​Getting There – Ngorongoro Crater

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Tanzania.

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Bradt guidebook to Tanzania.

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Tanzania.

Map of Tanzania Map of Tanzania
Tanzania Map

Most people visit the Ngorongoro Crater as part of a Northern circuit safari. Conveniently, Ngorongoro lies en route to Serengeti National Park and is only a 3-hour drive* (180km/112mi) on tarred road from the town of Arusha, which is the starting point of all safaris in northern Tanzania.

From Arusha, you can hop around the parks of the Northern circuit by small aircraft on chartered or scheduled flights. Alternatively, you can drive and do the whole circuit, or parts of it, by safari vehicle. A popular option is to fly into Serengeti and make your way back by safari vehicle via the Ngorongoro Crater, or the other way around. In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and make all further arrangements for you.

Coming from the Seronera area in Serengeti, the distance to the crater is about 140km/90mi and the driving time is about 3 hours*. This can obviously take much longer allowing for wildlife viewing along the way. The 80km/50mi drive from Lake Manyara National Park to the crater takes about 2 hours*, and the 180km/110mi drive from Tarangire National Park takes about 4 hours*.

The best option to get to Arusha is to fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is situated about 50km/31mi from Arusha. It is also possible to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and fly on to Arusha Airport (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).

*Driving times are only a rough indication. You should always consider the possibility of significant delays.

3,460 Ngorongoro Crater Safaris

Airlines & Ticket Prices

Please check Skyscanner to see which airlines can take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), and what tickets would cost.

Domestic Flights

Charter flights between parks are typically booked by tour operators as part of the safari tour. Domestic flights can be booked with several carriers: