Things to see & do in the
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Formed around three million years ago, when a huge Rift Valley volcano erupted and collapsed, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken and unflooded volcanic crater in the world. It’s 260sq km floor is surprisingly diverse with a permanent lake, open savannah and areas of mature woodland. Surrounded by steep, densely forested walls rising over 600m high, the effect is that of a huge natural amphitheatre – with Africa’s classic big game taking centre stage.
The wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area encompasses the crater (and two others), tracts of Serengeti plains, the Olduvai Gorge and highland forest ecosystems. Uniquely, the Ngorongoro’s status as a conservation area rather than a national park means that outside the crater itself, resident Maasai still graze livestock on its grasslands, herds of cattle moving among the herds of zebra.
Our Tanzania Holidays
Tanzania Selous safari holiday & Zanzibar
Off-the-beaten track safari experiences & paradise beaches
Tanzania safari and Zanzibar beach holiday
Your tailor-made Tanzania safari & Zanzibar beach holiday
Serengeti wildlife safari, Tanzania migration
Explore off road in the world famous Ndutu area
Luxury Tanzania safari and Zanzibar beach holiday
Selous safari then relax on beautiful Zanzibar
Selous safari and beach holiday in Tanzania
A safari in Selous followed by time spent on a small island
Selous safari & Mafia Islands diving holiday
Africa's largest game park
The Masai Heartlands safari
An amazing and great value 2 week truck safari
Exciting family holiday in Tanzania
A family holiday for all ages including the best of Tanzania
Tanzania family Safari
Family-friendly luxury safari into Tanzania's wilderness
Kenya & Tanzania safari holidays
Some of the best wildlife spots in Tanzania and Kenya
Tanzania small group tour, savannahs & sands
A perfect mix of wildlife and relaxation
Tanzania volunteering projects
Have fun by helping people help themselves
Tanzania family safari and Zanzibar holiday
Famous Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti combined with beach
Kenya and Tanzania classic tailor made holiday
Explore Kenya and Tanzania's most treasured national parks.
Community volunteering in Tanzania
Have fun helping people help themselves
Kilimanjaro Machame Route trekking holiday
Physical challenges, camping adventures & humbling sunrises
Kilimanjaro climb, Machame route
Amazing Private Or Group Kilimanjaro Climb: Machame Route
Kenya and Tanzania safari adventure
Witness the best in wildlife and scenery
Tanzania safaris, northern circuit
Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Tarangire at a leisurely pace
Tanzania small group safari
Experience the beauty of Africa from Nairobi to Zanzibar
Tanzania volunteering and safari
Make a difference and experience the Serengeti plains
Big game safari in Tanzania
Big game safari including luxury private camping
Biking holiday in Kenya & Tanzania
16 day biking and wildlife adventure in Kenya and Tanzania.
Tailor made safari, gorillas, Masai Mara & Zanzibar
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda, safari in Kenya, plus Zanzibar
Kenya safari and Zanzibar beach holiday
Safari in the Masai Mara & paradise beaches on Zanzibar
East Africa safari & Zanzibar holiday
Kenya &Tanzania safari with Zanzibar ultimate experience!
Kilimanjaro climb Lemosho route
Awesome 10-Day Kilimanjaro Climb via the Lemosho Route
Kilimanjaro & Meru trekking holiday
An incomparable African odyssey for the dauntless trekker!
Rwanda and Tanzania tailor made holiday
No need to look further for a safari of lifetime memories.
Tanzania holiday, safari, culture and wildlife 7 days
Genuine cultural experiences and iconic wildlife parks
What does a holiday to the Ngorongoro Crater entail?
Accommodation in the Ngorongoro area ranges from luxury tented lodges to basic campsites, with options at both ends of the scale enjoying panoramic views from the crater rim. Where you stay depends on your budget and your preferred style of holiday. Small group tours will often use the crater rim campsites, where night times can be chilly. In June to August, Tanzania’s winter, temperatures can drop below zero. This is peak safari time and you’ll need layers for early morning game drives. It gets cold, even in Africa .
What can I see in the
Ngorongoro Crater?
Black rhino are, for the species, relatively plentiful here making the Ngorongoro Crater one of the best places in Tanzania and Kenya to spot them. However, with just 26 individuals [1] occupying a 260km2 crater floor, seeing these critically endangered animals is still a rare privilege.
Alongside its wildlife, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area offers some of the Rift Valley’s most spectacular vistas. Lookouts, lodges and camps line the crater rim, surveying the crater floor spread out some 600m below. The view that emerges through the thick rainforest at Heroes’ Point is unsurpassed.
The conservation area also holds natural history on a human scale. Some of the world’s oldest human remains have been found in the Olduvai Gorge, part of the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the discovery of a 1.75 million year old skull here has shaped our understanding of human evolution.
[1] Source: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
Our top Tanzania Holiday
Tanzania Selous safari holiday & Zanzibar
Off-the-beaten track safari experiences & paradise beaches
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Things to do in the wider
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Walking safaris with local Maasai guides are possible in the greater Ngorongoro Conservation Area (not inside the crater itself) and are often included in tours here. Take a two- to three-hour walk along the crater rim and not only will you escape the crowds at popular viewpoints but you are likely to come across tiny Maasai settlements and local nomadic herders. Longer walks take you into the Olmoti Crater, with excellent birdwatching or to the shores of Empakaai Crater’s flamingo-filled soda lake.
How to do it?
Families will enjoy the Ngorongoro; the abundance of wildlife will keep little eyes sparked full of wonder, and the short driving times between northern Tanzania’s safari highlights mean little minds won’t get bored by long journeys. There is no age limit for safaris here, and many lodges are child-friendly; however, our family holiday specialists suggest older children aged at least seven or eight will get the most out of this kind of trip.
As an added bonus, Tanzania’s spectacular Indian Ocean beaches are only a short flight away from the crater.
Best time to visit the
Ngorongoro Crater
June to October is the dry season, where shrinking waterholes attract high concentrations of big game. In June and July you’ll be able to combine safaris in the Ngorongoro with a chance to see the vast herds of wildebeest congregating on the Serengeti Plains as the Great Migration prepares to cross the Grumeti and Mara Rivers to head north into Kenya. This is peak safari time in Tanzania, attracting peak rates and peak crowds.
Just outside high season, November to December can be a lovely time to visit the Ngorongoro Crater. The short rains have just ended and leave behind a lush, newly-green landscape – enjoyed by wildlife and fewer safari trucks.
Late January to February brings baby animals to the crater. The wildebeest and zebra herds welcome their calves and subsequently predators are on the prowl. While this is the rainy season, the real downpours don’t usually happen until March and April.