Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which spans across vast expanses of highland plains, savanna woodlands and forests. Established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing, it includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera. The property has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, the density of wildlife inhabiting the area, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains.
Attractions in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
There are a number of attractions in Ngorongoro Conservation Area that have travellers visiting the area in great numbers every single year. Below are the attractions in Ngorongoro;
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater is the largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera in the world 610 metres deep with about 265 square kilometres of a bowl, and one of the most famous areas to have a high density of wildlife. Ngorongoro Crater rewards travellers with some really amazing views. Ngorongoro crater has soda lakes like Lake Magadi which attract more bird species like flamingos and other water birds. Picnics can be made here giving you a sight to marvel at.
Craters
Apart from Ngorongoro crater, there are other craters in Ngorongoro that travellers visit in addition to the main one. Olmoti caldera and Empakai caldera are the other volcanic craters that attract tourists to visit Ngorongoro with the former being famous the wonderful waterfalls and the latter famous for holding a deep lake with lush and green walls.
Olduvai Gorge
The Olduvai Gorge is a historically prominent archaeological site in East Africa where the first skull of Zinjathropus was found. This historical bit of the Olduvai Gorge has a number of travellers visiting Ngorongoro just to see the old skull and learn of the evolution of man.
Shifting sand
Shifting sand is a mysterious occurrence where sand dunes shift from one area to another while maintaining the shape of the dune. This shifting sand is historically believed to have come from the active volcanic mountain of Oldonyo Lengai where for a year the sand dunes move for about 10 metres to a different place.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Ngorongoro is very diverse with a very high number of wildlife species roaming the area including wildebeests, zebras, wild dogs, cheetahs, and reedbucks, gazelles, spotted hyenas, hippos, elands, blue monkeys, among so many others. Most tourists visit Ngorongoro Conservation Area to enjoy game viewing.
Big five
The big five can be spotted in Ngorongoro, one of the few Tanzania national parks from where tourists can see all of them in one place. The big five include lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and the rhinos. The black rhinos in Ngorongoro Conservation Area are quite unique that many tourists who go on game drives look out for them. Ngorongoro crater has the densest lion population. The Ndutu Lake area in the west of the conservation area has high populations of cheetahs and lions, as well as hartebeests and jackals. Serval cats are widely seen all over Ngorongoro.
Birdlife in Ngorongoro
There are a variety of bird species in Ngorongoro that birders can see while on a bird watching activity. Some of the bird species include yellow wagtails, saddle-billed storks, ostriches, Kori bustards, lesser flamingos among so many others.
