Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania – Unveiling the Natural Heave

One of the great natural wonders of the world, the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater is located in the northern part of Tanzania, inside the caldera of an extinct volcano, along the Great Rift Valley. The caldera of the volcano is huge, with an area of over 260 square kilometers and lengths between 16 and 19 kilometers. The Ngorongoro Crater is located about 120 km west of Arusha town. The rim of the extinct volcano rises about 600 meters above the caldera floor, at a maximum elevation of 2,200 meters. The crater was formed about 2.5 million year ago, when the cone of a massive active volcano collapsed after an eruption. Today, the crater is home to one of the most spectacular range of animals, vegetation, as well as human life. It is also considered the cradle of civilization, where human life experienced its earliest forms.

Considering its ultimate biodiversity and the unique human heritage importance, the Ngorongoro Crater has been declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1971, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is considered to be one of the few, if not the only place on Earth where wildlife and mankind live in harmony. The rich wildlife consisting on a wide range of species, from lions and leopards to elephants and rhinos, the unchanged and idyllic beauty of the landscape, as well as the local Masaai tribe that graze their livestock inside the crater, form a unique and spectacular experience. The crater and the surrounding area have become one of the top tourist destinations of the world and surely among the top destinations of Africa, welcoming tourists from around the world.

Almost half a million visitors come to the Ngorongoro Crater each year, people being mesmerized by the untouched and untamed beauty of this unique natural area. Tourists can arrive at the crater from the nearby Arusha town, with organized safaris and tours of discovery. Another option would be to find private safaris from Karatu, a smaller town located closer to the crater. Although there are some international flights that land at Arusha, most tourists land in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam and catch another flight towards Arusha. Safaris and tours organized by big tour-operators usually use charter flights that take visitors as close as possible to the crater. Individual visitors should know that there is a fee for entering the conservations area, reaching $50 per person/day and $200 per car/day. For accommodation, tourists have several options, from the lodges located right on the rim, to the guesthouses in the nearby settlements.

Catching a first glimpse of this amazing natural wonder can amaze and awe any tourist, gazing upon the huge crater and the lush savannah reaching as far as the eyes can see. There is no other place on Earth where the domestic cattle can be seen alongside wild zebras and gazelles, while the watchful Masaai in their distinctive red robes roam among elephants and wildebeest. There are around 25,000 large animals inside the Ngorongoro Crater, including huge numbers of zebras, wildebeest, buffalos, gazelles, as well as lions, rhinos, hyenas, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, jackals and more. Apart from all these, there are over 500 species of birds that can be seen here, including the beautiful flamingos. All of these form a unique image and make the Crater one of the best places in the world for wild safaris and seeing so much of Africa’s wildlife in a single area. The African experience is much more intense and inspiring inside the Ngorongoro.

The Ngorongoro Crater is also a great destination for eco-tourism and cultural discovery, one of the greatest experiences consisting in living inside the Masaai settlements and meeting these fascinating people. Seeing the unique way of life and discovering the landscape alongside Masaai guides cannot be equaled by anything else. Apart from all these, the Ngorongoro Crater area is one of the most important archaeological sites linked to the evolution of mankind in the world. The Olduvai Gorge located near the crater is considered as the cradle of civilization, where human life began and there have been various archaeological evidences to this. It is believed that hominid species have been living here for the last 3 million years without interruption, their evolution being proved by the discovered fossils.

Considering all these, as well as many other features and characteristics of the Ngorongoro Crater, we can safely assume this is one of the most wonderful and interesting places on Earth, combining a stunning natural landscape with an unbelievably rich and diverse wildlife, together with the fascinating human life that has roots to the beginning of human life. A visit to this unique place is one of the greatest experiences in life and any traveler should dream to reach this spectacular destination.

Cover Photo by Jeff Lemond on Unsplash