"Ngorongoro - Open Air Zoo" Top 5 Page for this destination Ngorongoro by Myndo

Ngorongoro Travel Guide: 143 reviews and 484 photos

Not a crater, but a caldera. This means: the ground of this area broke in due to vulcanic activity. It is the 6th biggest Caldera in the world.

The rim lies on 2280-2440 m.ü.m. (meters over sea level), that is quite high, actually.
This has several effects: No mosquitoes here (too high), also it is several degrees cooler. So cool that you will need a sweater in the evening.
Also the air is more humid, so a lot of trees are growing here and it tends to be misty in the morning. In the crater the weather is always better.

All the accomodations in this Ntl park are located on the rim. The view down is fantastic.

The Park is only 384 km2 small, but a lot of animals stay in the park because the rim is too steep.

Inside this is really a freeland zoo. Lots of animals together.
Here you can find Waterbuck, Oryx, Lion, Cheetah, Hyena, Hunting dogs, Buffalo, Gazelle, Hippopotamus, Zebra, Gnu, Giraffae, Warthogs etc..

What is special here is, that you will see the Maasai looking after their cows right in this "Conservation Area" next to the lions and all...

The picture shows the View from the rim inside the Caldera.
From this high you cannot see the many animals in there, but there are sooo many.

The white patch is a shallow lake.

Last visit to Ngorongoro: Sep 2002
Intro Updated Dec 13, 2004
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Reviews (7)

Bird watching in Ngorongoro Things to Do (5)

The crater Ngorongoro actually hosts a lot of birds. There are Flamingoes and Pelicans at the lakes, there are falcons... more travel advice

Memorial Stone for the Grzimeks Things to Do (5)

Its not very impressive, but this stone reminds of what Professor Dr.Dr. Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael have done... more travel advice

watch your lunch - Birds of Prey! Warnings and Dangers (1)

We made a pause at a nice smaller lake in the Ngorongoro. Having lunch there is quite an experience, because you... more travel advice

Cheetah Things to Do (5)

Yes, this lean animal can also be found here. We were sooo lucky it came so close (my zoom on the camera is not that... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Rest at the Rim - Ngorongoro

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Comments (5)

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easterntrekker Feb 7, 2009 at 2:28 PM

I love your pages!! Great pictures too.
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kyoub Jul 9, 2007 at 4:47 AM

A very interesting page on animals and birds in this part of Africa. The birds are hungry too.
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Rusket Oct 12, 2005 at 4:41 PM

No disturbances this week, I have had time to work on my pages. Just learned from your informative page that Ngorongoro is a caldera, not a crater! * going back to update my own * Amazing what we can learn from eachother here on VT :-)
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tompt Feb 20, 2005 at 2:09 AM

Great pictures of the wildlife in the crater. The birds are called crowned crane. so you were right :-)
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mtncorg Jun 11, 2004 at 10:29 AM

Great selection of shots from the Crater's wildlife you have given us. With those big birds flying around, I guess I will leave the little dog at home;-]