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You may have heard of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania before, possibly in the context of the great wildebeest migration.
Even without the famous migration, though, the Ngorongoro Crater is spectacular and a sight to behold.
Today, I’d like to tell you about this amazing feat of nature. I’ll also tell you about the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that the Crater lies in.
Without further ado, here goes!
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What is the Ngorongoro Crater?
I like to call the Ngorongoro Crater a big hole in the ground.
Of course, it’s a lot more than that, but that is essentially what it is.
The Ngorongoro Crater was formed when a volcano believed to be about the size of Mount Kilimanjaro erupted and then collapsed on itself leaving a ‘a big hole in the ground’ that is approximately 2,000 feet (610 meters) deep and whose bottom is about 100 square miles (260 square kilometers).
This collapse occurred many, many years ago: 2 to 3 million years ago to be more precise.
Today, the Ngorongoro Crater is a lush, scenic, abundant ecosystem. It supports one of the densest populations of large mammals—and predators—in all of Africa.
The Ngorongoro Crater is located in northeastern Tanzania, about 118 miles (190 km) from Arusha, Tanzania’s fourth largest city, not far from the border with Kenya.
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What is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area?
You’d imagine that the Ngorongoro Crater would be found within a national park, right?
Well, it isn’t.
Although the Ngorongoro Crater was part of the original Serengeti National Park established in 1951, problems with the Maasai and other indigenous people who had been living in the area for hundreds of years before then led to the division of the original Serengeti National Park into two separate protected areas: 1) the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and 2) the Serengeti National Park as it stands today.
The major difference between these two protected areas is that people are allowed to live in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area while they aren’t in the Serengeti National Park. (It’s actually cool to drive across these two protected areas and notice this difference for yourself.)
The Ngorongoro Crater is the jewel in the crown of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, but the latter includes more than just the former.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also contains part of the Serengeti plains, other smaller craters such as the Olmoti and Empakaai craters, as well as important archaeological sites such as Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli, where some of the oldest evidence of man’s ancestors on Earth has been found.
What Wildlife Can You Expect to See in the Ngorongoro Crater?
Approximately 25,000 large animals live in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Almost every individual species of wildlife in East Africa is present inside the Crater. The two notable exceptions are impala and giraffe.
You will almost definitely see zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest herds. You’ll also have a very good chance of sighting the Big Five: rhino, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo.
The Ngorongoro Crater has one of East Africa’s most thriving populations of black rhino. It also has the densest known population of lions.
What Else Is There to See in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Other Than the Ngorongoro Crater?
When I was visiting the Ngorongoro Crater, I remember asking people what else there was to see in the Area.
I got a few responses about this and that but nothing seemed particularly worth spending an extra day to see.
Driving from the Serengeti National Park, through the plains portion of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, all the way to the Crater and having learned a lot about the Conservation Area since then has me thinking differently.
Olduvai Gorge
I will be visiting Ngorongoro and Serengeti later this year, and this time I’ll be sure not to miss Olduvai Gorge, where fossils of early man dating up to 1.9 million years ago were found—fossils including those of Homo habilis (“handy man” known for his early use of simple tools), Zinjathropus (“Nutcracker Man” so called because his features suggest a diet that required heavy chewing), and Homo erectus (“upright man”)? (Do you remember learning about these species in history class?) (Update: I did end up visiting Olduvai Gorge, and boy, was it a trip! I recommend it highly.)
Neither will I forgo Laetoli. Here, two upright early humans walking on two feet left footprints in volcanic ash 3.6 million years ago. These prints are still visible today.
Last but not least, I hope to visit at least one of the other craters in the Conservation Area, namely Empakaai or Olmoti Crater.
If possible, I’d also love to see Ol Doinyo Lengai, which although is not part of the Conservation Area, is right outside it.
Ol Doinyo Lengai, whose name in Maasai means “Mountain of God”, is the only active volcano in Tanzania.
I am particularly curious to see it because its eruption in July 2007 was felt for a whole week in Nairobi and was particularly frightening for me. (Does anyone remember that?)
Best Time to Visit Ngorongoro
Because of its permanent water sources and fertile soil, the Ngorongoro Crater supports wildlife all year round.
The dry season, from June to September, is a little better for spotting wildlife. This is because the vegetation is less lush and animals congregate around rivers and water holes.
The Ngorongoro Crater generally attracts lots of crowds during peak season.
Peak season runs from July to September and again from December to February.
The trick to avoiding these crowds is to get to the Crater very early in the morning.