01 · Wildlife
Ngorongoro Crater
The world's largest unbroken caldera and one of the area's most celebrated wildlife landscapes.
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A landscape where volcanic geology, wildlife, highland forests, human history and living pastoral traditions meet. Descend into the crater, explore the surrounding highlands and discover a destination far greater than a single viewpoint.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans highland plains, savanna, woodland and forests between the Serengeti and the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley.
Established in 1959 as a multiple-land-use area, it is recognised for the coexistence of wildlife and semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralism, as well as for exceptional archaeological and palaeoanthropological evidence.
The World Heritage property was inscribed for its natural values in 1979 and extended under a cultural criterion in 2010, making Ngorongoro one of Tanzania's mixed natural-and-cultural World Heritage properties.
A journey through Ngorongoro can move from a dramatic crater rim to wildlife-rich grasslands, from misty highlands to archaeological landscapes and communities whose lives remain connected to the wider ecosystem.
Ngorongoro is a conservation landscape rather than simply a crater destination. Give yourself time to experience the different places that make the area distinctive.
The world's largest unbroken caldera and one of the area's most celebrated wildlife landscapes.
Elevated plains, forests and open moorlands create a very different Tanzania beyond the crater floor.
A 14-kilometre-long ravine associated with major palaeoanthropological discoveries and research.
Traditional livestock grazing and wildlife conservation coexist within the area's multiple-land-use framework.
Ngorongoro Crater is the defining landscape of the conservation area. Its enclosed geography creates a dramatic setting where grasslands, wetlands, woodland and water support a concentration of wildlife throughout the year.
The crater and surrounding conservation area support an extraordinary range of wildlife. Encounters are always wild and never guaranteed, but the diversity of habitats creates remarkable opportunities for observation.
The crater is known for a high density of large predators.
One of the conservation area's globally threatened species.
Part of the wider Serengeti ecosystem's seasonal movement.
Large grazing herds move through the wider ecosystem.
Thomson's and Grant's gazelles form part of the ecosystem's grazing communities.
Encountered across woodland and open landscapes of the wider area.
Important predators and scavengers within the ecosystem.
UNESCO records approximately 500 bird species within the property.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was established as a multiple-land-use area where wildlife conservation and traditional livestock grazing coexist. The presence of Maasai pastoral communities is therefore part of the area's defining human landscape.
For travellers, cultural experiences should be approached with respect, consent and genuine interest in the people and traditions being encountered.
Fossilised hominin footprints provide important evidence connected with the development of human bipedalism.
Olduvai Gorge contains a long archaeological sequence associated with human evolution and changing human environments.
Ngorongoro was established as a multiple-land-use conservation area.
Natural values were inscribed in 1979, with cultural significance added to the World Heritage inscription in 2010.
The conservation area borders Serengeti National Park and forms part of the northern Tanzania safari circuit. Use the map for orientation when planning your route.
Ngorongoro is a year-round destination, but weather, vegetation, visitor patterns and the wider migration cycle change through the year.
Descend into the crater for a concentrated wildlife experience.
Experience dramatic highland views and changing light around the caldera.
Explore a landscape associated with major palaeoanthropological research.
Where appropriate, experience local culture through responsible community-based arrangements.
Combine two iconic landscapes within one northern Tanzania itinerary.
Build the pace around photography, wildlife, comfort and the rest of your Tanzania journey.
No. Ngorongoro is a Conservation Area with a multiple-land-use model. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage property.
It is a large volcanic caldera within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and is recognised by UNESCO as the world's largest unbroken caldera.
Yes. The two destinations are geographically connected within the northern Tanzania safari circuit and are commonly designed into the same itinerary.
The crater is renowned for its high concentration of wildlife, while the wider conservation area provides a much broader range of habitats and ecological experiences.
Its cultural significance includes archaeological and palaeoanthropological evidence related to human evolution, as well as the living pastoral landscape within the conservation area.
Start with your travel dates and the experiences you value most, then combine Ngorongoro with Serengeti, Tarangire, Kilimanjaro or other Tanzania destinations as appropriate.
Tell us your dates, interests and preferred pace. We will help shape a Ngorongoro journey that connects wildlife, landscape and the wider Tanzania experience.
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