Ngorongoro Crater

A collapsed volcano with one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. What to expect on a Ngorongoro Crater game drive.

You come over the rim, the road drops away, and a huge grassy bowl opens up below you with the animals already visible from the top. That first view of Ngorongoro is one of the best moments of a Tanzania trip.

The crater walls keep most of the animals in, so game viewing is excellent all year. It’s one of the best places in Tanzania to see black rhino, and lions, buffalo, hyenas and hippos are almost always found.

For birders, the crater floor has Kori Bustards, Grey Crowned Cranes and flamingos on Lake Magadi. The forest on the rim adds sunbirds and other highland species. We enter at opening time to get ahead of the crowds.

Getting there

The crater rim is about three and a half hours from Arusha by road, via Karatu. The crater lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is managed separately from the national parks.

Where to stay

Lodges on the crater rim have extraordinary views but are cold at night and more expensive. Many travellers stay in Karatu, about 30 to 45 minutes from the gate.

Our guides’ tips

Go down at opening time for the best light and the fewest vehicles.
Wear layers. The rim is around 2,300 metres and cold at dawn.
Bring binoculars for rhino, which are often seen at a distance.
Eat lunch inside the vehicle at the hippo pool, or watch out for the Black Kites.

Common questions

Why is the crater so good for wildlife?

The crater walls keep most animals inside all year, and there’s permanent water and grazing.

Is the Ngorongoro Crater a national park?

No. It’s part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a multiple land-use area shared with Maasai pastoralists.

Can I see all of the Big Five in the crater?

Lion, buffalo, elephant and black rhino are regularly seen. Leopard is rare.

Safaris that visit Ngorongoro Crater

10days

10-Day Classic Northern Tanzania Birding Safari

Arusha NP, Lark Plains, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Mererani

The classic northern circuit for birders: around 300 species in ten days, from Beesley’s Lark and Fischer’s Lovebird to the Serengeti specials and the Maasai steppe at Mererani.

See the itinerary Enquire

Golden-breasted Starling on a branch, Tanzania

8days

8-Day Birding Safari in Northern Tanzania

Arusha NP, Lark Plains, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Endoro & Mererani

Northern Tanzania’s best birding in eight days: montane forest, Beesley’s Lark, Tarangire’s endemics, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Maasai steppe at Mererani. Around 250 species.

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Elephant herd crossing the Tarangire River

5days

5-Day Classic Northern Tanzania Safari

Tarangire, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater

Tanzania’s classic safari highlights in five days: Tarangire’s baobabs and elephants, Lake Manyara’s forest and the Ngorongoro Crater.

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7days

7-Day Classic Northern Tanzania Safari

Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Endoro Forest

Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater, two nights in the Serengeti and a guided forest walk to the Endoro elephant caves.

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10days

10-Day Classic Northern Tanzania Safari

Arusha NP, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro & Serengeti

The classic Tanzania safari: all four northern-circuit parks plus the Ngorongoro Crater, a lodge every night and enough Serengeti days to settle in.

See the itinerary Enquire

Leopard resting in a tree in the Serengeti

4days

4-Day Luxury Fly-In Safari: Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Central Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

Skip the long drive: fly straight into the Serengeti, stay in luxury lodges and finish with a game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater.

See the itinerary Enquire

Wildebeest and zebra herds on the move, Serengeti

10days

10-Day Great Wildebeest Migration Calving Safari

Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Ndutu & Southern Serengeti

Five nights in Ndutu and the southern Serengeti during the wildebeest calving season, plus Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater.

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Zebras on the plains of northern Tanzania

12days

12-Day Great Wildebeest Migration Safari

Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Central & Northern Serengeti

Three nights in the northern Serengeti searching for Mara River crossings, plus Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the central Serengeti.

See the itinerary Enquire

Bar-tailed Trogon perched in Usambara montane forest

39days

39-Day Ultimate Tanzania Birding Expedition

From Lake Victoria, Northern Savannahs to Eastern Arc Forests & Southern Wilderness

Tanzania’s most complete birding trip: 39 days from Lake Victoria and the Serengeti to the Eastern Arc forests, the southern highlands, Ruaha, Nyerere and Pugu Hills.

See the itinerary Enquire

19days

19-Day Northern & Northeastern Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Safari

Arusha NP, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, South Pare & Usambara

Nineteen days combining the northern parks and their big game with the endemic birds of the Mbulu, South Pare and Usambara Mountains.

See the itinerary Enquire

2days

2-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari

Tarangire & Ngorongoro Crater

Two days is enough for a real safari if you pick the right parks.

