One of only three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Tanzania ( together with the Serengeti and the Selous Game Reserve ) the crater is often called the Eighth Wonder of the World . It lies in the Biosphere Reserve of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers 8.300 square km in northern Tanzania. This reserve was specifically planned to accommodate both the traditional Masai communities and tourists.
You will see Masai villagers grazing their sheep and cattle all over. The Ngorongoro Crater ranks right up there among Africa's must visit wildlife destinations: Serengeti, Masai Mara, Etosha, Kruger Park and the Okavango Delta.
The Ngorongoro Crater lies in a cluster of other volcanoes that borders the Serengeti National Park to the north and west. It's a collapsed volcano or caldera. The original volcano, which may have been higher than Kilimanjaro, collapsed in on itself over time and now forms a perfect basin . When inside of the Crater it feels as though you are at the bottom of a fish bowl with very steep sides. The basin measuring 118 km in diameter, lies 500 meters below the rim which towers above it at about 2, 200 meters above seal level.
The Ngorongoro Crater boats an astonishing variety of landscapes, forests, peaks, craters, valleys, rivers, lakes and plains - including the world famous Olduvai Gorge where some of our earliest human ancestors once hunted and gathered.
The crater floor dominated by a huge flamingo filled alkaline lake holds the highest concentration of predators in the world - lions, hyenas, jackals, leopards. Cheetahs can occasionally be seen but fall prey to hyena and lion. Bird life is also spectacular!
The Crater is a once-in a lifetime experience and one of the world's most spectacular destinations.
