Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater is often called 'Africa's Eden' and
the '8th Natural Wonder of the World,' a visit to the crater is a main drawcard
for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. Within
the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping
lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick
cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist.
Just outside the crater's ridge, tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over
green pastures through the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as
they have for centuries.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its eponymous famous crater, Olduvai
Gorge, and huge expanses of highland plains, scrub bush, and forests that cover
approximately 8300 square kilometres. A protected area, only indigenous tribes
such as the Masaai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and
Masek, both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well as a
series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area a unique and
beautiful landscape. Of course, the crater itself, actually a type of collapsed
volcano called a caldera, is the main attraction. Accommodation is located on
its ridges and after a beautiful descent down the crater rim, passing lush rain
forest and thick vegetation, the flora opens to grassy plains throughout the
crater floor. The game viewing is truly incredible, and the topography and
views of the surrounding Crater Highlands out
of this world.
This truly magical place is home to Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys discovered
the hominoid remains of a 1.8 million year old skeleton of Australopithecus
boisei, one of the distinct links of the human evolutionary chain. In a small
canyon just north of the crater, the Leakeys and their team of international
archaeologists unearthed the ruins of at least three distinct hominoid species,
and also came upon a complete series of hominoid footprints estimated to be
over 3.7 million years old. Evacuated fossils show that the area is one of the
oldest sites of hominoid habitation in the world.
The Ngorongoro Crater and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are without a doubt
some of the most beautiful parts of Tanzania, steeped in history and teeming
with wildlife. Besides vehicle safaris to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and
surrounding attractions, hiking treks through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
are becoming increasingly popular options. Either way you choose to visit, the
Crater Highlands are an unforgettable part of the Tanzanian experience.
