Ngorongoro Crater Facts

Ngorongoro Crater facts are some of the interesting things about Ngorongoro Crater that travellers should look out to seeing, encountering and experiencing while on a Ngorongoro Crater safari. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most visited safari destinations in Tanzania, located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the northern part of Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area that is managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, is one of the northern safari circuit destinations in Tanzania, with the others being the Serengeti National Park which is the most sought after Tanzania safari destination, Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park.

Ngorongoro Crater is the largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera in the world. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most beautiful places you would ever be in, especially during the wet season when the plant life comes to life with amazing colours perfect for photography safaris.

There are so many reasons that one would want or consider visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with one of it being to enjoy the various activities in Ngorongoro Crater like game drives in the crater floor with over 25000 animals. Below are some of the amazing and fascinating Ngorongoro Crater facts worth knowing as you embark on a Tanzania safari tour in Ngorongoro Crater;

  • Ngorongoro Crater was formed as a result of a large volcanic eruption that collapsed on itself. This mega explosion formed a caldera about 2.5 million years ago.
  • When it was still a volcano, it is believed to have been similar in size as the Kilimanjaro Mountain which is the largest free standing mountain in the world. The Ngorongoro crater itself is estimated at 610m deep and about 260 square kilometers.
  • The Ngorongoro Crater looks empty when viewed from the crater rim. The wall of the Ngorongoro Crater rises about 600m above the crater floor, about 180 storeys high! That is why when you stand at the rim all that you can seem to see is a vast and empty expanse with just a lake and yet in reality the Ngorongoro Crater is teeming with wildlife including large herds of elephants, among so many others.
Ngorongoro Crater Facts
Flamingoes in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
  • It is a fact that the Ngorongoro Crater inhabits a variety of wildlife, including more than 25000 to approximately 30000 wildlife inhabiting the are, of these being 30 black rhinos, over 65 lions, more than 7500 wildebeests, zebras, elands, among so many others. Game viewing in Ngorongoro Crater is indeed worthwhile.
  • The Ngorongoro Crater along with two others in the region namely the Olmoti and Empakai Craters are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in the year 1979. The Ngorongoro Crater is also one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
  • The Ngorongoro Crater is referred to as the ‘Garden of Eden’ for her dazzling beauty and being a paradise of animals, with over 25000 animal species recorded to inhabit the area, including the famous African big five.
  • One of the amazing facts about Ngorongoro Crater is that it has welcomed many notable visitors including Prince William, President Bill Clinton, and the Queen of Denmark, among so many others.
  • It is also from some parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area that the Oscar-winning movie “Out of Africa” was partly filmed.
  • The Ngorongoro Crater holds the highest density of lions, and is indeed one of the best places in the world to see lions in the wild.
  • Over 500 bird species are recorded in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and thus one of the best birding safari destinations in Tanzania. Some of the bird species in Ngorongoro Conservation Area are the raptors easily seen around the crater, flamingos, swans, storks, pelicans, lapwings, sparrows, larks, pipits, cranes, bastards, among so many others.
  • One of the amazing Ngorongoro crater facts is that the crater hosts about a million or so wildebeests during the calving season in Ndutu North of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, making it one of the best places to visit to witness the Great Migration.
  • Three discrete tribes have their roots deep in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The three tribes in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area include Maasai tribe who make up about 98% of the tribes in the area, the Datooga who are about 2% while a handful of the Hadzabe tribe do inhabit the area, being allowed only to graze and not cultivate the land. Cultural safaris here are quite amazing and do blend amazingly with wildlife encounters in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Above are some of the fascinating Ngorongoro Crater facts that you may have known about already, or gotten to know. The Ngorongoro Crater is a beautiful place to visit for an amazing and memorable Ngorongoro Crater safari. With so much wildlife and the amazing cultures in and around the conservation are, wildlife and cultural safaris in Ngorongoro Crater shall be very memorable. Beyond the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti National Park is one of the best places to add on to your amazing Ngorongoro Crater safari, for yet a wider chance of spotting a variety of wildlife in the park. Get in touch with a trusted tour operator to help you pitch together an amazing Tanzania safari tour visiting the Ngorongoro Crater and get an opportunity to witness for yourself some of the above mentioned Ngorongoro Crater facts.

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