Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the most inhabited conservation areas in Africa. Ngorongoro Conservation Area encompasses extensive stretches of savanna, savanna woods, and forests with remarkable beauty that will leave you in awe. Ngorongoro is located in the northern safari circuit of Tanzania – home to one of the most breathtaking safari experiences on the planet. The 8,292 square kilometer Ngorongoro Conservation Area is located 180 kilometers west of Arusha. . The Conservation Area stretches on vast expanses of the high land plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests adjacent from the plains of Serengeti National Park.
The Conservation Area was established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing. The area includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater – the world’s largest intact caldera.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site that was established in 1959. Due to the presence of internationally endangered species, the abundance of wildlife there, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, and other animals into the northern plains, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is significant for the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.
Highlights
The area is also famous for the extensive archaeological research that yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to a spectacular landscape and a great concentration of animals. Every year, almost a million animals pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on their route to the Serengeti region as part of the annual wildebeest migration.
The Crater rim offers a great chance to spot the wildebeest across the base in long columns and when an eye is kept wide open there is great chance to spot rhinos and large elephants with long majestic tusks around the Gorigor Swamp.
Other frequently asked Questions about Ngorongoro Conservation Area
What is special about Ngorongoro Conservation Area?
Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania is home to the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is the world’s largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera. The crater floor is also famed for great densities of wild animal with up to 25,000 animals and hundreds of birdlife that can be spotted around the crater floor. Ngorongoro is home to some of the big game such as lions, black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, elephants and giraffe among others.
Is Ngorongoro Crater worth visiting?
If you’re in Tanzania, Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a must visit for those in love with wildlife. The Ngorongoro Crater, the sixth-largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, and Olduvai Gorge are located here, towards the eastern side as you head to the Serengeti. Ngorongoro is worth visiting while in Tanzania.
Wildlife in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Ngorongoro Crater is home to approximately 25,000 animals mostly ungulates. The different species can be spotted across the crater floor. Large mammals in the crater include the black rhinoceros, African buffalo or Cape buffalo, and the hippopotamus. There also are many other ungulates: the blue wildebeest, Grant’s zebra, the eland, and Grant’s, and Thomson’s gazelles. Waterbucks can all be spotted in the crater floor especially near Lerai Forest. The missing here include; Giraffe, impala topi, oribi, and crocodile.
Cheetah, East African wild dog, and African leopard, are rarely seen. The leopards however dwell in the lerai forest and lion prides prowl in the plains. To the northern part of the Crater is the Olmoti volcano that offers a chance to view wildlife in abundance with animals such as the buffalo, zebra and the hyena.
On your trip to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a hike down to the Empakaai Crater is a perfect way to experience the unique bird life – with thousands of pink flamingoes around the edge of the soda lake.
What is the best time to Visit Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Between June and October is always a dry season and the vegetation in the Crater becomes less dense making wildlife spotting much easier. This is the most recommended time to visit Ngorongoro especially for wildlife sightseeing experiences. However, Ngorongoro can also be visited all year round. The major animals that can be spotted during these periods include the big cats and lot of mammal grazers that usually congregate around the permanent water sources. The temperatures during this period are however not too hot with maximum temperatures reaching up to 20C, and also tend to be dusty and the sun makes photographing easier and beautiful.
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