One of the largest preserved volcanic calderas in the world, the Ngorongoro crater was created around 3 million years ago when a massive volcano erupted and collapsed. The Ngorongoro crater has a base size of 260 square kilometers and a depth of 610 meters. In addition to the main caldera, Ngorongoro also features the Olmoti and Empakai volcanic craters. The Ngorongoro crater serves as a refuge for a vast array of local animal species. A refuge for excitement, the crater is home to over 25,000 big species, the majority of whom are ungulate. The BIG FIVE animals can be seen here in Tanzania the finest.
Approximately 30.000 animals live in the Ngorongoro Crater, with zebra and wildebeest making up over half of them. Numerous herds of Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle can be seen on the crater floor, along with buffalo, elephants, hippopotamuses, jackals, lions, ostriches, servals, warthogs, and waterbucks.
Black rhino numbers in Ngorongoro crater are good, approaching 20, making it one of the few locations in East Africa where tourists can easily see these endangered animals. Leopard can be seen on the trees of Elerai woodland during a wildlife drive in the Ngorongoro crater. Large herds of giraffe live on the crater’s rim, and visitors may see cheetah on the plains inside the crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the biggest intact and unfilled volcanic crater in the whole globe and the primary tourist destination for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. With a lot of species, it is the biggest and most beautiful crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Due to its amazing natural features, it is also one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. Over 25,000 creatures, including the big five—elephants, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, lions, and leopards—call the Ngorongoro Crater home.
Game drives are the only activities permitted in the Ngorongoro Crater. Both nighttime and walking safaris are prohibited. The primary activity is daylight game driving, though there are picnic sites on the Crater floor. On the Crater rim, there are resorts that provide quick walks.
In Tanzania’s Ngorongoro region, the Olduvai Gorge is a well-known archaeological site and is frequently referred to as the birthplace of humanity. One of the most significant prehistoric sites on earth. Some of the earliest fossil evidence of early human remains can be found in Olduvai Gorge. The first world early dated artifacts and fossils of the oldest humans, such as the skull of Zinjanthropus, early stone tools, Homo erectus, and the hominy with a bigger brain that before the earliest modern human, were unearthed here by Marry and Luis Leaky. Recently, one of Africa’s largest on-site museums was built at Ngorongoro in collaboration with the European Union.
The crater is only a small portion of a much broader ecosystem that is interconnected. The Olkarien gorge and Miracle Shifting Sand are also stunning sights in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This amazing black dune is 9 meters high, 100 meters long, and is curved. It is made of volcanic ash from Oldoinyo Lengai and is being blown slowly westward across plains at a rate of around 17 meters per year. And Olkarien Gorge is significant environmentally because the Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture depends on it for its nesting grounds.
It’s fascinating to visit the Endoro Waterfalls. On the southern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, overlooking Karatu Town, is this lovely location. The Elephant Caves and the woodland are both on the route to Endoro waterfall. To fully appreciate the grandeur of this pristine woodland, a moderate hike of about 2-3 hours is required. In essence, the Endoro entrance gate—which is around 6.5 kilometers from Karatu town—is the best access point to the waterfalls.
Natural water springs in the Crater highlands provide the Endoro River with its year-round supply, which cascades over 40 meters from the top to the bottom.
