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The green crater floor seen from the rim, with Lake Magadi and clouds clinging to the walls

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

TanzaniaNorthern TanzaniaConservation area

In Ngorongoro, you drive down into a 260 km² caldera where about 25,000 large animals live year-round: lions, buffalo, wildebeest and some fifty black rhinos. The 600-meter wall keeps them in place, and a single morning here shows you more than three days elsewhere.

Why go to Ngorongoro?

  • The descent into the crater, a 260 km² floor where about 25,000 large animals live
  • The black rhino, some fifty animals in the crater, your most reliable sighting in Tanzania
  • Lions at the highest density in Africa, easy to see by day in the short grass
  • The Ndutu plains, where the migrating wildebeest give birth from January to March
  • Olduvai Gorge and the 3.6-million-year-old Laetoli footprints, on the road to the Serengeti

The park on the map

Base: Karatu, 21 km as the crow flies.

See nearby parks on the map

Ngorongoro in pictures

Hippos submerged in a reed-fringed pool, with a line of wildebeest and the crater wall in the background
A black rhino standing in dry golden grass, with a pointed lip and fringed ears, facing the camera
A lioness lying in tall green grass, a cub pressed against her with its mouth open, a second lioness behind
A herd of wildebeest grazes on green grass, with two zebras behind and a sacred ibis in the foreground
Three vultures, including a pink-headed lappet-faced vulture, around a carcass in grass dotted with yellow flowers

Which animals can you see in Ngorongoro?

The crater packs about 25,000 large animals into 260 km², and the short grass leaves them in the open. You see wildebeest and zebras at all times, and buffalo and hippos in the pools. Lions hunt in full view, at the highest density in Africa. The black rhino lives here year-round, some fifty animals, counted at 55 in 2018. The crater is the place in Tanzania where you have the best chance of seeing one.

A few old bull elephants with big tusks roam the Lerai Forest. Giraffes are absent: the slope is too steep for them. Spotted hyenas are everywhere, and at Lake Magadi, lesser flamingos draw a pink line, depending on the water level.

Sighting calendar
SpeciesJFMAMJJASONDNote
Lionpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonin the crater, often in broad daylight
Black rhinocerospossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblesome fifty in the crater, best looked for early in the morning
Elephantpossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossibleold bulls in the Lerai Forest, herds in the highlands
Buffalopeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonin the crater
Leopardpossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossibleforests of the rim and Lerai, rarely seen
Wildebeestpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonin the crater year-round, calving at Ndutu from January to March
Plains zebrapeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonin the crater
Spotted hyenapeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonin the crater, in large clans
Cheetahpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpossiblerarerarerarerarerarerarepossiblepeak seasonNdutu plains, with the migration from December to March
Hippopotamuspeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasonpeak seasoncrater pools
Lesser flamingospossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossiblepossibleLake Magadi, depending on the water level

peak seasonpossiblerare

What is a safari like in Ngorongoro?

The day starts at the descent gate, which opens at 6 a.m., on a track that drops 600 meters to the floor. You then drive in one direction only, on a loop between Lake Magadi, the hippo pools and the Lerai Forest. Lunch is a picnic beside a pool. The crater fee covers a single entry, limited to six hours, and the last descent is at 4 p.m.

Outside the crater, you explore the area by 4x4 toward Olduvai and Ndutu, and the Empakaai and Olmoti craters are visited on foot with an armed ranger. The Maasai live in the area with their herds, and some villages welcome visitors.

When to go to Ngorongoro?

idealgoodnot recommended

You can visit the crater all year, because its animals almost never leave it. From June to October, dry weather clears the track and the waterholes gather the herds. From January to March, the grass is green and the migrating wildebeest give birth on the Ndutu plains. These lie in the west of the area, two hours' drive from the crater.

The April and May rains turn the floor to mud, and clouds often cover the rim. Unlike in the TANAPA parks, the entry fee does not drop here. In the morning, the rim, at over 2,200 meters, is cold and often misty, so a jacket is a must.

How to get to Ngorongoro?

Loduare Gate, the main entrance, is 180 km from Arusha, about three hours on the paved road through Mto wa Mbu and Karatu. From the rim, the descent road is half an hour away. Beyond the area, the track continues to the Serengeti: it crosses the plateau, runs past Olduvai and comes out at Naabi Hill.

