Ngorongoro

Highlights

• The crater floor, where a day's drive can reasonably produce lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and flamingo
• One of the better chances in East Africa of seeing black rhino
• The rim view at dawn, before the mist clears
• Maasai communities living within the conservation area, visitable with proper arrangement
• Olduvai Gorge nearby, among the most significant early-human sites anywhere

Getting around

• Usually reached by road from Arusha, and often combined with the Serengeti beyond it.
• A 4x4 with a licensed guide is required for the crater descent.
• Descent and ascent roads are one-way and there are time limits on the floor — your guide will plan around them.

Good to know

• Two to three nights, with one full day in the crater itself.
• Descend early. The floor gets busy and the light is best in the first hours.
• Pack properly warm clothing for the rim. Visitors consistently underestimate how cold it is up there.
• The crater is a day visit only — nobody stays overnight on the floor.

You must stay in the vehicle on the crater floor except at designated picnic sites, where baboons are bold about food. Rim temperatures drop sharply at night.