Formed when a vast volcano collapsed millions of years ago, the Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact, unflooded caldera. Its steep forested walls drop some 600 metres to a crater floor of grassland, swamp, soda lake and woodland — a natural amphitheatre teeming with life.
Around 25,000 large animals live within the crater, including lion, spotted hyena, buffalo, hippo and huge numbers of zebra and wildebeest. It is also one of the most reliable places in East Africa to see the endangered black rhino, while flamingos gather on the shores of Lake Magadi.
The crater lies within the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where wildlife shares the highlands with Maasai communities. A morning descent to the crater floor, followed by a picnic by the hippo pool, is one of the unmissable moments of any northern Tanzania safari.
