Tanzania · Conservation area
Ngorongoro Crater
A lost world inside a volcano
Size
Crater about 260 km²
Location
Northern Tanzania
Best time
Year-round
Known for
Big Five · Black rhino
About the park
Africa’s Garden of Eden
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera, around 19 km across with walls about 600 m high. It lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Maasai herders live alongside the wildlife, a rare model of coexistence.
Permanent water and grazing on the crater floor support a dense population of large animals all year, so game viewing is reliable in every season. It’s one of the best places in Tanzania to see the endangered black rhino, along with lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo. Arrive early: vehicles enter at dawn and the best sightings often come in the first hours.
Highlights
Why visit Ngorongoro
The Big Five
All five can be seen in a single morning, including the rare black rhino.
Lerai Forest
Yellow-barked acacias where elephants and bushbuck shelter.
Lake Magadi
A soda lake on the crater floor, often pink with flamingos.
Maasai culture
Maasai herders share the conservation area with the wildlife.
When to visit
Excellent all year. June to October is dry with clear views; November to May is green, with the calving season close by in Ndutu.
Wildlife you may see
Black rhino, lion, spotted hyena, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, hippo, serval, golden jackal and flamingos.
Getting there
About 3 hours by road from Arusha. Most safaris spend one night on the crater rim or in the Karatu highlands and descend at dawn.
Visit with Asili
Trips including Ngorongoro
Plan your Ngorongoro safari
Tell us when you’d like to travel and we’ll design a private journey that includes Ngorongoro.
Enquire now