A Day Trip to Ngorongoro Crater: Africa’s Eden
Tour Overview
The Ngorongoro Crater, often referred to as Africa’s Garden of Eden, is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. Located in northern Tanzania, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), the crater spans approximately 260 square kilometers and stretches over 20 kilometers in diameter.
It was formed nearly three million years ago when a massive volcano erupted and collapsed inward. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a flourishing ecosystem supporting over 25,000 large animals, including the endangered black rhino, making it one of the most unique safari destinations in Africa.
Why Visit Ngorongoro Crater?
Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera, formed over 2 million years ago. The crater floor spans 260 sq km (100 sq miles) and is home to over 25,000 animals, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino). Unlike other parks where animals migrate, many species stay here year-round due to the abundant water and food supply.
Included/Exclude
- Everything stated on itinerary
- All meals
- Land Cruiser 4x4 with pop-up roof.
- Soft drinks and bottled drinking water
- Entrance fees into Ngorongoro Crater
- Specialist naturalist and photographic guides
- Internal and International flights
- Airport transfers
- Alcoholic and Soft Drinks.
- Tips and gratitudes for drivers and guides
- Optional activities
- Travel and Health Insurance.
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.