By air, the closest airstrip is Lake Manyara, served every morning from Arusha and an hour's drive from the gate. Coastal Aviation also flies to Ndutu, in the west of the area, on its Serengeti flights.

Stay in Karatu

Where to find a guide in Ngorongoro?

Guided tours you can book online, ranked by number of reviews. These are affiliate links: if you book, you support us at no extra cost.

Viator

3 Days Serengeti and Ngorongoro Group Camping Safari

3 days, from €699

5.0 (795 reviews)View and book
Viator

4 Days Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Mid-Range Group Safari

4 days, from €1,590

4.9 (534 reviews)View and book
Viator

5 Days Camping Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro crater & Visiting Maasai

5 days, from €1,172

5.0 (322 reviews)View and book
Viator

4 Days join group tour Tarangire Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater

4 days, from €999

5.0 (292 reviews)View and book
Viator

2 Days Tarangire and Ngorongoro Private Camping Safari

2 days, from €1,226

5.0 (159 reviews)View and book
Viator

Ngorongoro Crater Day Trip

10 h, from €295

4.9 (122 reviews)View and book

Where to stay near Ngorongoro?

Hotels, apartments and rooms around Karatu, with current prices.

Which hotels to choose near Ngorongoro?

Why do the Maasai live in Ngorongoro, and what is Olduvai Gorge?

The area was created in 1959, when the government split the plateau off from Serengeti National Park so that the Maasai could live there with their livestock. They numbered 8,700 in 1966 and more than 93,000 in 2017, and their herds share the grazing with the wildlife, except in the crater, where no homes are allowed. UNESCO listed the whole area as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

To the west, Olduvai Gorge gave the Leakeys Zinjanthropus in 1959, then Homo habilis, and Laetoli yielded footprints 3.6 million years old. A museum on the edge of the gorge is open to visitors on the road to the Serengeti, for US$35.40 per adult.

Can you hike the Empakaai and Olmoti craters in Ngorongoro?

Two other calderas can be visited on foot, with an armed NCAA ranger. Empakaai, nearly 8 km wide, hides a soda lake that covers half its floor, and flamingos gather in large numbers on its shores. The walk down through the forest takes about an hour and the climb back up two and a half hours, and a special campsite on the rim lets you spend the night there. Olmoti, north of Ngorongoro, is visited the same way. Allow US$23.60 per person for a walk of under four hours, and US$29.50 for a longer one.

Frequently asked questions about Ngorongoro

When is the best time to visit Ngorongoro?

June to October for dry tracks and herds gathered near water. January to March for the wildebeest calving at Ndutu, in the west of the area. The crater keeps its animals in every season.

How much is the Ngorongoro entry fee?

US$70.80 per adult per 24 hours, VAT included, and US$23.60 for a child aged 5 to 15. Driving down into the crater costs an extra US$295 per vehicle per entry, shared among the passengers.

Can you drive into Ngorongoro Crater without a guide?

The area accepts self-drive 4x4s, but its rules require a licensed guide or an NCAA guide in every vehicle in the crater. You can hire one at the gate. Only 4x4s under 3,500 kg may go down.

How do you get to Ngorongoro from Arusha?

By road, 180 km and about three hours to Loduare Gate, through Karatu. By air, Coastal Aviation flies to the Lake Manyara airstrip, an hour from the gate, for US$133 including taxes.

How long can you stay in Ngorongoro Crater?

The crater fee covers a single entry, limited to six hours. The descent gate opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m., and every vehicle must be back up by 6 p.m. One night on the rim is enough for the crater, two if you add Olduvai or Empakaai.

Are there rhinos in Ngorongoro Crater?

Yes. The crater is home to some fifty black rhinos, counted at 55 in 2018, and no other site in Tanzania shows you one as reliably. Look for them early in the morning in the short grass, often far from the track.

Our tip

Drive down into the crater as soon as the gate opens, at 6 a.m., when the light is low and the lions are still on their feet. Sleep on the rim the night before, at over 2,200 meters, and keep a warm jacket handy for the early start.

Other parks nearby

Stay in Karatu

Image credits

Photos under free licenses, credited to their author; the link leads to the source.