National Parks Africa » Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater has been called the eighth wonder of the natural world. It has been designated a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve and the crater deserves every bit of its fame yet it represents only about 3 percent of the entire Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), which covers 8,280 square kilometres (3,196 square miles), stretching from Lake Eyasi in the Rift Valley north to the Serengeti Plains. The region contains at least seven extinct volcanoes and is probably one of the most varied terrains in East Africa. Altitude in the park varies from Lake Eyasi at 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) to the peak of Lolmalasin mountain at 3,640 metres (11,940 feet).

The Ngorongoro Highlands on their southern and eastern slopes are clothed in forest which captures water for all the farmland to the south and also supports Manyara’s special ground water forest at the base of the rift. The massif of old volcanoes surrounding the Ngorongoro caldera includes several craters and mountains of beauty and importance.

The plains to the north are critical to the migration of wildebeest. Note that at least half of the Serengeti Plains are in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and another plain, the Salei, is protected only by the NCA. Annual rainfall ranges from around 300 mm (11.7 inches) in the dry regions such as Lake Eyasi to over 1,000 mm (39 inches) up in the highlands.

Archaeological sites:
The NCA was set up in the late 1950s in response to complaints by the Maasai that they were being pushed out of their traditional grazing areas by the formation of Serengeti National Park, which at that time included Ngorongoro. The conservation area was set up as a unique test of the idea that humans who lead a pastoral life-style, utilizing livestock only for sustenance, should be able to coexist with wildlife. The area was also to cater to tourists, protect the forest to the southand guard unique archaeological sites such as Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli. The Laetoli site has footprints of our hominid ancestors that are dated firmly at over 3.5 million years old.

At Olduvai many fossils and artifacts dating from the last two million years have been found embedded in rich deposits containing remains of contemporary animals and plants. A visit to the small and excellent museum at Olduvai gives one a chance to fathom the beginnings of mankind, within an area where the first humans are believed to have evolved.

There are other archaeological sites round the conservation area, some even in the crater itself. Humans have been living here for millions of years so it is fitting that the conservation area enables local tribes to live with the wildlife that has also evolved here.

Wildlife in the crater:
Ngorongoro is not only a fascinating lesson in land use and the modern problems of how to reconcile human desires with nature, it is also one of the most picturesque settings for viewing wildlife. All animals are so used to cars that you can get close enough both to study their behaviour and to take excellent photographs.

All the usual grassland dwelling animals live in the crater: wildebeest, zebras, Thomson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, elands, hartebeest, buffalos, warthogs, ostriches, kori bustards, crowned cranes, and predators such as bat-eared foxes, jackals, hyaenas, lions and, rarely seen, cheetahs.

In the forest and swamps are some elephants, all males, perhaps because there is not enough food for the normally much larger female and calf groups. Also near the forests area few waterbuck and bushbuck. Around the marshes and streams are reedbuck and serval cat, and birds masses of ducks, geese, herons, ibis, plovers, widow and whydah birds. Flamingoes often provide a pink fringe to the little soda lake in the crater’s centre, and you can drive close enough to see and photograph them well. Hippos can be seen at two exceptionally pretty sites: the pool at Mandusi swamp and the lake at Ngoitokitok springs where visitors can eat their picnic lunch in the shade of fig trees where starlings, weavers and fish eagles perch. You should, however, beware of the African kites which swoop with incredible accuracy to steal food.

There is another picnic site in the Lerai Forest (a Maasai word for yellow-barked acacia trees) where there is running water and vervet monkeys and large numbers of baboons. Leopards live along the Munge River and forested slopes all round, yet they are seldom seen. Rhinos also take refuge in the forest but are often in the open on the soda flats or along watercourses. Some mountain reedbuck live in the brush on the inner crater wall. Impala and giraffe can be seen only on the outer slopes, never in the crater, because there is not enough of their food to support a breeding population. Male elephants are only temporary feeders in the crater and leave from time to time to join the female groups which range the forest outside.

It is impossible to visit the crater without noticing all the wildflowers and the beautiful mantle of forest along the south. Even the dry, thorny northern side has picturesque plants. If you can reach it the remoteness and pristine beauty of Empaakai Crater and the lovely walk from Olmoti’s bowl to climb down among mountain wildflowers is worth the effort. From here you can see the stark cone of the still active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai at the northeast corner of the conservation area.

Granite cliffs:
The granite outcrops and the ancient crystalline Got Mountains with their great gorges are reached by crossing bumpy plains strewn with windswept sand dunes. Here, sparkling pink granite cliffs provide ancient nesting sites for griffon vultures. Right at the northern bases of the great volcanoes lie the archaeological sites of Olduvai and Laetoli. In the western end of Olduvai Gorge, thick acacia woodland surrounds Ndutu, with its precious lakes providing water for the animalsthere and also those from the surrounding savannah.

The Serengeti and the Salei plains are the location of the annual migrations of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elands, ostriches, and other birds. The vast green sward dotted with kopjes is a fitting scene for the births and deaths of great numbers of animals.

So Ngorongoro means more than just the famous crater. With its streams and lakes, forests, open grasslands, bushy slopes and wildlife, NCA is a microcosm of East Africa and its historical significance for humankind makes it unique among game parks.

The main road between Arusha and Lake Victoria cuts right through the conservation area, running around the west rim of Ngorongoro Crater. It is gravel surfaced and seldom muddy enough to make the crater inaccessible; however, all roads in the conservation area vary greatly in their condition, especially during the heavy rains of March to May. Go with a good driver and check first at park headquarters.