Where is Ngorongoro Crater Located?
Where is Ngorongoro Crater Located, Among Tanzania’s many protected regions, the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area has the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area is 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the tourist hub of Arusha in northern Tanzania, on the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley. With an extent of 264 square kilometers and dimensions of 16 by 19 kilometers wide, Ngorongoro Crater is the largest extinct volcanic caldera in the world and in Tanzania specifically. The local Maasai people, who live in the conservation area, gave the area its name, Ngorongoro, after the largest crater in the park. The crater is so named because the lead cow makes a distinctive sound when it rings its bell, which becomes Ngorongoro. A cliff of 610 meters, or around 7500 feet or 2,286 meters above the crater floor, occupies Ngorongoro Crater, which is surrounded by high-rise forest rims. Karatu town is the closest town to the crater, just a few kilometers away from the main gate, and domestic flights are another option for getting to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area from Arusha through Lake Manyara National Park. It is interesting to note that all the parks in Northern Tanzania are connected by a single highway. However, at the junction beyond Lake Manyara, there is a fork where you may take a different route to visit the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, while the main road continues on to Tarangire. The distance to be driven is shorter than on less well-maintained, bumpier roads because the road leading to the conservation is all pavement.
When is the best time to visit Ngorongoro Crater
During the dry season (July–October), animals congregate near water sources and less dense vegetation makes them easier to spot, making this the busiest time of year. Even in the most humid months, visitors will not experience heavy rains and will be greeted by beautiful scenery at Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The herds migrate from the Central Serengeti to the South Serengeti and the Ndutu Area in Ngorongoro from the end of December to the beginning of March, making that time the ideal for anyone wishing to see the Great Migration.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area wildlife
The wildlife concentration in Ngorongoro crater is unlike any other on Earth. Grasslands, marshes, forests, and plains are among the habitats that have evolved inside the crater, which is surrounded by forest on the outside and flanked by a ridge approximately 600 meters high. Lake Makat, an alkaline body of water fed by the Munge River, sits smack dab in the center of the crater.
Many species can be seen in the crater, including zebras, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, hippos, cheetahs, hyenas, black-maned lions, leopards, and Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. We also want to highlight the fact that this area is home to a limited number of black rhinos, which are extremely endangered and could soon go extinct.
