Ngorongoro Conservation Area | Tanzania Safaris

Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area

Visit the incredible Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Tanzania and the largest intact caldera in the world, as part of scintillating Tanzanian safaris. Plan your Tanzania and East Africa holiday with the safari experts, to witness the magnificence of the crater, part of the eastern Rift Valley, and a place where the evolution of volcanos dates back to the late Mesozoic / early Tertiary periods.

This conservation region also includes Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge, where ancient human remains were discovered, clues to human evolution, such as the early hominid footprints from at least 3.6 million years ago.

It is hard to believe that the actual rim of the crater is an astounding 2286m above sea level – a veritable mountain. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers enormous areas of pristine grasslands, savanna woodlands and forests. Here, wildlife lives with the Maasai livestock and shares their grazing land while the incredible biodiversity significance of the park includes endangered fauna and flora such as the Black Rhino plus the annual Great Migration into the plains of the north.

Highlights

The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago, is 610 metres deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometres – now one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
Once part of the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area now encompasses a huge expanse of grassy plains on the southern side of the Serengeti Plain – including the Ngorongoro Highlands, a range of largely extinct ancient volcanoes on the west side of the Great Rift Valley.

The crater formed its own ecosystem thanks to its enclosed nature – the Lerai Forest comprises yellow fever trees (part of the acacia family) while the Gorigor Swamp and Ngoitokitok Springs provide the perfect habitat for hippos.

Did you know?

It was only in 1892 that any Europeans ever set foot in the Ngorongoro Crater and later, two German brothers (Adolph and Friedrich Siedentopf) farmed in the crater until the outbreak of World War I, and often arranged shooting parties to entertain their German friends. They also attempted to drive the wildebeest herds out of the crater!