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Ngorongoro Crater

A collapsed volcano 20 km across holding roughly 25,000 large animals inside its walls, year round.

Overview

Ngorongoro is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world: a bowl about 20 kilometres wide and 600 metres deep, formed when a mountain thought to have rivalled Kilimanjaro collapsed some two and a half million years ago. Grassland, swamp, soda lake and a small yellow-fever acacia forest sit inside the walls, and because there is permanent water and grazing the animals do not need to migrate. The result is a density found almost nowhere else - lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, flamingo, and one of the last reliable places in Tanzania to see black rhino. The wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area is not a national park but a multiple land-use area where Maasai families graze cattle alongside wildlife, and it also contains Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys' excavations rewrote the early human record. The crater floor is open to vehicles for a limited window each day and can feel busy; the rim, the highlands and Empakaai and Olmoti craters are quieter.

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Photos of Ngorongoro Crater

Operators serving Ngorongoro Crater

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Trips visiting Ngorongoro Crater

Premium

5 Days Mikumi,Ruaha and Kilimanjaro Mountain visit

6 daysERICK SAFARIS

Visits

  1. Serengeti National Park
  2. Ngorongoro Crater
  3. Tarangire National Park

From $750per person

Things to do in Ngorongoro Crater

Places and experiences rather than companies. Each one carries the thing you would otherwise find out by turning up.

  • The crater floor

    Wildlife

    Six hundred metres down, roughly 25,000 large animals inside twenty kilometres of caldera wall.

    The descent is charged per vehicle, not per person, and the permit is for six hours — so a full car costs each of you less, and the clock starts at the gate rather than at the bottom.

    Half a dayPaid

  • Olduvai Gorge

    History

    Where the Leakeys found the fossils that moved human origins to East Africa.

    It sits on the road between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, so it costs an hour rather than a day if you time it as a stop rather than a detour.

    2 hoursPaid

  • Empakaai Crater walk

    Landscape

    A steep descent to a soda lake inside a smaller, greener caldera.

    One of the few places in the conservation area you may walk, with a ranger. On a clear morning Ol Doinyo Lengai and Kilimanjaro are both visible from the rim.

    5 hoursPaid

Where these are, around Ngorongoro Crater

60 listings with a mapped location.

Map of 60 listings
  • Listed
  • Placed from the town

What Ngorongoro Crater costs

All-in on the ground, per person per day, excluding international flights. Ranges rather than a single figure, because accommodation and group size move the total more than anything else.

Indicative daily cost per person for Ngorongoro Crater, by travel style
StylePer person, per day
Camping or budget lodge, shared vehicle$190 – $260
Mid-range lodge$260 – $470
Luxury camp, private vehicle$700 – $1,500

Of that, $110 – $180 a day is government fees set by Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. Every operator pays the same, so a quote below this floor is not a better deal — it is a different trip.

Ngorongoro Crater descent, per vehicle: $295

Add this to a whole-trip estimate

Indicative figures checked for 2026. Park fees are revised annually and some are quoted before VAT — confirm current rates with your operator or the park authority before you book.

When to visit Ngorongoro Crater

Month by month: wildlife, weather and how busy it gets.

October

Dry season — good roads, thinner bush, animals gathering at water.

Wildlife
Wildlife: 5 / 5
Weather
Weather: 4 / 5
Crowds
Crowds: 3 / 5
Rainfall
40 mm
Temperature
9–22 °C
Show all twelve months
When to visit Ngorongoro Crater
Best time to visitWildlifeWeatherCrowdsRainfallTemperature
JanuaryThe crater holds its game year-round — no season to miss.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 3 / 560 mm9–22 °C
FebruaryPeak seasonDry season — good roads, thinner bush, animals gathering at water.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 4 / 555 mm9–22 °C
MarchWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.Wildlife: 4 / 5Weather: 3 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5110 mm9–21 °C
AprilLong rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.Wildlife: 4 / 5Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5200 mm9–20 °C
MayLong rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.Wildlife: 4 / 5Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5150 mm8–20 °C
JuneCold, clear mornings on the rim; excellent visibility below.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 5 / 5Crowds: 4 / 530 mm7–20 °C
JulyPeak seasonPeak dry season — the best game viewing and the highest prices.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 5 / 5Crowds: 5 / 510 mm7–19 °C
AugustPeak seasonPeak dry season — the best game viewing and the highest prices.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 5 / 5Crowds: 5 / 510 mm7–19 °C
SeptemberPeak seasonPeak dry season — the best game viewing and the highest prices.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 5 / 5Crowds: 4 / 515 mm8–21 °C
OctoberDry season — good roads, thinner bush, animals gathering at water.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 3 / 540 mm9–22 °C
NovemberWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.Wildlife: 4 / 5Weather: 3 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5105 mm9–21 °C
DecemberShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.Wildlife: 5 / 5Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 4 / 590 mm9–22 °C

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