking, playing and feeding on the grass.
Because Ngorogoro has so many herbivores, they attract predators like lions that behave like kings and queens of the crater as they silently wait upon their prey.
The crater walls are about 400-610 meters high above the caldera’s floor. The rim is heavily forested, giving a stunning scenery at the ends of the crater. Even if the crater is distinctly enclosed, there is so much to behold on a quest for the natural beauty that stationed here.
Even if most of the safarians only look out for the big game in the crater, there is a variety of bird species that lead their lives in the woods on the crater rim. The beautiful sounds of the birds here could remind you of those lovely lullabies you used to sleep on when you were a baby.
A safari to Ngorogoro crater in Tanzania allows you leave the rest of the world, the hustle and bustle behind and just embark on making lifetime memories with Africa’s wilderness.
Note that this crater is situated in the Ngorogoro conservation area which was once part of Serengeti national park. The conservation encompasses an extensive area of short grass plains on the southern side of Serengeti as well as the Ngorogoro highlands; a series of large extinct volcanoes lying on the western side of the Great Rift Valley.
Accessing Ngorogoro crater is nolonger a hustle. For the adventurous travelers with enough time can travel by road, driving through a well paved highway. For those limited by time and with enough dollars, they can fly to the crater. A light aircraft flies from Dar to Arusha on a daily basis. Still other airstrips in Tanzania fly to Arusha, the closest town to Ngorogoro.
When it gets to accommodation, no tourist has ever failed to get where to stay on any trip to Ngorogoro. While there is no accommodation with in the crater, several lodges and hotels have been constructed at the crater rim and the rift valley escarpment.
Other attractions to spot in Ngorogoro crater are Empakaai crater Aand Olduvai gorge; beautiful features positioned so close to Ngorogoro. Tourists have also engaged in Maasai village trip to visit the nomadic people who first inhabited Serengeti before it was made a national park. This visit takes you to the bomas; the small circular homesteads of the Maasai people.
Ngorogoro crater safari is just an amazing trip that no traveler to Africa deserves to miss. Just mark it off your bucketlist with a short trip to the crater.
