Activities to do
Game Drives
This is the best way to view wildlife in the Ngoro Ngoro Crater. Game drives are done with a safari van or land cruiser extended with pop up roof. By 4:30 pm all cars must be out of the crater.
Three days are enough to explore each and every part of the crater. Expect to see all the big 5 mammals, birds, lakes, lush forests and savannah vegetation.
Visit the Masai
The Masai are one of Africa’s most known tribes. They live outside the crater, but are allowed to graze their animals around the crater rim or bring them down the crater for water during the dry months of the year.
While touring the Ngoro Ngoro Conservation area, operators arrange for tourists to visit one of the homes or cultural centers for the Masai to learn about their traditions and culture. You attend traditional dance performances, take photos, buy souvenirs and meet the elders.
Enjoy Picnic Lunch
If you have ever dreamt about having a beautiful picnic lunch in the African wilderness with wild animals grazing nearby, the Ngoro Ngoro Crater is the best for you.
Visit the Tanzania’s Last Bushmen
When the Masai arrived in the Serengeti area about 300 years ago, the Bushmen moved to remote areas of the park. Right now over 2000 Bushmen still live in the area.
These people are still primitive and living off hunting and gathering. A tour around their remote residential places will allow you uncover their culture and ways of living.
Nature Walks and Crater View
Make sure to take a stroll along the edges or rim of the crater. The western edge of the crater offers spectacular views of the woodlands, open grasslands and acacia forests. You can also see the Masai taking their cattle for grazing.
Bird Watching
The Ngoro Ngoro crater is one of the best places for birding tours in Tanzania. Expect to see species like the flamingos, Kori bustards and crowned cranes.
From the crater rims, you observe species like the golden winged sunbirds, white eyes slaty, African cytrill sights, and forest buzzard.
Hot Air Ballooning
This is the best way to go if you want to admire awe-inspiring views of the vast crater and its surroundings. Hot air ballooning is great especially during the migration.
From the basket you will see wildebeests roaming or calving outside the crater and the nearby Serengeti.
Visit the Olduvai Gorge
The Olduvai Gorge is where the oldest archaeological discoveries were made by Richard Leakey and his family.
Richard and his family discovered the remains of the very first hominids in Olduvai Gorge in the early 20th Century. More groundbreaking discoveries were made with most of them older than 2 million years ago.
These fossils include that of extinct animals that roamed the area. Don’t hesitate to book in advance for a guided walk within the gorge.
