Ngorongoro Crater

A breathtaking journey to a magical place with a surprise around every corner

The night before our visit to Ngorongoro National Park , my partner and I had booked a stay at the secluded Kiruruma Tented Lodges after a visit to Lake Manyara National Park. We had arranged this through our hotel in Moshi and were not prepared for what we found. A must! We were given a warm welcome by the staff there and were met with drinks at the entrance. We were then taken down a series of pathways, through the natural flora to our lodge. It was beautifully designed in every detail and luxuriously furnished to a standard we hadn't expected. Each lodge is set away from the next and is perched on the hillside with stunning, uninterrupted views of the Serengeti from its veranda . Ours was called 'Kilimanjaro'. The staff were already aware that we had climbed the mountain 2 days before but we never found out if this was a coincidence or by design. Everything about our stay was outstanding: the food in the thatched restaurant, the friendly and efficient service and of course our accommodation and a peaceful night's sleep.
Our driver, Chaz could not have been any more accommodating. He was very knowledgeable and could be relied upon to tell us about the culture, flora and forna of the area; occasionally pulling to a halt, en route to the reserve, to show us animals he had spotted (on one occasion Masai Giraffes). He had also advised us to make an early start to make the most of the day and we were so glad that he did. The Ngorongoro Crater itself is one of the natural wonders of the world and our first view of it was breathtaking, in its beauty and sheer scale! (260 square kms). We wound our way down the 600m to the crater floor. If you are an animal lover (or even if you are not) this is heaven! We saw everything we hoped to see and so much more. Chaz's keen eye spotted animals we would never have otherwise seen and he was always on hand to identify animals for us. On the day we went, the weather was warm and sunny and perfect for taking pictures or for seeing more elusive animals through our binoculars (like black rhino!). It was surprising how close we could get to wild animals in their natural environment: elephants, lions, wildebeest, zebras, hippos, buffalo, baboons, ostrich, hyaena, gazelles and so much more. All from the safety of the 4X4! We only had the 2 of us and our driver in the car and this allowed us a little more flexibility, I think. Chaz was always happy to stop when we asked him or drive to where we could view animals we had a particular interest in and he played a big part in making the trip so special and one we will never forget. A MUST for anyone who finds themselves in Tanzania!

the most beautiful I've ever seen. Heaven on Earth

This was one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been in my life. This crater was full of all kinds of incredible animal species and the guides were so amazing—they taught us a lot about everything we saw.

Stunning landscapes but some animals far

It who's last day of the safari and it who's a big lion bisid our car and the last big five this day to

Just beautiful

We were at zero distance of so many animals like no other places. This is also only place where we can see many buffalos and one Rhino (only one we could see)

National Park was partly closed, because of heavy Rain night before.
Still worth to go and lot of animals to see

Because of this preservation of the natural habitat of the wild life, my overall rating is: Excellent.

Ngorongoro Crater is the best pace for viewing wildlife.

We had a great time in Ngorongoro Crater. Animals are naturally confined in the crater, 10 miles in circumference. They can get in and out, but most choose to stay. Tourists are in trucks circulating on dirt roads. So many different animals: lions, zebras, wildebeast, cape buffalo, hyenas, jackels, hippos, rhinos. ostrich. All doing their thing mostly ignoring the watchers in the trucks. We felt like we were in a cage watching the animals roam free. We saw hippos in a pool; pride of lions eating a cape buffalo encircled by a ring of jackels and a ring of hyenas; lions chasing buffalo and then being chased by the buffalo. Weather was OK. It rained briefly and the washes filled up. Then it stopped raining and the sun was out again. We stayed in Sanctuary Camp in the crater. Great experience to be in a tent with amenities and close enough to the crater to hear the animals at night. Not necessary for enjoyment of the crater though. Even a day trip from Arusha to the crater would be worth it to see this beautiful place. Our guide was excellent. He knew all the animals and most of the birds we saw. Good at spotting animals at a distance. Knew exactly where to go and when to be there for best animal viewing.