The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an extraordinary protected expanse and a designated World Heritage Site, located just west of the bustling city of Arusha in Tanzania\u2019s breathtaking Crater Highlands. This remarkable area takes its name from the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, a vast volcanic caldera that stands as one of its most striking features. The conservation area is carefully managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCA), an integral part of the Tanzanian government dedicated to upholding conservation efforts and sustainable practices within this unique landscape.<\/p>\n
What sets the Ngorongoro Conservation Area apart from other regions in Tanzania is its exceptional multi-use land designation. It is the only conservation area in the country that successfully balances wildlife protection with human habitation. This harmonious coexistence allows local communities to thrive alongside some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife species, creating a model for sustainable development that others can emulate. To safeguard this delicate balance and minimize adverse impacts on wildlife populations, strict regulations govern land use within the area. For example, agricultural practices are largely restricted, allowing cultivation only at subsistence levels to preserve natural habitats and maintain biodiversity. These measures highlight a strong commitment to conservation and a deep understanding of the intricate relationships between humans and nature.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area forms part of the expansive Serengeti ecosystem. To its northwest lies the renowned Serengeti National Park, creating a seamless connection with the stunning southern Serengeti plains. This geographical link enhances biodiversity and offers unparalleled opportunities for ecological research and tourism, making it a pivotal region for environmental conservationists and nature enthusiasts seeking to experience one of Africa’s most cherished landscapes firsthand. By protecting this remarkable site, we not only preserve its natural wonders but also support local communities in their pursuit of sustainability and economic resilience.<\/p>\n
The area around Ngorongoro crater has a mild, temperate climate. It area experiences two Wet seasons. From October to November are the ‘short’ rains, followed by the ‘long rains’ from March to May. Rainfall is usually experienced in the form of short showers. The crater’s rim is located at about 2,300 meters above sea level with the average daily temperature at about 16 \u00b0C (61 \u00b0F) from October to April, while it drops to 13\/14 \u00b0C (55\/57 \u00b0F) from June to August. It is a bit cold at night, and drops below 10 \u00b0C (50 \u00b0F) most of the year. The crater never gets very hot during the day, but the crater rim gets cold, and it can freeze at night.<\/p>\n
The area has global importance for biodiversity conservation in view of the presence of globally threatened species such as the black Rhino. It also has a high density of wildlife inhabiting the Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding areas throughout the year. Also happening here is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles and other ungulates into the northern plains.<\/p>\n
The area has been subject to extensive archaeological research for over 80 years and has yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution. The evidence includes fossilized footprints at Laetoli, associated with the development of human bipedalism, a sequence of diverse, evolving hominin species within Olduvai gorge.<\/p>\n
Stunning landscape combined with its spectacular concentration of wildlife is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Spectacular wildebeest numbers pass through the area as part of the annual migration of wildebeest across the Serengeti ecosystem and calve in the short grass plains which straddle the Ngorongoro Conservation Area\/Serengeti National Park boundary.<\/p>\n
Ngorongoro crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. The crater, together with the Olmoti and Empakaai craters are part of the eastern Rift Valley.<\/p>\n
Ngorongoro crater is a volcanic crater, the largest un flooded and unbroken caldera in the world. Its dimensions are \u00a020kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms in area,\u00a0 which makes it a breathtaking natural wonder. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa\u2019s most famous sites and believed to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa. It is sometimes described as an \u2018eighth wonder of the world\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world\u2019s largest intact volcanic caldera.\u00a0 It forms a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres and sides of up to 600 metres deep. It is home to approximately 30,000 animals at any one time.\u00a0 From the high vantage point, it is possible to make out the tiny shapes of animals making their way around the crater floor far below. Swathes of clouds hang around the rocky rim most days of the year.<\/p>\n
Lake Magadi is a shallow, azure blue and contains alkaline from sodium carbonate. It is fringed by hundreds of long-legged pink flamingos. Majority are lesser flamingos, distinguished by their dark red bills, feed on blue-green\u00a0 algae. There are also many greater flamingos with black-tipped pink bills, slightly bent to facilitate sifting shellfish from the rich bottom mud. The lake shrinks in the dry season, leaving thick, crystalline salt pans used as licks by jackals, hyena and other animals to supplement their diet.<\/p>\n
Lerai fever tree forest is located on the crater floor. It consists of tall, slim yellow barked acacias and frequented by elephant, rhino, eland, bushbuck, hyrax, and hundreds of birds. The foliage are the preferred food of the rare, black rhinoceros, but the old forest is regenerating slowly, because of damage by elephants, which tear off whole branches.\u00a0 \u00a0A younger Fever Tree forest is now forming new groves at the base of the Ngoitokitok Springs.<\/p>\n
There have been over 115 species of mammal recorded in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The main areas for game-viewing the crater, the short-grass plains west of the Gol Mountains, northwest of Ngorongoro Crater, and the surroundings of Lake Ndutu which is close to the border with Serengeti National Park. Two of the areas below the crater become the feeding and breeding ground for over 2 million animals during the rainy reason as they support the great annual wildebeest migration that spans the Serengeti ecosystem. From around December to May and depending on the rains, over one million wildebeests and thousands of zebras and gazelles move south to calve in the short-grass plains around Ndutu that straddle the Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park.<\/p>\n
Elephants, elands, hartebeests, and the endangered rhinos are among the wildlife that are found on the crater. Zebras and wildebeests found in the crater do not take part in the annual migration. Hippos are found in the permanent fresh water pools and the swamps on the crater. Other non-migratory herbivorous mammals found in the Conservation Area include buffalos, waterbucks, warthogs, and kudus and other species of antelope. Giraffes are to be found in the surroundings of Lake Ndutu, where acacia trees are abundant.<\/p>\n
Carnivores found in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area include lions, cheetahs, hyenas, leopards, jackals, serval cats, and the endangered wild hunting dogs.<\/p>\n
Over 550 species of birds have been recorded\u00a0 in the Conservation Area, of which some are resident and others are migratory. Lake Makait (Magadi), a salt lake on the floor of the crater, is often inhabited by hundreds of lesser flamingos and other water birds. Some of this birds can also be observed around Lake Ndutu and in the Empakaai Crater Lake. Ngorongoro crater is one of the best places for birding in Tanzania. Species to look for are the flamingos, Kori bustards and crowned cranes. From the crater rims, one can observe species like the African cytrill sights, forest buzzard, golden winged sunbirds and white eyes slaty.<\/p>\n
Game drives are the best way to view wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater. Game drives are done with safari vehicles and are mostly organized in two shifts( morning and afternoon). By 4:30 pm, all safari vehicles must be out of the crater.\u00a0 Attractions to seen include the big 5 wildlife<\/a>, birds, lakes, lush forests and savannah vegetation.<\/p>\n This is where fabrication of the earliest tools and the building of the first human settlements can be witnessed. At Laetoli, hominid footprints have been found in sedimentary rock of 3.7 million years old. There is an excavations and modest paleoanthropological museum at Olduvai where you can also see evolutionary fossils.<\/p>\nOlduvai gorge<\/h3>\n
Hei\u00dfluftballon<\/h3>\n