Ngorongoro Crater

Life Altering!

The Ngorongoro Crater is a unique park. First our guides from World Wide Sararis, was extraordinary. Each was extremely well educated and knowledgeable about the animals, flora, and culture of the area. The weather is not what you'd expect, it's rather chilly in the July morning. Everywhere you look there are animals grazing. It's such a tremendous area that it's hard to believe it's contained within the walls of the caldera. We saw MANY cape buffalo, elephants, baboons, wildebeests, birds, lions, hyena, gazelles, hippos, zebra, warthogs, and so many other animals. The drive down and back up is breathtaking. I have been there twice, 2008 & 2015. First time we stayed in a lodge within the park and it was very nice - Sopa Serana. The second time we stayed outside of the park on a coffee plantation and it was fabulous.

Standing at the top of this crater and looking down is awe-inspiring. We'd heard it would be crowded but we didn't see many other vehicles. It was our first view of lions!! Who could ever forget that?

First time not in a private concession

Abundant wildlife sometimes not as close as you would like. Due to the rules of staying on the road, it was luck of the draw if the animals came close. We did see lots of black rhino, wildebeast, zebray, giraffe, elephants and hippos, few lions in the distance and solitary hyenas. Lots of birds byr could not get close to the flocks of flamingos . It became crowded with tourists as the day progressed with the best sightings early in the morning. We were lucky in that we stayed on the crater rim close to the entrance to the crater floor. the lodge was great.

Just aim your camera anywhere & you will hit gold!

The E African " must see's " for me was Bwindi in Uganda, the Masai Mara in Kenya & the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Masai Mara is a rump of the Serengeti in Kenya (though better marketed). For sheer size as well as location , the Ngorongoro Crater in the Serengeti is breathtaking....The weather is good all year round & even during the wet season, the grass is green & the birds are plentiful. Also we get better rates in hotels in the off season, I recommend that a minimum one week is required to get a feel of the scale of this area as well as catch a small part of the Wildebeest migration. A day/2 days stay on a hotel perched on the rim of Ngorongoro crater is a MUST. (Especially with a wide angle lens). The quality of guides in E Africa is high when it comes to knowing the wildlife but it does not hurt to ask for a guide who knows birds if you are a avid birder. It helps to cut the chase & notch more birds in the time you have. The hotels on the rims are always crowded & the evenings are load & dinner is like on a cruise ship:). I suggest 2 days in a resort nearby in Karatu town for 2 days at the start or at the end of the trip. Just to unwind as the holiday will be packed right form early morning till evening:) A must see on any birders bucket list. A veritable Eden indeed!

Ngorongoro Crater was woderful. Lot of game in a beautiful scenery. Although the camp at the egde of the crater is cool. And cold, so take warm clothes. Loved this place for shoting the milkyway and startrails.

The descend down the crater we see the hot spring and other species of animal, apart from that their is maasai tribe dealing with animal grazing across the crater

Ngorongoro is a beautiful compact park that is full of wildlife. The small size means that is it is easy to get around and see the variety on offer: from the larger grassland areas to the forest area inside the park. It is definitely worth a visit, however, the cost may be prohibitive to some on a budget.

Saw rhinos!woohoo

Incredible! My ranger was so knowledgeable of the history of this amazing site! And rhinos!

Fantastic!

From the first moment I was really impressed with the Ngorongoro Crater. It's kind of shocking being there in such a huge space surrounded by thousands of wild animals.
We saw from Elephants to lions, lots of zebras and many many more ...
We passed really close to a lion and even saw one eating a zebra, scary!
In total an amazing experience!