Lerai forest
Yellow-barked fever trees where the old elephant bulls feed, and a good place to find black rhino on the edges.
Northern Tanzania · Caldera floor
Ngorongoro Crater
A collapsed volcano holding 260 square kilometres of grassland, soda lake and forest, with resident wildlife year round.
- Best time
- Jun–Oct
- Getting there
- 3 hr drive from Arusha
- We suggest
- 2 nights on the rim
- Known for
- Black rhino, lion, elephant bulls
The landscape
A world inside a volcano
Ngorongoro is the largest unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera in the world: a crater close to twenty kilometres across with walls around six hundred metres high. Its floor holds grassland, the soda lake of Magadi, the yellow-barked Lerai forest and permanent springs.
Because water never runs out, much of the wildlife never leaves. The crater is part of the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai families still graze their cattle alongside the game.
What you may see in the Ngorongoro Crater
Wild animals keep their own schedule — these are the species our guides know best here.
When to go
The crater through the year
What happens
Resident game on the floor
Calving herds at nearby Ndutu
Quietest crater floor
Green season
Where to go
Corners of the caldera
Lake Magadi
The soda lake at the centre of the floor, pink with flamingo when conditions are right.
Ngoitokitok spring
A spring-fed pool with hippo, and our favourite picnic spot on the floor.
Munge swamp
Reed beds in the north where lion lie up and waterbirds gather.
Empakaai crater
A smaller, deeper crater an hour north, with a walk down to its lake. Almost no other visitors.
Good to know
Before you go to the Ngorongoro Crater
- Time on the floor
- Vehicles have a limited number of hours in the crater each day, so we go down as the gates open.
- Altitude
- The rim sits at about 2,300 m. Evenings are cold; a fleece is essential.
- Fees
- Conservation and crater service fees are included in our prices.
Safaris
Journeys that include the Ngorongoro Crater
8 days · 7 nights Big cats
Kopjes & Craters
Two nights in kopje country, two on the eastern plains, two on the crater rim.
10 days · 9 nights Classic
The Northern Circuit
The full arc of northern Tanzania, with elephant herds and baobabs before the plains open up.
12 days · 11 nights Migration
Following the Migration
Timed to the herds: calving on the short grass, or the Mara river crossings in the north.
14 days · 13 nights Beach
Plains & Indian Ocean
A full safari followed by six nights of reef, dhows and slow mornings on the coast.
4 days · 3 nights Classic
Three Parks, One Base
A short safari with no packing in between: one highland lodge, three parks within reach.
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Destinations
Explore more of Tanzania
Serengeti
Plains & kopjesEndless short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes — the stage for big cats, and for the migration as it moves through.
Tarangire
Baobabs & elephantGreat elephant herds along a single dry-season river, under some of the oldest baobabs in East Africa.
Lake Manyara
Rift escarpmentGroundwater forest, an alkaline lake and the wall of the Rift Valley within a compact, easily added park.
Ruaha
Southern wildernessTanzania's largest park: baobab hills, sand rivers and exceptional numbers of lion and wild dog, with very few vehicles.
Nyerere / Selous
Rivers & boatingThe Rufiji river system opens up safari by boat and on foot, alongside classic game drives.
Mahale / Katavi
Remote & wildChimpanzee tracking in forested mountains above Lake Tanganyika, paired with the floodplains of Katavi.
Kilimanjaro
Roof of AfricaAfrica's highest peak, climbed over six to nine days on the Lemosho, Machame or Rongai routes.
Zanzibar
Indian OceanReef, dhows and Stone Town — the natural pause at the end of a safari.
Arusha & Lake Eyasi
Culture & arrivalWhere journeys begin, and where time with Hadzabe and Datoga communities adds a cultural layer.
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Plan with us
Plan your time in the Ngorongoro Crater
Tell us your dates and how you like to travel. We will reply with a route and honest pricing within 24 hours.