Ngorongoro in Tanzania offers the sight of all the big 5 safari animals

Ngorongoro in Tanzania

Ngorongoro is the wildest place in Africa, understood at several levels. One of them is that maybe it’s the ultimate safari travel destination. The volcano crater Ngorongoro is already from Arusha to Ngorongoro, the adventure is on its way.
The tour starts from the nearby town of Arusha, where there is an airport, hotels, and restaurants so you can rest for a few days after your journey before you embark on safaris. The city is known for its stunning views of Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro. And even though the city is quite charming it is rarely for its sake that tourists make their way past. Located close to Serengeti, Masai Mara, and Ngorongoro, the city is an excellent starting point for visits to some of East Africa’s most attractive attractions. Typically, you live in lodges in the area around the safari parks, so the trips into the parks every day are not so long.

Safari in Ngorongoro

Northeastern Tanzania has become one of the major attractions in the area and has for many visitors become one of the favorite places to be experienced. On a safari in Ngorongoro, you are as good as sure to spot wild animals, and there is the opportunity to get close to some of nature’s most famous and infamous giants of the savannah.

The trip to Ngorongoro can very well be part of a trip to East Africa, which includes a three-day safari in area parks. Safari in Lake Manyara and Tarangire are often sold as part of the package trip to Ngorongoro, and although most safaris are great experiences, we have to admit, there are just a few safari parks that are more fascinating than others. Ngorongoro is on that short list.

Already driving from Arusha to Ngorongoro, the adventure is on

The tour starts from the nearby town of Arusha, where there is an airport, hotels, and restaurants so you can rest for a few days after your journey before you embark on safari. The city is known for its stunning views of Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro. And even though the city is quite charming it is rarely for its sake that tourists make their way past. Located close to Serengeti, Masai Mara and Ngorongoro, the city is an excellent starting point for visits to some of East Africa’s most attractive attractions. Typically, you live in lodges in the area around the safari parks, so the trips into the parks every day are not so long.

African Lions in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania

Are you ready to climb into the Ngorongoro Crater?

The Ngorongoro Crater is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and occupies a small 265 square kilometers – nothing like the 14,750 square kilometers that make up the Serengeti National Park. For the same reason, you are as good as sure to see a lot of wild animals as you drive around the crater. The safari itself starts in the morning when you drive towards the safari park and slowly move towards the edge of the crater, to identify viewpoints, which reveal the magnificent view of the crater. The whole area can be overlooked from here, and several places you can see the tiny cars that keep quiet far away because they have spotted a group of exciting animals. Once you have crawled the 600 meters up the edge and down again, to end up at the bottom of the crater, you are quickly rewarded. A large part of the area has no trees and therefore makes it easy to spot the animals. We were quick to spot a small bunch of lions lurking on some grazing zebras. However, the lion’s laziness that day and the warm sun were to the benefit of the zebras, and they happily escaped to become the lunch of the day. The lions chose instead to search into the shadows of our safari cars, which allowed us to properly study the amazing animals.

The Ngorongoro crater contains an abundance of wildlife on a very well-defined area in Tanzania

We saw the Big Five: elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and black rhinos

On the whole, one must be directly unlucky if not seeing a lot of the wild animals living in Ngorongoro. The small area and the rich land create the perfect setting for a safari, and the animals live close together. You can expect to see a lot of zebras, wildebeest, and gazelles, but the classic “big five” is also found in the crater. Both the elephant, the lion, the leopard, the buffalo, and the black rhino live here, and besides them, there are hippos, flamingos, and warthogs.

Travel to Africa. This shot of zebras grazing was taken at the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, Africa.

No giraffes here! Why not?

The attentive safari traveler will quickly notice in the crater the absence of giraffes. The majestic animals stay on the outside of the crater, simply because their legs are too long to climb down the steep crater walls. Fortunately, if you go to Lake Manyara and Tarangire, you will not miss them, so there is no need to worry if the giraffe is a must-see.

Lonely African elephant in the Ngorongoro Crater in the background of mountains and green grass. Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The Masai world

Of course, everything depends on the eyes that look, but for most people, Ngorongoro must be one of the very best safari parks. It is difficult to travel disappointed in the place because the number of animals is so huge and the conditions for spotting them are top-notch. You are in the most beautiful nature. The edge of the crater is a beautiful background when you move around the bottom of the crater. Here you can also get a cultural insight into the Masai world. The unique people live in and around the crater, and there is the opportunity to visit their villages and participate in their special rituals. All this is well-placed near the aforementioned Arusha, making Ngorongoro an obvious place to visit.

Masai man of Tanzania

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Ngorongoro mega crater with the big five in-Tanzania

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