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Tanzania · Safari destination

Ngorongoro

A collapsed volcano, about 20 kilometres across, whose crater floor holds an extraordinary concentration of wildlife — including all of the Big Five.

Plan a safari to NgorongoroSee 17 journeys
A view across the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
A view across the Ngorongoro Crater, TanzaniaPhotograph: ArunprakashN92 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Credits
Country
Tanzania
Managed by
Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
The crater
About 260 km², roughly 20 km across and 610 m deep
Wildlife
Over 25,000 animals, including the Big Five
Formed
About 2.5 million years ago
Our journeys here
17 journeys in the catalogue
Is Ngorongoro right for you?

Who it suits.

Best for
First-time visitors with limited time, anyone hoping to see rhinos in Tanzania, and families: a single day on the crater floor packs in a remarkable variety.
How it connects
On the road between Lake Manyara and the Serengeti, inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which also includes Ndutu. It appears on 17 journeys in our catalogue, almost always with the Serengeti.

Ngorongoro in our Tanzania guide, with the places around it.

Why visit Ngorongoro

A world inside a volcano.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority describes the crater as the world’s largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera and the conservation area’s main attraction. Its floor supports more than 25,000 animals, among them elephants, buffalo, rhinos, lions and leopards, along with hippos, hyenas, warthogs, zebras, elands, gazelles and wildebeest, which is why the NCAA considers it probably the best place in Tanzania to see the Big Five.

The name itself comes from the Maasai phrase “orgirra le kkorongorro”, meaning “big bowl”, which early records misspelled into today’s Ngorongoro. The NCAA also notes the crater’s human history: it was long a place where people and nature lived closely together, and the settlements and burial sites of the area’s earliest occupants can still be seen.

Landscapes & wildlife

Grassland, swamp and woodland in one bowl.

The crater formed around 2.5 million years ago, when a massive volcano, nearly the size of today’s Kilimanjaro, collapsed inwards. The caldera covers almost 260 square kilometres, is about 20 kilometres across and drops some 610 metres to its floor. Inside its walls are grasslands, swamps, rivers and woodland, and animals move freely in and out throughout the year. The NCAA says the rim and floor both give the best viewing and photography.

  • Elephants, buffalo, rhinos, lions and leopards
  • Hippos, hyenas and zebra
  • Wildebeest and gazelles
  • Views from the crater rim

Wildlife moves freely and sightings are never guaranteed.

Light breaking through clouds over the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Photograph: epcp (CC BY 2.0)
When to visit

A year-round crater.

The NCAA notes that the crater is accessible all year round, thanks to good roads and wildlife that is present in every season. Only four-wheel-drive vehicles may enter, and walking safaris are not allowed on the crater floor, although they are permitted on the rim and elsewhere in the conservation area. Lodges, special campsites and the public Simba campsite are found on and near the crater rim.

Signature experiences

At Ngorongoro.

Practical advice

Good to know about the Ngorongoro Crater.

  • Only four-wheel-drive vehicles may enter the crater.
  • Walking safaris are not allowed on the crater floor.
  • Lodges, special campsites and a public campsite are found on and near the crater rim.
Questions travellers ask

Ngorongoro, answered.

Can you see the Big Five in Ngorongoro Crater?
All five live in the crater, and the NCAA describes it as perhaps the best place in Tanzania to look for them. As with all wildlife, sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Can I walk in the crater?
Not on the crater floor: walking safaris are not allowed there, and only four-wheel-drive vehicles may enter.
Related destinations

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.

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