Ngorongoro Crater Safari, Tanzania

NGORONGORO CRATER SAFARIS | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Ngorongoro Safari | Animals

The Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to see 'The Big Five'.  A healthy population of black rhino and some of the largest tusker elephants left in Africa today are the prize spots, but the crater is also home to good populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with healthy herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra.  Other wildlife here includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant's and Thompson's gazelle, flamingo and bat-eared foxes, as well as approximately 400 species of bird. A Ngorongoro safari is action packed to say the least - and for a relatively small park, it really does have the highest concentration of wildlife of any one place in the whole of Africa. 

Ngorongoro Safari | Activities

Activities inside the Ngorongoro Crater itself are limited to game drives; there are a couple of picnic spots in the park, but getting out of the vehicle is strictly limited to these areas. However, a full range of activities is on offer in the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including walking, trekking, excursions to Olduvai Gorge and visiting the Masai and other tribes.

Where to stay in the Ngorongoro Crater? 

The choice is whether to stay at a hotel on the Crater rim for the phenomenal view, or a little way away from the Crater in nearby Karatu. Either way, where you stay does not impact the quality of your Ngorongoro safari. The advantages of Karatu include the comparative lack of crowds, and better-value, smaller and more intimate lodges which offer a range of activities such as walking and mountain biking.. On the rim, the

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

is by far the best luxury hotel and is absolutely world class, perfect for a Tanzania Honeymoon, but at approximately $3,000 a night it probably should be! The Serena and the Sopa have equally stunning views of the Crater floor and are much more affordable options, but they are large and fairly old hotels.

Away from the Crater rim in nearby Karatu in the highlands is a variety of small coffee plantations and guesthouses.  For approximately the same cost as the Serena and Sopa, these are much more charming and characterful but obviously lack the fantastic Ngorongoro views. The best of these are Plantation Lodge, Gibbs Farm and The Manor.

Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania | Further Reading 

If you are wanting to combine your Ngorongoro Crater safari with other parks in Tanzania then we would recommend visiting either (or both if possible) Serengeti National Park and Tarangire National Park. Both hold an abundance of flora and fauna that are perfect for an African safari experience. While we try and make our website as comprehensive as possible, if you would like some more background information, have a read through the Cadogan Guide to Tanzania and Zanzibar - Ngorongoro Chapter, written by one of our director’s Annabel. The most recent edition was published in 2005 so some of it might be slightly dated but generally it’s as comprehensive as they come. 

Call the experts! 

Reading our website is a good start, but the Ngorongoro Crater is a complicated place to get your head around logistically... Seems silly as it is relatively small, but accommodation types vary hugely in style and location - we also know whether it is best for you to fly or drive depending on your party size. Give us a call for clarification on anything Ngorongoro and our office of Tanzania experts would be delighted to help you out.