Ngorongoro Conservation area.

The park is located between the Serengeti and Lake Manyara (see map). It is home to the famous volcanic Ngorongoro crater which is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. The crater (610 metres deep and 260 km squared) is a microcosm of East African scenery and game and is usually visited on the way back from the Serengeti to Arusha. Scenic grandeur and stunning views are the hallmark of this wonder of the world. All the lodges are built high on the crater rim and afford amazing views over and into the crater - the perfect setting for a well deserved sundowner.

Activites and Special Interests

Archeologists will be interested in Olduvai Gorge which is in the Conservation Area and where it is possible to see the famous discoveries of remains of early Man by Mary and Louis Leakey. However most of the activity is within the crater which is popular for bird watching, photography, walking safaris, and game viewing from a vehicle (4 wheel drive).

Wildlife

There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself, mostly Zebra and wildebeest. However, this is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include the magnificent black-maned males. There are lots of colourful flamingoes and a variety of other water birds around the soda lake on the crater floor. More than a 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the crater. Other game: leopard, cheetah, hyena, elephants, warthog, impala, buffalo, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family and smaller mammals of sorts.

Accommodation

There are a number of lodges and camps to stay at on the rim of the Crater. Lodges: Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and Ngorongoro Serena. Camps: Most campers stay at Simba site.