AREA : 300 Sq. Km.
ALTITUDE: 2286 Metres.
Ngorongoro crater is located west of the great rift valley which runs from the Red Sea to Lake Nyasa in southern Tanzania. Ngorongoro was an active volcano some eight million years ago, whose cone collapsed, leaving a crater. It is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, the second-largest extinct crater in the world, and today shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth with a spectacular concentration of wildlife and stunning views.
The Crater is oval in shape, 300Sq. Km in area, 610m deep. There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself. This is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhinos in Tanzania as well as the pride of lions that include the magnificent black-maned males.
All of the big five are seen – elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Other game includes cheetah, hyena, zebra, warthog, impala, hartebeest, eland, and lots of other members of the antelope family and smaller mammals of sorts.
Birdlife includes the Kori bustard, secretary bird, crested crane, marabou stock, goliath, heron, beautiful fish eagles, and thousands of colorful flamingoes. More than 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the crater.
Vegetation: The crater rim is wooded with mountain forest vegetation. Blooming in acres of flowers e.g. pink, blue and white lupines, candle white lilies, and blue hyacinth.
