The jewel in Ngorongoro’s crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest un flooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder.
Also classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Conservation Area is often described as the eighth wonder of the world. At the bottom of this gigantic crater, you can find a real Heaven on earth. The concentration of animals here is the highest in the world and you will never go more than 30 seconds without seeing one. Don’t be surprised to learn on arriving that it is forbidden to stay more than 6 hours at the bottom of the crater in order to preserve the unspoiled nature of the place.
All the animals of the savannah are present in this garden of Eden, except for giraffes, which do not manage to descend the walls of the crater. There aren’t many elephants and the leopards are rare and make themselves scarce. As Ngorongoro Conservation Area is in the middle of Maasai territory, you should also make the most of the time spent here to go and visit a traditional village.
Ngorongoro Crater Wildlife:-
The Ngorongoro Crater’s rich soils and abundant, year-round water provide an ideal habitat for a variety of animals.
The Crater is not a self-contained ecosystem and some animals do migrate in and out but only in small numbers.
Most of the animals in the Crater are resident and remain year-round. There are approximately 20,000 large mammals at any given time within the Crater walls.
Herbivores that you will likely encounter include elephant, black rhino, hippo, buffalo, eland, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, warthog, Grant’s gazelle and Thomson’s gazelle.
Giraffe, impala and topi are strangely absent from the Crater floor, though they are common in the nearby Serengeti.
Although giraffes may find the descent into the Crater difficult, it is more likely that they are absent because there is not enough acacia to browse.
It is not clear why topi or impala are missing.
Primates include baboons and vervet monkeys.
Carnivores that you will likely encounter include lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal. Leopards, servals, bat eared foxes and ratels are also resident within the Crater but are much more elusive.