Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, 180 km (110 mi) west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The conservation area is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, an arm of the Tanzanian government, and its boundaries follow the boundary of the Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region.

The western portion of the park abuts the Serengeti National Park (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the area comprising the two parks and Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve is home to Great Migration, a massive annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and other animals. The conservation area also contains Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world

Itinerary (Day by Day):

You'll depart from Arusha for the long but beautiful drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Along the way, you'll pass bustling Maasai villages and sweeping plains dotted with acacia and the occasional giraffe or wildebeest.

Upon arrival at the park, you'll sign in and then begin the winding descent into the caldera. The mist shrouded rainforests of the mountain are home to cape buffalo and baboon troupes, and the particularly lucky might even spot a grazing elephant or a shy leopard moving through the dense green undergrowth.

You'll stop at the Ngorongoro viewing area for a stunning view of the caldera's sheer scale. The shadows of clouds dapple the c e great herds of wildebeest and zebra moving about below. The sun glitters off the soda lakes and it all combines to make for a truly beautiful landscape.

From here you'll continue our descent into the caldera, where over 120 species of mammals go about their lives. The park is the best place in the northern circuit to see the black rhinoceros and the cape buffalo, but is home to the entirety of the Big Five. We'll also see large packs of hyenas as well as lesser known predators such as jackals and serval cats. Across five to six hours,you'll see the very best that Africa has to offer. In the late afternoon, with heads full of amazing memories, you'll return to Arusha.