Over the past few years, Ngorongoro crater has become the most visited destination in Tanzania. I like to take a look back and see which attributes make it favourite safari destination.
It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it should be a must during your safari in Africa. This magnificent landscape attracts visitors from all over the globe. With its spectacular unique landscape, rich wildlife species, history of mankind and the Maasai community living in the vicinity which is hard to imagine that such a vast wildlife sanctuary exists so close to human settlements.
The scenery in the Ngorongoro Crater is like no other I’ve ever seen is incredible you cannot find anything similar in the world. There is an entire ecosystem within this crater (actually a caldera, since it is the result of an implosion rather than volcanic explosion) freshwater streams that run into the natural saltwater lake, forest on the perimeter of the caldera and vast plains all the way across. From the air you can make out that this is a crater, from land it is so large, it is hard to imagine.
The crater rim is beautifully lush and green and has a surprising variety of animals. Going down into the crater you drive down the 600 meters high crater wall that surrounds the crater. The drive in and out of the crater is stunning (different roads for each) and arriving down in the “bowl” it feels like you’ve descended into another world it is so compact, so different scenery within the crater and with so many animals. The base of the crater is warm but considerably cooler at the higher elevation of the rim.
The base of the crater is teeming with wildlife (you can see lions elephants, hippos, buffalo and many other species). It is also a habitat for the black rhino. Hard to believe these animals roam free because they are somewhat protected, they just stay at the base of the Ngorongoro crater. The structure of the crater means that many animals are virtually trapped within the crater because the rim is so steep. This means that the ecosystem is unique with a richness of wildlife. There isn’t another place in the world where there are more wild animals per square miles as in this crater. It is arguably your best opportunity to see the Big Five in one Day.
Of course, due to the area being enclosed by the crater rims, you will see many other visitors and won’t have the feeling of being alone in this area like it might be at the wide plains of Serengeti. But it nevertheless offers an amazing amount of wildlife and nature: jungle, lakes, a forest, steppe etc.
Ngorongoro Crater is one of those must-see destinations in Africa for its scenic beauty, the wonderful lodges and the concentrations of wildlife. All travellers in the world agree that every journey is filled with countless experiences and Ngorongoro is truly breathtaking! Sometimes we lack words to describe the feeling after seeing something phenomenal as there are no set words to describe their beauties, neither description nor pictures can do this place any justice.
