Destination

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

World's largest volcanic caldera — all Big Five in a single morning, 25,000 resident animals

About Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area encompasses the world's largest intact volcanic caldera — a 260-square-kilometre natural amphitheatre that serves as a permanent home to over 25,000 large animals. The crater floor, 600 metres below the forested rim, is one of the few places in Africa where all Big Five can be seen in a single morning game drive. Black rhino graze the open grassland, lion prides dominate the central plains, and flamingos paint the soda lakes pink. For golfers, the Ngorongoro Highlands offer cool-climate courses with staggering Rift Valley views, and the crater itself provides the most concentrated wildlife experience available as a complement to championship golf on the Serengeti.

Best time to visit: Year-round destination. June to October is driest with clear crater views. December to March offers warmer weather and the best chance of seeing newborn animals. The crater floor can be chilly in the early morning year-round — temperatures drop to 10-15 degrees Celsius at dawn.

Key Wildlife

The crater supports one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa: an estimated 25000 large animals including black rhino (critically endangered)lionelephantbuffaloleopardhippoflamingosand over 500 bird species. Unlike the Serengetithe crater population is largely resident year-round.

Photo Gallery

Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Pictures

Areas & Highlights

Ngorongoro Crater

The 260-square-kilometre caldera floor is a self-contained ecosystem where black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, and flamingos coexist in extraordinary density. Game drives descend 600 metres from the rim to the floor, where a full morning reveals more wildlife than most parks offer in a week.

Olduvai Gorge

The 'Cradle of Mankind' — where Louis and Mary Leakey discovered some of the earliest human fossils. The on-site museum tells the story of human evolution stretching back 1.8 million years. Located between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, it is a natural stop on the transfer between the two.