Ngorongoro Conservation Area

One of seven World Heritage Sites designated in Tanzania and is the world’s largest unflooded caldera with the entire rim intact. A trip down into the crater, 2,800 feet below the rim, is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. While only 100 square miles in area, it offers several distinct habitats, each attracting a unique variety of wildlife. It is home to almost 30,000 animals, creating a density unseen anywhere else in Africa. The only animals you will not find in the crater are the impala and giraffe. It is not known why impala do not inhabit the Crater, but giraffe are unable to descend the steep grade without lowering their heads, which raises their blood pressure to dangerous levels. The crater is the best location for viewing the rare black rhino and the huge old bull elephants. There is not enough vegetation to support the large elephant cow and calf herds, but the old males “retire” to the Crater for the wonderful swamp grass and acacia forest. Huge flocks of flamingoes inhabit the crater’s Lake Magadi, giving it a spectacular pink hue. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the world’s first multi-purpose land use experiment, combining tourism, research, archeology, wildlife management, and traditional livestock grazing for the Maasai herders whose lands surround the area.

Kilimanjaro to Ngorongoro Conservation Area: 3 hours by safari vehicle.