Ngorongoro Crater

What Is Ngorongoro Crater and how was it formed?

A crater is a large bowl in the ground that is big and also deep. Ngorongoro crater is one of them and it is so big that a city can fit inside. Ngorongoro Crater is found in northern Tanzania. It is about 20 kilometers across and about 610 meters deep, and it is one of Earth’s most amazing natural wonders.

This crater is amazing in such a way that it is filled with different animals such as lions, elephants, rhinos, zebras, flamingos and more than 500 types of birds and around 25,000 big animals. All these animals and the whole ecosystem is living in peace and it is balancing itself and has been balancing itself for many years.

Ngorongoro crater is also home to the Maasai people, a tribe known for its wonderful culture, cattle herding, and their jumping dances. They live along with animals peacefully and they deeply respect the nature.

How Was Ngorongoro crater formed?

Ngorongoro crater was formed when the top of a volcano fell in on itself. In more than 3 million years ago, it is believed that this area of Ngorongoro was a home to a giant volcano as tall as Mount Kilimanjaro. The crater is actually a caldera formed from a volcano that erupted around 3 million years ago and subsequently collapsed in on itself. It is the largest intact crater in the world.

The basin of this crater is populated with many animals including lions, elephants, zebras, hyenas, hippopotamuses, warthogs, and many more. However, many of these animals have become very inbred because of its unique isolation from other animal populations.

Many craters or calderas are filled with water and create caldera lakes. But it is not so for the Ngorongoro crater, this is the largest intact volcanic crater that hasn’t filled with water and it is full of wildlife.

The floor of this crater has grasslands, forests, swamps, and a salty lake called Lake Magadi and it is filled with pink flamingos.

Life in the Ngorongoro Crater.

The crater is filled with wildlife such as Lions, elephants, rhinos, Buffalo, zebras, wildebeest and many other animals. There are also Hippos, and more than 500+ birds species including pink flamingos near Lake Magadi. When you visit Ngorongoro crater you will see all these animals roaming freely.

The Maasai: People are living in Ngorongoro.

The Maasai are unique people, proud herders, and are known for wearing colorful shukas (cloth wraps) and beadwork. They keep animals mostly cows, goats, sheep, and are using these animals for milk, meat, and even blood.

They live in their special houses called manyattas. These are small mud-and-stick huts enclosed by thorn fences.

It is believed that the Maasai have grazed their cattle in Ngorongoro for more than 100 years. They are welcoming and warm people as long as you don’t pose a threat to them. They always welcome visitors, and are proud to show their dances, beadwork, daily chores and their way of life to visitors who want to learn of their ways of life.

Many of the Maasai do serve as guides for safaris and others make beautiful crafts and sell them to support their community.

This mix of wild animals and Maasai makes Ngorongoro unique and special, because this is where humans and wild animals live side by side for a long time.

Having your Your Safari Adventure to Ngorongoro crater is one of the things as a traveler you should not miss. Here in Ngorongoro you may have the following:

Game Drives: game drives are better to be done early morning because most animals are waking up and it is easy to spot them. Game drive cars in Ngorongoro are open-roof 4×4 vehicles that let you see everything around clearly. You may spot animals easily.

Rim Walks & Side Trips: you may take a walk or stay at a lodge on the crater rim. This place is good for pictures and cooler air. Nearby are smaller craters like Empakaai and Olmoti which are great for hikes and birdwatching.

Maasai Visits: you may also go to the Maasai manyatta (houses), sit by a fire, hear stories and learn of their culture. You may learn how they do their beadwork, their dances, and how to milk a goat if you don’t know how! Here you may learn one of the upstanding cultures in the world.

Why Is Ngorongoro So Special?

This place is congested with wildlife in a small area. You can see the Big five animals in a few hours.

There are human living inside the park along with wild animals. Most national parks don’t allow people to stay inside the park, but here in Serengeti it is different, Maasai live and work alongside wildlife.

Because of it uniqueness, it has been termed as UNESCO World Heritage Site: That means the world also is fighting to protect the area.

Planning Your Safari to Ngorongoro.

If you are planning to have a Ngorongoro safari, to enjoy the most, here are the seasons you should consider:

Dry Season (June–October): it is the best time to see animals and also the roads are good and dry, so there will be no disturbances of being stuck on some muddy roads.

Rainy Season: here there are fewer travelers, therefore for people who likes and enjoy solitude, this is the best time. There is a wonderful scenery but also this time can be muddy.

Where to Stay: You can have accommodation on either Lodges with fancy rooms and views (like Ngorongoro Serena) or public Camps where you will sleep on tents and sometimes there are bonfires.

What you should bring when going to Ngorongoro crater. Here are things that you should bring to your safari:

• Layers of clothing because it gets cold in the morning.
• Good and comfortable shoes for walking
• Binoculars and camera for taking pictures and experiences
• Hat, sunscreen for protection of your skin.

Final Thoughts

Ngorongoro is not just a crater, it is a place like a small world that controls and takes care of itself ant it is a wonder to those who visit. For a anyone who visit the place, Ngorongoro is unforgettable.

So next time you dream of Africa, think of Ngorongoro crater where, there are a lot of animals roaming freely, there are Maasai people who live along with animals peacefully. That is Ngorongoro, and it’s waiting for you. Welcome and we are happy to have you here.