The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World,’ a visit to the crater is a main drawcard for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is home of Ngorongoro Crater. It was formed some 2.5 million years ago from a volcanic mountain sinking due to inactivity, and was initially thought to be higher than Tanzania’s famous Kilimanjaro. The crater has evolved into a unique and integral part of Tanzania’s eco-system. The crater is actually a caldera, measures 22.5 km’s across and the rim walls stand 600m high. Views from within and from the rim are breathtaking (as can be seen from the picture). The crater houses 30,000 animals, and a large variety of birds, which rarely move from the area due to the availability of water through wet and dry seasons

Day 6.Ngorongoro -  Arusha
After breakfast depart for Arusha arriving by 1300 hrs where the safari ends

Tour price includes:
-Guarantee price/guarantee safari on confirmation
-Ground transport whilst on safari in a comfortable 4x4 safari Land cruiser/Rover
-Full board accommodation whilst on safari
-Accommodation in double/twin/triple room.
-All park entrance fees to include government taxes
-Service of an English speaking professional driver/guide
-All game drives as detailed in the itinerary
-Ngorongoro Crater tour
-Complementary 1 litre bottled drinking water while on safari
-Start and end in Arusha

Tour Cost excludes:
-Tips
-Laundry
-Beverages/Drinks
-International flights
-Visas
-Items of personal nature
-Any other extras not detailed in the above itinerary

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World,’ a visit to the crater is a main drawcard for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater’s ridge, tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures through the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its eponymous famous crater, Olduvai Gorge, and huge expanses of highland plains, scrub bush, and forests that cover approximately 8300 square kilometres. A protected area, only indigenous tribes such as the Masaai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and Masek, both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well as a series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area a unique and beautiful landscape. Of course, the crater itself, actually a type of collapsed volcano called a caldera, is the main attraction. Accommodation is located on its ridges and after a beautiful descent down the crater rim, passing lush rain forest and thick vegetation, the flora opens to grassy plains throughout the crater floor. The game viewing is truly incredible, and the topography and views of the surrounding Crater Highlands out of this world.

This truly magical place is home to Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys discovered the hominoid remains of a 1.8 million year old skeleton of Australopithecus boisei, one of the distinct links of the human evolutionary chain. In a small canyon just north of the crater, the Leakeys and their team of international archaeologists unearthed the ruins of at least three distinct hominoid species, and also came upon a complete series of hominoid footprints estimated to be over 3.7 million years old. Evacuated fossils show that the area is one of the oldest sites of hominoid habitation in the world.

The Ngorongoro Crater and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are without a doubt some of the most beautiful parts of Tanzania, steeped in history and teeming with wildlife. Besides vehicle safaris to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and surrounding attractions, hiking treks through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are becoming increasingly popular options. Either way you choose to visit, the Crater Highlands are an unforgettable part of the Tanzanian experience.

Ngorongoro Safari
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area stretches from the Karatu Highlands to the Serengeti and covers an area of around 8300 sq km. Formed by the same immense geological upheavals as the Great Rift Valley, Ngorongoro was once a mountain as high as Kilimanjaro. About 3 million years ago, it blew up, covering the Serengeti in ash. The crater floor sank leaving the rim to form a natural enclosure 2,285 metres high.

While on a Ngorongoro Safari the most amazing experience is viewing the crater for the first time. As your vehicle slowly ascends through mountain forests you will feel it getting colder and colder. Eventually you reach the rim, and dropping sharply off in front of you is Ngorongoro Crater.

Ngorongoro Crater is the best self-contained safari destination in the world. The world's largest unbroken caldera, it is often referred to as the 'Garden of Eden'. The rich pasture and permanent water of the crater floor shelters a large population of animals. In fact, the crater floor is one of the most densely crowded game areas in the world and is home to about 30,000 animals. The open grassland makes it easy to police, so it is also a stronghold for endangered species like black rhino and cheetah.

Serengeti Safari
Go on a Serengeti Safari and experience a soul-stirring feeling of space. Serengeti comes from the Masai word 'Siringit' meaning 'the place where the land runs on forever' and refers to the flat grassy plains which make up about a third of the park. It is these grasslands and savannahs that ensure that the area is jam-packed full of game.

There are animals here at any time of year, but from May to October, the area teems with life, including wildebeest, zebra, impala, warthogs, topi, gazelles and hyena. Lion, leopard, cheetah and caracal can be more easily spotted in the Kopjes, granite inselbergs scattered across the landscape.

The Serengeti is well known for the wildebeest migration, when every year two million animals move clockwise around this 14,763 sq km ecosystem in search of grazing and water. The predators follow the wildebeest and zebra closely and a Serengeti Safari is an ideal opportunity to view lions and other big cats.

Pin pointing and predicting the location of the wildebeest migration is challenging - but with a healthy resident population of animals, safari and game viewing within the Serengeti Game Reserve is great all year round.

Lake Manyara Safari
A Lake Manyara Safari is often overlooked. Many people pass Lake Manyara National Park in their rush to the Serengeti. However, we recommend you consider this enchanting and interesting park. Although small, it is one of the prettiest and most game rich parks in the country.

Lake Manyara is a long thin park only about 330 sq km in size. Two thirds of the park consists of water, with the Great Rift Valley Escarpment rising sharply and dramatically along the western side.

Remember to keep looking up while you are in the park. Lake Manyara is well known for its tree climbing lions and there are also plenty of leopards. You'll need some luck to see them though, so don't be disappointed if they elude you.

Lake Manyara is a great safari spot for bird viewing and also has a healthy population of ungulates such as buffalo and wildebeest. Many animals can be seen grazing the new shoots on the floodplain and wallowing in the shallows of the lake, while further out pods of hippos bob.
Lake Manyara Safari Tours