Ngorongoro Crater

Fantastic safari location and best place to see the Rhino...!

...although we didn't get to see the rhino ourselves, they were there. We heard that they were on the other side of the crater as the day was drawing to a close, but other people we knew saw them. We managed to see male lions, as well as all the more "common" animals such as wildebeest, giraffes, buffalo, hippos etc. There were lots of flamingos, which was something we hadn't seen elsewhere. I wish we had been able to spend another half day here, to get to see the rhinos, as we saw the other 4 of the "big 5"! Only 2 stars for "bush vibe" as there were a lot of other tourists there, but this didn't detract from the great experience we had.

Massive crater. Looks like a plain grassland from above. But once inside it, it has a variety of animals and birds. Must watch is the Rhino and the Flamingoes.

An amazing experience, one that I will never forget

We visited Ngorongoro Crater in early March with Ranger Safaris on a Safari in Tanzania.
Ngorongoro Crater is an amazing place with lots of animals and stunning views from the crater rim. We stayed at the Sopa Lodge for two nights. It is on the crater rim with amazing views from the rooms, pool and restaurant/bar. The staff were very friendly and the food ( both quality and quantity) and rooms ( large and spacious )were excellent. Free Wi-Fi was also available in the vicinity of reception.
Our guide took us on an all day safari into the crater. Lunch boxes were supplied by the Sopa Lodge and we had lunch at a designated picnic area near a small lake. There were other safari vehicles there plus children on an excursion from their school in Arusha,
We saw lots of animals - buffalo, lions, hyenas, hippopotami , zebras & wilderbeest. Their were lots of birds including ostriches and flamingos. On one occasion the safari vehicle ahead of us, could not move as lions were using it as shade and sitting beside the back wheel.
I would definatly recommend a visit to Ngorongoro Crater and staying at the Sopa Lodge.

You have to be in Ngorongoro on the right day to experience all the wildlife that prospers there. Sometimes you can be just unlucky. But the crater is an amazing sight - it is so vast that you cannot see it all properly in one go. It is worth going but be prepared to have an "off" day.

its the world heritage

Excellent but crowded

The Ngorongoro Crater offers both amazing experiences and large crowds due to its smaller size. It's one of the best places in Tanzania to see rhinos, and in general the wildlife is very accustomed to vehicles so you can get a close view of interesting behavior. On the downside, everyone makes it a stop on their safari, so it can get quite busy. We had a rhino near the road on our trip, and I counted at least 35 vehicles jockeying for position to see it. Certainly not a feeling of being out in the wilderness!

Very scenic National park

The Ngorongoro Crater convinces with its unique and very special landscape. The variety of animals within the crater is large, though there cannot be found every animal (no giraffes, almost no elephant, ). But seeing the animals in such a special, kind of surreal landscape is absolutely worth a trip. I wouldn't want to miss it. Of course due to the area enclosed by the crater rims, you will see many other visitors and won't have the feeling of beeing alone in this area like it might be at the wide plains of Serengeti. But we had no impression, that the crater would be too crowded. We can highly recommend a visit at this very special and beautiful place.

Astonishingly beautiful

Ngorongoro has been my favorite national park from our trip, where we also visited Serengeti, Tarangire and Manyara. The crater has a special climate, it is nevertheless on about 2,000 metres above sea level and there have always been some clouds on the crater rim, which made a great atmosphere. Compared to other national parks the crater seems so manageable - you kind of feel, that you can comprehend the whole place. But it nevertheless offers an amazing amount of wildlife and nature: jungle, lakes, a forrest, steppe etc. We've seen huge elephants, lots and lots of gnu's, gazelles and zebras, pumbas, ostriches, hyaenas, hippos, lots of lions, and also some rhinos. We spend our night at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, which is an amazing place, with an outstanding view over the crater. But the street to get there is awful, it took us forever on this wild road.

Camping on the rim of the crater overlooking the "downstairs" of the park is quite special. The lack of rhinos is a sad truth of man's influence in the region

Not only can you see the big five in one place but there is so much more!!

Arriving at the gates of the Ngorongoro Crater Reserve is almost like a scene of Jurassic Park. Our guides and their vehicles were amazing. They were very knowledgeable on all wildlife and history of the Ngorongoro crater. We saw a Leopard in the first 5 mins of the drive which was very lucky. When you get the view point up high on the crater, you can actually take in and appreciate how amazing this place is. We started our drive down into the crater and began our checklist with Lions with cubs, Zebra, Buffalo, Hyena, Giraffe, Gazelle and Hippopotamus. Not bad within the first hour. Later on we edged towards the lake and saw more Hippo and saw Elephants, Flamingo, Wildebeest and Rhinos. Thinking that it couldn't get any better, we spotted a Cheetah. Most amazing day in Africa. Not a day we will soon forget.