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Ngorongoro Crater

Popularly known as the eighth wonder of the world, the Ngorongoro crater is a spectacular micro-ecosystem that boasts almost all of East Africa’s famous wildlife species. The Ngorongoro crater is 16 kilometres in diameter and with walls 610 metre high, it is the largest intact crater in the world. More remarkable still, its confines are home to over 25,000 large mammals.

Hemmed in by the forested walls, the crater floor has a combination of soda lakes, acacia forests, lush marshes, and dry savannah. These diverse habitats support the full cast of East Africa’s brilliant animal and bird life; lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo, leopard, ostriches, flamingos, eagles, vultures… to name but a few. The teeming bird population includes more than 100 species not found in the Serengeti.

The Ngorongoro is a conservation area that is owned by the Masai – and in this part of Tanzania the Masai, in their striking traditional dress, are as much a part of the scene as the huge population of wild animals.