Ngorongoro Crater: The Best Game Drive in Africa, with Caveats

The Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed caldera 19 kilometres across and 600 metres deep. About 25,000 large animals live on its floor year-round because the crater walls provide natural containment. There is no migration here: what you see is what’s resident permanently. The lion density is among the highest on the African continent. Black rhino, extinct or nearly so across most of East Africa, survive in small numbers on the crater floor. Elephant, buffalo, hippo, wildebeest, zebra, hyena, and serious raptors are present throughout.

The caveat worth stating plainly: Ngorongoro is on every Tanzania northern circuit itinerary, which means in high season (July through September) the crater floor has dozens of vehicles clustered around kills simultaneously. This doesn’t ruin the experience but it reduces the wilderness quality that makes African wildlife watching meaningful. Early starts (gates open at 06:00) and mid-week visits reduce the vehicle density somewhat. Plan your descent accordingly.

The Game Drive

Vehicle access to the crater floor requires a 4WD. Fees for international non-resident visitors run $70.80 per adult per day (including 18% VAT) plus a crater service fee of $295 per vehicle. Descend via Lemala or Seneto gates; ascend via Lerai Forest gate. Plan for 6-8 hours on the floor.

The hippo pool near the Ngoitokitok picnic site (one of the designated spots where you can eat outside your vehicle under supervision) is reliably productive for hippos. The Lerai Forest holds elephant and can give leopard sightings in the acacia canopy. The black rhino population numbers around 26-30 animals; sightings are not guaranteed, but ask your guide or camp staff whether any have been seen on the floor recently.

Beyond the Crater

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also encompasses Oldupai Gorge (formerly Olduvai), where Louis and Mary Leakey found Homo habilis remains in 1960. The gorge is 45km northwest of the crater. The small museum there covers the paleoanthropological significance clearly, and entry is included in the conservation area fees. For anyone interested in human evolution at all, this is ground worth standing on: the bones found here pushed the timeline of human origins back by nearly a million years.

The Empakai Crater, 30km northeast of Ngorongoro, holds a lake surrounded by walls of dense montane forest. Flamingos feed in the lake. It’s significantly less visited than Ngorongoro, requires a guide, and offers a quieter version of the same volcanic caldera landscape.

Staying

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge on the rim is the famous option: thatched suites at 2,400 metres with crater views in an aesthetic that combines Maasai design with baroque excess. Rates from around $1,500 per person per night all-inclusive. Extraordinary. Lemala Ngorongoro offers high-quality tented accommodation at a somewhat lower price with a comparable position.

The government Simba campsite on the crater rim is basic at around $50/night: bring your own food and gear. At 2,400 metres it is cold at night regardless of season; pack more layers than you think necessary.

Getting There

Ngorongoro is typically combined with the Serengeti: the drive between them runs through the conservation area and takes 2-3 hours. The nearest airport is Kilimanjaro International (KIA) near Arusha, 4-5 hours by road. Several operators fly small aircraft directly to airstrips near the crater, cutting the road journey significantly.