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Ngorongoro Crater Budget Safari Tours
Ngorongoro Crater is one of my favorite places anywhere in Africa, and if I had to choose one place to go on holiday, Ngorongoro would always be near the top of my list. No matter how many times I descend into the crater at Ngorongoro, I still feel the same sense of anticipation, as if I’m entering a hidden world alive with possibility and with wildlife. Every time I’ve been in the crater I’ve seen lions, elephants and black rhinos, but these are just the start in this beautiful place. Ngorongoro is also well-suited to a budget safari, with plenty of camping places around the crater rim, and lots of affordable tours to choose from.
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6-Day Unforgettable Tour in Tanzania
$1,188 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Cubs Expeditions
5.0/5 – 147 Reviews
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5-Day Tanzania Budget Camping Tour
$920 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Mountain Warriors Tours and Safaris
5.0/5 – 99 Reviews
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8-Day Ultimate Northern Tanzania Safari and Lake Natron
$2,074 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron, Arusha (End)
See Endless Adventures Tanzania
5.0/5 – 34 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
6-Day Private Serengeti Budget Camping Tanzania Safari
$1,815 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Western Serengeti NP, Southern Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris
5.0/5 – 326 Reviews
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10-Day Tanzania Budget Camping Safari and Cultural Tour
$2,184 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Kilimanjaro Airport (Start), Tarangire NP, Lake Eyasi, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Mto wa Mbu (Town), Olpopongi (Cultural Village), Materuni Waterfalls (Highlight), Kikuletwa Hot Springs (Highlight), Arusha (End)
KT African Safaris
5.0/5 – 31 Reviews
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10-Day Zanzibar & Serengeti+Ngorongoro+Manyara+Tarangire
$2,466 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 7 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Zanzibar Stone Town (Zanzibar), Zanzibar (Tanzania Beaches), Nungwi (Zanzibar), Arusha (End)
Zanzi Trekking and Safaris
5.0/5 – 22 Reviews
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Best Seller
4-Day Touring the Greatest Five
$803 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Materuni Waterfalls (Highlight), Central Serengeti NP, Northern Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Vision Safari & Tours
4.9/5 – 47 Reviews
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Best Seller
5-Day Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara
$1,505 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping & Hotel
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Faithfull Adventures
5.0/5 – 14 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Northern Parks Budget
$1,478 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Shemeji Safari Tanzania
4.8/5 – 287 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
5-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari - Private Budget
$1,637 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Colours Africa Tours and Safaris
5.0/5 – 163 Reviews
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3-Day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Joining Safari
$957 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
King Solomon Safaris
5.0/5 – 32 Reviews
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8-Day Authentic Tanzania Safari
$2,527 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti NP, Lake Natron, Kilimanjaro Airport (End)
Dusty Roads Adventures & Tours
4.8/5 – 27 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
9-Day Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire & Kilimanjaro
$2,255 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Central Serengeti NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Eyasi, Foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro, Arusha (End)
Safari Soles
5.0/5 – 274 Reviews
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4-Day Tanzania Safari
$1,399 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Tented Bush Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Nature Excursion
5.0/5 – 13 Reviews
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3-Day Short Magical Safari to Tanzania
$605 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Materuni Waterfalls (Highlight), Arusha (End)
Africa Magic Holidays and Tours
5.0/5 – 45 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Budget Tour to Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
$1,602 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Serengeti Smile
5.0/5 – 292 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Camping Safari to Tarangire Serengeti &Ngorongoro
$1,694 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Zanzibar (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar (End)
Tanzania Roadside Expeditions
5.0/5 – 254 Reviews
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4-Day Group Trip to Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
$825 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Big Mama Safari Adventures
5.0/5 – 7 Reviews
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3-Day Tanzania Best Joining Safari
$635 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Porcupine Expeditions
5.0/5 – 40 Reviews
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5-Day Exciting Adventure Budget & Camping Safari
$2,144 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Ecotone Africa Safaris
4.8/5 – 5 Reviews
4 Questions About Ngorongoro Crater Budget Safaris
![Anthony Ham](https://cloudfront.safaribookings.com/assets/experts/84x84/Anthony_Ham.jpg)
Answered by
Anthony Ham
Anthony is a writer and author of numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Tanzania and East Africa. He writes about Tanzania and the wider region for magazines and newspapers around the world. He is also the author of The Last Lions of Africa.› More about Anthony
4 Questions About Ngorongoro Crater Budget Safaris
![](https://cloudfront.safaribookings.com/assets/experts/42x42/Anthony_Ham.jpg)
Where should I stay to visit the Ngorongoro Crater on a budget?
