Ngorongoro Conservation Authority Area is a breathtakingly beautiful setting and the best place in East Africa to see the Big Five. It is a great way to start your African safari adventure. However, as one of the world’s most astonishing and renowned natural wonders, the Ngorongoro Crater does get busy, and at times very busy. Due to the crowds we recommend a two-night stay only here, then moving on to the Serengeti for a quieter, more private safari experience.
Any Northern Tanzania Safari should ideally include a visit to Ngorongoro Crater: it is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife safari sites in the world and an exceptional place to interact with people from the Maasai tribe.
Ngorongoro Safari | Animals
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 also home to good populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with healthy herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra. Other wildlife here includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, flamingo and bat-eared foxes, as well as approximately 400 species of bird. A Ngorongoro safari is action packed to say the least – and for a relatively small park, it really does have the highest concentration of wildlife of any one place in the whole of Africa.
Ngorongoro Safari | Activities
Activities inside the Ngorongoro Crater itself are limited to game drives; there are a couple of picnic spots in the park, but getting out of the vehicle is strictly limited to these areas. However, a full range of activities is on offer in the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including walking, trekking, excursions to Olduvai Gorge and visiting the Masai and other tribes.
Where to stay in the Ngorongoro Crater?
The choice is whether to stay at a hotel on the Crater rim for the phenomenal view, or a little way away from the Crater in nearby Karatu. Either way, where you stay does not impact the quality of your Ngorongoro safari. The advantages of Karatu include the comparative lack of crowds, and better-value, smaller and more intimate lodges which offer a range of activities such as walking and mountain biking.
On the rim, the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is by far the best luxury hotel and is absolutely world class, perfect for a Tanzania Honeymoon, but at approximately $3,000 a night it probably should be! The Serena and the Sopa have equally stunning views of the Crater floor and are much more affordable options, but they are large and fairly old hotels.
Away from the Ngorongoro Conservation Authority Area rim in nearby Karatu in the highlands is a variety of small coffee plantations and guesthouses. For approximately the same cost as the Serena and Sopa, these are much more charming and characterful but obviously lack the fantastic Ngorongoro views. The best of these are Plantation Lodge, Gibbs Farm and The Manor.