Ngorongoro Crater

Unsullied, unmissable, unforgettable

Despite all the articles and reviews we'd read of the Ngorongoro crater, we were still overwhelmed by what we saw when we went there. For us it was the most wonderful introduction to an East African safari. In a single day, we saw elephants, lions, rhino, hippos and countless other animals, but as exciting as it was to see these big beasts, we were just as happy to see the beautiful birds and trees. The landscape of the crater is more varied than we expected, it's by no means just flat plain.
Arriving at the end of March, we were lucky with the weather. We expected rain, but it all fell overnight. Days were quite overcast, which kept the temperature down (but beware of UV nonetheless, I got sunburned even through the cloud!). Probably the best thing about going at this time of year is that others don't. Our guide (the excellent James from Tanzania Serengeti Adventure) told us that at peak times there can be 3 or 4 times as many vehicles in the park, which might well make it a wee bit claustrophobic.

What else is there ? The night before we entered Ngorongoro, we really enjoyed our stay at the Kirurumu Tented Lodge; these are the definitely the tents for us - concrete floor, walls in the bathroom and a thatched roof. Only the sides were canvas. Real luxury living, and the most fabulous view over the rift valley. The Rhino Lodge, our overnight home when we came out of the crater isn't quite so inspiring, but nonetheless, it was a pleasant experience. In fact all the accommodation on our safari was well above what we're used to, and hence what we expected.
All in all, a fabulous experience I would recommend to anyone.

Ngorongoro: East Africa in a nutshell

I visited Ngorongoro Crater for one day in March 2015, towards the end of a two-week safari tour offered by a large American tour company. Ngorongoro Crater felt like a miniaturized version of the whole safari, with most of the good parts concentrated down into a convenient small package. The view from the crater edge was spectacular- a vast, flat plain flanked by steep rocky walls, with clouds hugging the crater rim. Although my visit was just before the rains came, the floor was fairly lush in places, with pools supporting hippos and waterbirds, and a salt lake with flamingoes. During the one day, I saw most of the classic East African large mammals in the crater- elephant, Cape buffalo, hippo, lion, wildebeest, zebra, many different antelopes, etc. A pack of hyenas managed to take down a young wildebeest, and proceeded to quarrel over the spoils. A bull elephant came to the water pool to drink, and, unable to walk directly down the steep bank into the water, he carefully lowered himself onto his front knees and slid down on his belly! The birding in the crater was excellent; highlights included both Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Red-and-yellow Barbet, Hunter's Sunbird, Abdim's Stork, Fan-tailed Widowbird, and Grey Crowned Crane. Overall, Ngorongoro Crater is a great place to view East African mammals and birds in a beautiful, not-too-crowded environment.

Most beautiful place I've ever seen

The crater is the most beautiful natural sight I have ever seen. Even if it had no animals it would be just incredible. I can't describe it with words. But besides, we saw lions, rhinos, cheetahs, elephants, buffallos, zebras, giraffes, etc. etc. etc. Amazing

lion king

We felt like we were in Disney's Lion King! Favourite park in Tanzania!

Beautiful place … too many tourists !

Amazing place with so many animals to observe !

However too many jeeps, too many tourists. Some time you feel like you are in an amusement park queuing for a picture … sad impression !

A wonder of the World

The crater is one of the most incredible places I've seen in the world. A true wonder of the world. Except for the tourists, it looks like you have been teleported many million years in the past into the time of dinossaurs. Except instead of dinossaurs the place is the area on earth with the largest concentration of wildlife. Absolutely fantastic.

Unbelievable crater .... we saw a few different animals here. Again our lodge was " first class" overlooking the crater.

The large number of lions here saw here was second to none in East Africa. We also saw a few chowing down on a zebra!

What a fantastic place.

It is hard to go to Tanzania, and not see the Ngorongoro Crater. Though it can sometimes be crowded during high season, it is such a famous destination, and is a must see at some point or another. It has breathtaking vistas, and the terrain is unmatched. It is also a treat to see the native Maasai in their element, going about their business as you traverse through the area. Wonderful place.