Ngorongoro Crater
The World's Greatest Wildlife Arena Inside an Ancient Volcano

A Natural Wonder of the World

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact and unflooded volcanic caldera, stretching 19 kilometers across and dropping 600 meters from rim to floor. It was formed approximately 2.5 million years ago when a giant volcano collapsed inward, creating a natural enclosed ecosystem that today functions as one of Africa's finest wildlife sanctuaries.

Wildlife Density and the Big Five

The crater floor covers approximately 260 square kilometers and supports around 25,000 large animals, making it one of the densest wildlife areas in Africa. The enclosed nature of the caldera means most animals remain resident year-round rather than migrating. Black rhinoceros, the most endangered of the Big Five, are regularly sighted here  making Ngorongoro one of the best places in East Africa to see rhino.

The Crater Ecosystem

The interior contains a variety of habitats including open grassland, swampland, the soda lake of Lake Magadi which attracts thousands of flamingos, and dense acacia forest along the crater walls. Each zone supports different species, and a single full-day game drive commonly encounters lion, elephant, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, hippo, and the rhino.

Olduvai Gorge Connection

Near the crater entrance, the Olduvai Gorge is the site of some of the most important paleoanthropological discoveries in history. Fossils of early hominids over 1.8 million years old were found here, earning the area the title of the cradle of humankind. A museum at the gorge provides detailed context for this remarkable history.