Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Recommended number of days at this destination: 1 - 2

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a World Heritage Site, differs from a national park. In a national park, the area is excluded from human habitation and use of the natural resources inside the park. The NCA, while having some restrictions on the usage of the resources to protect the areas environment, still allows local human habitation and grazing of domestic animals. Of the inhabitants of the NCA, 98% are Maasai, 2% are of the Datoga and Hadzabe tribes.

The NCA is a 5 hours drive from Moshi, 3.5 hours drive from Arusha. It is located very close to Lake Manyara National Park on the east, and it shares the western border with the Serengeti. Entering and exiting the NCA is limited to the times of 6am - 6pm.

The most famous portion of the NCA is Ngorongoro Crater. This is technically a caldera (a inward collapse of a volcano). Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact caldera in the world, with a depth of 600m (2,000ft) and a diameter of 18km (11 miles). The elevation at the top of the rim reaches 2,286m (7,500ft) above sea-level. Th crater is home to more than 30,000 large animals including rhino, elephants, hippos,lions, cheetahs,leopards, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, antelopes, ostriches, hyenas...all African plains animals except for giraffes and elands (a large antelope). The vast majority of these animals live in the crater year-round.

The beautiful crater walls make a wonderful backdrop for photography and the animals inside of the crater are not as shy as in some other locations so this is a great destination for photography. Because of the convenient location of the NCA (along the way to the Serengeti) and the wonderful variety and density of the wildlife, the crater is a very popular safari destination. This is the only negative - the crater does get crowded with safari vehicles. To protect the fragile environment, all people (including the Maasai) and vehicles are not allowed inside the crater between 6pm and 6am each day. This means that all accommodations are outside of the crater, many near the crater rim overlooking the crater. At an altitude of 2,200m the crater rim is often cold and windy. Even packing a warm jacket, knit cap, and light gloves might be smart.

The size of the crater is such that all can be seen within 4-5 hours. In addition to the daily entry fee ($71/person) there is an extra fee for each vehicle descending into the crater of $295/vehicle so most itineraries include only one crater visit per itinerary.

Besides the crater, the NCA has other attractions. The most notable being Olduvai (Oldupai) Gorge Museum. Olduvai Gorge is a world famous palaeoanthropologial attraction since the research done by Lous and Mary Leakey in the 1930s unearthed hunderds of fossilized bones and stone tools which lead to the conclusion that humans evolved in Africa. The museum is located approximately 50km west of Ngorongoro Crater, along the way to the Serengeti. Typically visitors spend one hour at the museum. There are also black sand shifting sand dunes approximately a 20 minute drive away from the museum. The dunes are composed of a highly magnetic volcanic ash which keeps the wind from eroding the dunes. The dunes migrate at a rate of 15 - 30m/year. If you wish you can spend some time hiking and exploring this phenomenon.

Empakai Crater, a much smaller caldera than the famous Ngorongoro Crater. 75% of the crater floor is covered with a lovely lake. There are hiking options accompanied by armed park rangers since dangerous animals may be present. There is a pubic campground on the crater rim. The elevation here is higher than the rim of Ngorongoro Crater (up to 3,200m/10,500ft).