Ngorongoro conservation area

The Ngorongoro conservation area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is in northern Tanzania. This conservation area is part of Tanzania\’s northern safari route. It is 153 kilometers west of Arusha, which is a major tourist city in Tanzania. The Ngorongoro conservation area is a great place to go on safari in Tanzania. It is part of the Serengeti ecosystem, which is a very large environment. The Ndutu area is where the protection area and the southern part of Serengeti National Park meet. The Ngorongoro protection area is 50 km from Lake Manyara national park, 139 km from Tarangire national park, and 213 km from Arusha national park.

The main draw at Ngorongoro conservation area is the Ngorongoro crater, which is a unique place to visit. With a depth of 600 meters and a width of 260 square kilometers, Ngorongoro crater is the world\’s biggest unbroken volcanic caldera. About two to three million years ago, a volcano erupted and made the Ngorongoro crater, which then fell apart. In 1979, the Ngorongoro crater was named a World Heritage site of world importance because it is so unique. In addition to the Ngorongoro crater, safaris in Tanzania\’s Ngorongoro protection area are also great for seeing other beautiful places. One of these is the Oldupai or Olduvai Gorge, which is known as the place where people first lived. Olduvai Gorge is a mysterious place where the remains of the first people to live on Earth have been found. The Laetoli footprints, the Nasera rock, and the Olduvai Gorge Museum can all be found in the Ngorongoro protection area.

The Ngorongoro conservation area covers an area of 8,292 square kilometers and has a scenery with lakes, craters, and marshes, among other natural features. There are Ngorongoro crater, Empakaai crater, Olmoti crater, Lake Magadi, central plains, Lerai forest, Rumbe hills, Munge stream, Mandusi swamp, Gorigor swamp, Ngoitokitok springs, Gol mountains, Mount Lolmalasin and Losirua, Lake Ndutu, Lake Maseke, Olkarien gorge, and the shifting sands. The grasslands inside the crater make up most of the center plains of the Ngorongoro conservation area. This is a great place to go on safari in Tanzania to see animals in the Ngorongoro conservation area.

The Ngorongoro protection area is a great place for a lot of Tanzania\’s wildlife to live. This is one of the reasons why it is one of the best places to visit on a Tanzania wildlife tour. The Ngorongoro Crater makes up most of the Ngorongoro protection area. Over 250,000 large animals live in Ngorongoro crater, which is mostly grass fields west of the Gol Mountains, northeast of Ngorongoro crater, and near Lake Ndutu, which is close to the border of Serengeti national park. The Ngorongoro crater is home to many predators, including lions, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, black-backed jackals, golden-backed jackals, waterbucks, Bohor reedbucks, elands, warthogs, hartebeests, wildebeests, serval cats, elephants, black rhinos, zebras, and many more.

With more than 550 resident and migratory bird species, the Ngorongoro conservation area is a great place to go on a birding tour in Tanzania. Thousands of lesser flamingos live in Lake Magadi, a salt lake on the floor of the crater. There are also hornbills, turacos, goshawks, harriers, ostriches, kori bustards, crowned cranes, secretary birds, and African spoonbills in the Ngorongoro conservation area. The main places where birds live in the Ngorongoro protection area are Lake Ndutu, Empakaai crater lake, and a lot of savannah grasslands.

Safari activities in the Ngorongoro conservation area

Game viewing

The Ngorongoro reserve area is a great place to go on a safari in Tanzania because it has great views of animals at work. In the Ngorongoro conservation area, you can see animals by taking a 4X4 car down through lush forests to the floor of the crater. There are morning game drives, game drives that last all day, and game drives at night. The morning game drive is the best time to see big cats like lions and leopards looking for food. The night game drive is the best time to use a spotlight to find predators like lions, leopards, and wild dogs.

On a game drive, look out the windows of your car for lions, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, black-backed jackals, golden-backed jackals, waterbucks, Bohor reedbucks, elands, warthogs, hartebeests, wildebeests, serval cats, elephants, and black rhinos.