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Bird singing on an acacia branch, northern Tanzania

12days

12-Day Northern Tanzania Birding Safari

Arusha NP, Lark Plains, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Endoro

Twelve days on the northern circuit with time for the specialities: Beesley’s Lark, two days each in Tarangire and the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro highlands and Endoro Forest.

See the itinerary Enquire

Secretarybird walking through golden grassland in Tanzania

9days

9-Day Tanzania Birding & Big Game Safari

Arusha NP, Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Nine days is the length where you stop choosing between birds and big game.

See the itinerary Enquire

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill perched in an acacia

6days

6-Day Northern Tanzania Birding Tour

Arusha NP, Tarangire, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater

This is the classic northern circuit, run for birders.

See the itinerary Enquire

10days

10-Day Big Game & Birding Tour

Arusha NP, Lark Plains, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Manyara

We built this trip for a couple where one of them lives for birds and the other wants lions.

See the itinerary Enquire

Wildlife

Iconic wildlife of Ngorongoro Crater

The animals, trees and reptiles our guides look for here, with the best season and where to find them. See the full wildlife guide.

Mammal

African elephant

Loxodonta africana

Tarangire’s big herds are the classic sight: families drifting between baobabs to the river in the dry season.

Seen in

Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, Ruaha National Park, Arusha National Park, Rubondo Island National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro

Mammal

Lion

Panthera leo

The Serengeti holds one of the largest lion populations left in Africa. Prides of twenty are not unusual.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ruaha National Park

Mammal

Black rhino

Diceros bicornis

Critically endangered and closely guarded. The Ngorongoro Crater is the most reliable place in Tanzania to see one.

Seen in

Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park

Mammal

Cape buffalo

Syncerus caffer

The Big Five’s heavyweight. Herds of several hundred are a daily sight in Arusha National Park and the crater.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ruaha National Park

Mammal

Plains zebra

Equus quagga

The migration’s other half. Hundreds of thousands of zebra move with the wildebeest across the Serengeti.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Natron, Lake Eyasi

Wildebeest herds of the Great Migration, Serengeti

Mammal

Blue wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

The Great Migration itself: 1.5 million animals circling the Serengeti, calving in the south each February.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park

Mammal

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

Noisy, territorial and surprisingly fast. The Serengeti’s hippo pools hold hundreds in a single bend of river.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, Ruaha National Park, Lake Victoria, Rubondo Island National Park

Mammal

Spotted hyena

Crocuta crocuta

Clever, social and the crater’s top predator by numbers. Listen for the whooping call after dark.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Ruaha National Park

Tree

Umbrella thorn acacia

Vachellia tortilis

The flat-topped tree of every safari photograph. Giraffes browse it and leopards sleep in it.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lark Plains, Lake Natron, Lake Eyasi

Mammal

Grant’s gazelle

Nanger granti

The tall, pale gazelle of the open plains, happy a long way from water. Look for the white rump that reaches above the tail.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lark Plains, Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Natron

Primate

Blue monkey

Cercopithecus mitis

The quiet grey-blue monkey of Tanzania’s forests, usually noticed by a shaking branch high in the canopy.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Usambara Mountains, Udzungwa Mountains & Kilombero Floodplains, Gombe & Mahale Mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Tanganyika

Birding

Birds to look for in Ngorongoro Crater

Specialities, endemics and the birds that make this place different, chosen by our birding guides. Browse all birds.

Resident

Hartlaub’s Turaco

Tauraco hartlaubi

A flash of crimson wings in the forest canopy. Arusha National Park is the easiest place to see one.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Tanganyika

Resident

Secretarybird

Sagittarius serpentarius

A raptor that hunts on foot, stamping snakes to death in the grass. Unmistakable striding across the plains.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lark Plains, Lake Natron

Resident

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum

The golden crown, the dance and the bugling call. Endangered, but still a daily sight on the crater floor.

Seen in

Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park

Resident

Kori Bustard

Ardeotis kori

The heaviest flying bird in the world, pacing the plains with its neck puffed up in display.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lark Plains, Lake Natron

Flamingos in flight over a Rift Valley soda lake

Resident

Lesser Flamingo

Phoeniconaias minor

Pink crowds on the soda lakes. Numbers rise and fall with the water, so your guide checks before you go.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Lake Natron, Lake Eyasi

Endemic

Fischer’s Lovebird

Agapornis fischeri

Orange face, green body and a fast, chattering flight. The Serengeti’s own lovebird, and a Tanzanian endemic.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater

Resident

Lilac-breasted Roller

Coracias caudatus

The most photographed bird in Africa, with eight colours and a rolling display flight to match.

