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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.
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