Bird watching

The Ngorongoro conservation area is a haven for birds and a must-see on a Tanzania birding tour. Over 550 resident and migratory bird species live in the forest crayons, grassland plains, lakes like Lake Magadi, and marshes. A variety of bird species such as hornbill, turaco, goshawk, harrier, ostriches, Kori bustards, crowned cranes, secretary birds, African spoonbill, capped wheatear, eastern double-collared sunbird, Egyptian vulture, fan tailed widow bird, fan-tailed widow bird, Hartlaub\’s turaco, red and yellow barbet, scarlet-chested sunbird, white eyed salty flycatcher and many more are spotted on a birding safari in Ngorongoro conservation area. The best part of birding in the Ngorongoro reserve area is seeing lesser flamingos and other water birds on Lake Magadi, a salt lake on the crater\’s floor.

Walking excursions

The Ngorongoro conservation area is a fun and satisfying place for Tanzania walking safaris. With a guide, walking safaris in the Ngorongoro conservation area are a great way to see the different tourist spots. Walking tours are available in the Ngorongoro conservation area. These include short walks, crater rim walks, a trek to the Empakaai crater, a climb up the sides of the Olmoti volcano, and a walk along Lake Eyasi.Crater rim treks start early in the morning from the Lemala gate on the eastern side of the crater. They offer beautiful views of the crater floor and many birds in the thick forest cover. It takes a full day to hike through the woods around the Empakaai crater to get there. Climbing the sides of the Olmoti volcano starts at the highlands camp and takes a trail through mountain forests, grasslands, and rocky outcrops to the top of the volcano.

Archeological excursions

The Ngorongoro reserve area has a lot of archeological sites, like Olduvai Gorge and the Laetoli footprint, which can be seen on archeological trips. These sites show signs of our ancestors. People know that the skeletons of early Homo sapiens were found in the Olduvai Gorge. At Olduvai Gorge, there is a museum with a collection of things found by Dr. Leakey and his wife. One room is about Oldupai and the other is about Laetoli. In the 1950s, paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey found fossils in Olduvai Gorge. You can see these fossils when you go on an archaeological tour of the Ngorongoro protection area.

Camping excursions

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania is a great place for a camping trip. There are many public and private campsites that can be used for camping trips. Some of these campsites are right on the edge of Empakaai crater. Special campsites in the Ngorongoro conservation area have things like places to buy food and are usually big. Public campsites, which are for backpackers, have fewer services like toilets and showers and are usually smaller. Camping trips in the Ngorongoro conservation area can be booked at the Ngorongoro conservation area Authority\’s main office.

Cultural excursions

When you go on a cultural tour in the Ngorongoro reserve area, you can meet the interesting Masai people. The Maasai are one of the best groups to visit on a cultural tour of Tanzania because their culture has not been changed by modernity and technology. During a cultural tour of the Maasai community in Tanzania, tourists will learn more about their beliefs, practices, and customs. Other traditional Maasai things to do include visiting the cultural Bomas, trying out the local food, raising cattle, and wearing shukas and hand-made jewelry like big, colorful chains.

where to stay in Ngorongoro national park

There are different types of lodges and cabins in the Ngorongoro conservation area. Each one has one of three statuses: luxury, midrange, and budget. Accommodation in Ngorongoro conservation area include Ngorongoro crater lodge, Lemala Ngorongoro Tented camp, Ngorongoro Spa Lodge, Serena Ngorongoro Lodge, Ang\’ata Ngorongoro camp, Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury lodge, Lion\’s paw cam, Ngorongoro Forest Tented lodge, Hhando coffee lodge, Ngorongoro wildlife lodge, Ngorongoro Rhino lodge, Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge and many more.

How to reach Ngorongoro National Park

The Ngorongoro conservation area can be reached by air or car, and it is about 173 kilometers from Arusha, a popular tourist city in Tanzania. Loduare Gate is close to the town of Karatu and can be reached by driving from the city of Arusha. There are also ways to get to Ngorongoro Conservation Area from places like Serengeti National Park and Lake Manyara National Park, which are also on the northern safari tour.

To get to Ngorongoro Conservation Area by air, you can take a direct flight or a local chartered flight. You can also take a direct flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport, which is the main airport for Arusha and is 46 kilometers away. You have to go to Arusha from Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch a domestic trip to Ngorongoro or Lake Ndutu. Domestic chartered trips to the Ngorongoro conservation area are available from Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Regional Air, Zan Air, Safari Air Link, and Coastal Aviation.