Seen in

Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Ruaha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park

Resident

Bar-tailed Trogon

Apaloderma vittatum

A jewel of the montane forest that sits motionless for minutes, then is simply gone.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Usambara Mountains, Udzungwa Mountains & Kilombero Floodplains, Ngorongoro Crater

Near-endemic

Red-capped Forest Warbler

Artisornis metopias

Also called the African Tailorbird. A tiny, restless bird of the montane undergrowth with a rusty cap.

Seen in

Usambara Mountains, Udzungwa Mountains & Kilombero Floodplains, Ngorongoro Crater

Resident

Hildebrandt’s Francolin

Pternistis hildebrandti

A handsome, spotted francolin of rocky hillsides and crater slopes, calling harshly at dawn.

Seen in

Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park

Resident

White-starred Robin

Pogonocichla stellata

A yellow-and-blue robin of the forest floor with a white star on its forehead, singing in the half-light.

Seen in

Arusha National Park, Usambara Mountains, Udzungwa Mountains & Kilombero Floodplains, Ngorongoro Crater

Resident

Tacazze Sunbird

Nectarinia tacazze

A big highland sunbird that glows purple and bronze in the sun, feeding on flowers along the crater rim.

Seen in

Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha National Park

Resident

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Pink legs longer than seems sensible, wading the soda lakes among the flamingos.

Seen in

Lake Manyara National Park, Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron, Lake Eyasi

Activities

Things to do in Ngorongoro Crater

How a day here is spent, from game drives to walks and boat trips. All safari activities.

Half day to full day

Game drives

The heart of every safari: a private 4x4 with a pop-up roof, your own guide, and the whole day to follow the wildlife.

Any length, from a morning walk to a 27-day expedition

Birdwatching

More than 1,100 species, dozens of endemics, and guides who find most birds by ear. Our speciality.

Ngorongoro Crater floor seen from the rim

Up to six hours on the crater floor

Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive

Six hours on the floor of the world’s largest intact caldera, with lions, rhino and 25,000 animals in view.

Village on the plains near the Ngorongoro highlands

One to two hours

Maasai cultural visits

Meet the communities who share the land with the wildlife, on their terms and with the fee going to them.

Built into a Serengeti safari of three days or more

Great Migration viewing

Calving on the southern plains in February, river crossings in the north from July. We follow the herds.

Guests watching wildlife with binoculars from a Charles Tours safari vehicle

Any safari

Wildlife and bird photography

Vehicles positioned for the light, beanbags on the window, and a guide who understands what you are trying to capture.

Explore other Tanzania destinations

More parks, plains and forests our safaris visit, each with its own wildlife, birds and best season.

Arusha National Park

Montane forest, the Momella Lakes and Hartlaub’s Turaco, just 45 minutes from Arusha.

Lake Natron

The Rift Valley soda lake where East Africa’s Lesser Flamingos breed.

Lake Eyasi

Seasonal soda lake with flamingos, waterbirds and quiet dry bush.

Grey-headed Gull on a Rift Valley lake, Tanzania

Lake Victoria

Africa’s largest lake, with papyrus specialists and lakeshore birds.

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) in reeds, Tanzania

Rubondo Island National Park

Quiet island park with forest birds, waterbirds and sitatunga.

Lake Tanganyika

Clear lake, western forest birds and the gateway to Gombe and Mahale.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Montane forest birding on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain.

Lark Plains

The only place on earth to see the critically endangered Beesley’s Lark.

African elephant walking through dry grass, Tanzania

Tarangire National Park

Huge elephant herds, ancient baobabs and Tanzania’s endemic birds.

Lioness resting in an acacia tree, Tanzania

Lake Manyara National Park

Tree-climbing lions, groundwater forest and a soda lake full of waterbirds.

Serengeti National Park

Vast plains, the Great Migration and big cats all year round.

Usambara Mountains

Ancient Eastern Arc forests holding Tanzania’s rarest endemic birds.

Wild chimpanzee in the forest at Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania

Gombe & Mahale Mountains

Track wild chimpanzees in the forests where Jane Goodall began her research.

Ruaha National Park

Tanzania’s largest park: big predators, baobab plains and 570+ bird species.

Sunbird perched in the forest canopy, Udzungwa Mountains

Udzungwa Mountains & Kilombero Floodplains

Rainforest endemics, Sanje Falls and the Kilombero Weaver in southern Tanzania.

Start planning your safari

Let’s plan a safari around your interests. Share your travel dates, number of people, the ages of any children travelling, and the birds or wildlife you hope to see. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours with a personalised itinerary and a detailed quote.

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