“The best general area to stay while on your Ngorongoro Crater budget safari is up on the crater rim. Staying down inside the crater is not allowed and not even the Maasai are allowed to spend the night there. The best way to see Ngorongoro is to drive down into the crater at dawn, so it’s best to stay up on the rim (where it can be very cold overnight!) on the night before your visit at least. Staying up on or close to the rim also means you’re closer to the Maasai villages (some of which you can visit) and to the other attractions of the Crater Highlands. The best campsites are those close to the actual edge of the rim: from there you should be able to see out across (and down into) the crater. There are lots of other places not far away, a little back from the edge and surrounded by forests where elephant, buffalo and even lion are known to wander. The other possibility is a little further away, down the hill from the crater rim and along (or just off) the road between Ngorongoro and the town of Karatu.”
1What type of accommodation can I expect on cheap Ngorongoro Crater packages?
“To keep your Ngorongoro Crater safari affordable, you’ll almost certainly be camping. Especially when it comes to those cheap campsites right by the crater rim, this will usually just mean a camping tent where you’ll sleep on a ground mattress. There may also be some basic communal facilities, such as showers and toilets. During busy periods, the tents can sometimes be a little closely pitched to each other. Make sure that the safari operator provides you with blankets – it can get really cold up here due to the altitude! If you’re staying in one of the campsites or simple lodges a little away from the rim, you may sleep in a safari tent with a canvas floor and an actual bed. Some of these have communal cooking facilities and a shared dining area. If you’re staying down in Karatu, you might have a simple room with or without an en suite bathroom.”
2How do I avoid the crowds on an Ngorongoro Crater trip?
“Ngorongoro is a really popular destination, and because everyone who comes here goes down into the crater, it can be difficult to avoid the crowds. Even so, it shouldn’t be enough to spoil your holiday. Ngorongoro is a bigger place than it looks and for most of the time that you’re down in the crater, you can steer clear of the other vehicles. Sometimes it may not be possible: at a lion kill, for example, or at the Ngoitoktok Springs area where everyone stops for a picnic lunch. You could also plan your trip so that you travel outside of the busy months, although there aren’t many of these; high season runs from July to March. Parts of March, all of April and into May is when rains are most likely; after rains, many tracks around Ngorongoro get very muddy. Late May or most of June can be fine and also a little quieter.”
3How much does an Ngorongoro Crater budget safari cost?
“It may be difficult to find an Ngorongoro Crater budget safari for less than US$150 per person per day. That’s partly because you have to pay US$50/10 per adult/child for each day that you’re in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You should always ask your safari tour operator what’s included and what’s excluded from the price that you’re quoted. The cost of most budget safari packages should include all camping equipment, fuel, meals and a guide who will accompany you throughout your visit. It will also include a vehicle for getting around and a guided visit down into the Crater (which should last most of the day). Transfers, park fees, a visit to a local Maasai village and any other activities may or may not be included.”
4Ngorongoro Crater Reviews
![](https://cloudfront.safaribookings.com/assets/experts/42x42/Mary_Fitzpatrick.jpg)
![United States United States](https://cfstatic.safaribookings.com/images/flags/us.png)
Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.
Wildlife-filled Crater & Magnificent Vistas
Ngorongoro Crater is expensive, but the scenery, and the density and variety of the wildlife, are unparalleled. With its quintessential East African vistas awash with wildlife, and surrounding landscapes graced by the local Maasai, it is...
![](https://cloudfront.safaribookings.com/assets/experts/42x42/Stephen_Cunliffe.jpg)
Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.
The Safari of a Lifetime
Sure there will be plenty of other tourists and vehicles bumping and bouncing around inside the crater with you, but there is good reason for this: Ngorongoro is an incredible wildlife area. If you are allergic to crowds and the thought of...
![United States United States](https://cfstatic.safaribookings.com/images/flags/us.png)
The visit was spectacular! We visited Ngorongoro at the end of June, and we had a cloudy and windy day, but that didn't stop us from seeing lions, elephants, hundreds of zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, and rhinos. Dress warmly if you go...
![United States United States](https://cfstatic.safaribookings.com/images/flags/us.png)
My only complaint would be how crowded the crater gets. They don't limit the number of vehicles allowed in the park. There are limited roads, so the traffic can get quite heavy on those. This does ensure that the animals get bothered less...
![Netherlands Netherlands](https://cfstatic.safaribookings.com/images/flags/nl.png)
we drove by before we went to Serengeti, so we already experienced the few. The day we drove in the crater we saw a rhino! the landscape in de the crater is already so diffrent from what we saw the days before. it was really surprising....
![Germany Germany](https://cfstatic.safaribookings.com/images/flags/de.png)
Many impressions with the Big Five and more.
Price-performance was great! Everything was very well organized. In two days in Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater I was able to see the Big Five and more. The leopard first thing in the morning and the large herds of elephants...