Ngorongoro Crater
From the main entrance in the south, the Ngorongoro Crater is reached en-route a steep climb through mist and fog. On reaching the rim of the crater, the mist and fog suddenly break and the Ngorongoro grass carpeted floor and bathed in sunshine appears like a host heaven six hundred meters below the floor of the Ngorongoro crater which is 265 square kilometers and 16 kilometers in radius is home to nearly 25,000 large resident mammals.
Visitor to Ngorongoro can enjoy walking around the area. Long walking safaris and short likes are both adventurous and rewarding. Within the Ngorongoro conservation area there are “cultural bomas” where tourists can learn more about the customs and traditions of the famous Maasai, a pastoral tribe that was allowed to head their cattle within the protected area.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area
It is a huge area containing active volcanoes, mountains, archeological sites, rolling plains, forests, lakes, and dunes and of course, Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge. The views at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater are sensational. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains - all a heaven for wildlife, including the densest predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and warthog. You will not find giraffe, as there is not much to eat at tree level, or tope, because the competition with wildebeest is not too fierce, nor will you find impala. The crater elephants are strangely, mainly bulls. There are a small number of black rhinos here too. The bird life is largely seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.
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