Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro Crater stands as a premier hotspot for the Big Five in Tanzania, bustling with an abundance of wildlife. This unique ecosystem is particularly renowned for its extraordinary predator encounters. Home to the highest concentration of lions globally, the crater also boasts a frequent presence of spotted hyenas. Visitors should keep an eye out for smaller predators, including golden and black-backed jackals and the elusive bat-eared foxes, which add to the area’s rich tapestry of wildlife. Fortune may further reward you with sights of these smaller carnivores in action, hunting rodents or birds, offering a complete and dynamic safari experience.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a sanctuary for many of the safari circuit’s most iconic species. The black rhino, a highly sought-after sighting, takes center stage among the crater’s inhabitants. Large herds of buffalo roam the expansive grasslands, painting a classic African savanna scene. While elephant herds seldom venture into the crater, several solitary bulls with impressive tusks have adopted the crater floor as their domain, adding to the area’s allure. Outside the crater, giraffes roam freely across the broader conservation area, yet they remain absent from the crater floor itself, likely deterred by the steep encircling walls that present a formidable obstacle.
Observing wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater is a rewarding experience all year round, with the Dry season (June to October) offering the best conditions for spotting animals, thanks to the shorter grass. During the Wet season (November to May), the crater’s landscape transforms into a lush, vibrant spectacle, offering stunning scenic views. However, the taller grass during this period may make it more challenging to catch a glimpse of the crater’s smaller inhabitants. The months of March and April, in particular, see the highest levels of rainfall, further enhancing the verdant beauty of the environment but possibly hindering visibility of wildlife.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
450+
Nov to Apr
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Plenty of sunshine graces the crater floor, while mist often envelops the rim, creating a cooler atmosphere necessitating warm attire for game drives.
June, July, August & September – Expect afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor with clear skies. Nights can be cold, possibly freezing on the crater rim.
October – Typically sunny, although early arrival of short rains may occur, possibly starting in late October.
During the Wet season, daytime temperatures rise compared to the Dry season, yet mornings remain brisk. Afternoons typically reach around 23°C/73°F on the crater floor, while nighttime temperatures hover around 6°C/43°F on the crater rim.
November & December – ‘Short rains’ – These brief showers, occurring mainly in the afternoons, are unlikely to disrupt your safari plans. Lasting approximately one month, they may fall anytime between November and December.
January & February – The interval between rains is unpredictable, but a period of dry weather often occurs.
March, April & May – ‘Long rains’ – Rainfall is common during this period, usually not persisting throughout the day. April and May may experience notably cold conditions due to cold fronts.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a key destination on the Northern Circuit safari, often visited en route to Serengeti National Park. Conveniently located just a 3-hour drive (180km/112mi) from the town of Arusha, the starting point for safaris in northern Tanzania, Ngorongoro is easily accessible via a well-maintained tarred road.
Travelers have various options for exploring the Northern circuit. They can hop between parks using small aircraft on chartered or scheduled flights departing from Arusha. Alternatively, they can embark on a safari vehicle journey, either covering the entire circuit or specific parts of it. A popular itinerary involves flying into Serengeti and returning by safari vehicle via Ngorongoro Crater, or vice versa. In most cases, the safari guide from Bush 2 City Adventure will meet visitors at the airport and handle all further arrangements.
For those traveling from the Seronera area in Serengeti, the journey to the crater spans about 140km/90mi and takes approximately 3 hours by road, although the duration can extend considerably due to wildlife sightings along the way. The drive from Lake Manyara National Park to the crater covers 80km/50mi and typically takes about 2 hours, while the route from Tarangire National Park spans 180km/110mi and requires approximately 4 hours.
The most convenient gateway to Arusha is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), located approximately 50km/31mi away. Travelers can also opt to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and then connect to Arusha Airport (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).
Please note that Bush 2 City Adventure currently does not offer international flight air ticketing services. Guests are kindly advised to arrange and book their own international flights to Tanzania. We recommend checking the official websites of major airlines that frequently serve Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) for availability and booking.
To learn more about international travel options to Tanzania from various global destinations, please click here
Charter flights between parks are typically arranged by safari consultants as part of the safari tour package. Additionally, we offer the option to book your safari package inclusive of domestic flights on a scheduled basis. Some of the airlines servicing Arusha Airport and Kilimanjaro Airport include:
For comprehensive information on passport, visa, vaccination, and other entry requirements for Tanzania, please refer to our FAQ page dedicated to Tanzania.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
In our assessment, the Ngorongoro Crater is considered a highly secure destination. Incidents of crime within Tanzania’s parks and reserves are rare. While some cities may have instances of crime, exercising standard safety measures is advisable when visiting urban areas like Arusha town, which serves as the entry point to the Northern safari circuit. Although occurrences of crime involving visitors are exceedingly uncommon, we recommend reviewing the ‘Cities & Urban Areas: Safety Precautions’ section below for further guidance.
It’s essential to take precautions against malaria when visiting the area. We recommend using a DEET-based mosquito repellent, as it is the most effective, and consider taking antimalarial medicine as a preventive measure. Additionally, covering exposed skin in the evening can help reduce the risk of mosquito bites. Before your travel, we advise consulting with a healthcare professional to discuss appropriate vaccinations for your trip.
Observing wildlife is a safe and rewarding experience as long as you follow the guidance of your tour guide and respect the regulations of the park. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with our ‘Wildlife Viewing Safety Precautions’ outlined below for added safety during your excursion.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Nestled at the foot of the Ngorongoro Crater rim, Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge provides an exceptional and tranquil base for exploring Tanzania’s renowned national parks like Serengeti and Tarangire. Offering luxurious and comfortable rooms amidst serene natural beauty, the lodge ensures a peaceful and elegant stay, perfectly positioned for embarking on unforgettable wildlife encounters.
Perched on the rim of the ancient Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is your gateway to an unforgettable African adventure. Our stunning location provides the perfect starting point for a diverse range of activities.
Experience thrilling game drives on the Crater plains, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its incredible wildlife concentration. Beyond the safari, you can enjoy guided nature walks, unique bush dining experiences, and cultural visits to local Maasai villages and cattle markets. We offer a variety of excursions designed to immerse you in the beauty and culture of this spectacular region.
Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro is a luxurious safari lodge nestled in the Ngorongoro Highlands of Tanzania, adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The lodge’s architecture is a distinctive Cape Dutch style, giving it the appearance of an elegant manor house. It is situated on a sprawling 1,500-acre Arabica coffee estate, offering a unique blend of old-world opulence and natural beauty. This location makes it an ideal and serene retreat, providing a sense of seclusion and tranquility away from the typical safari camps.
The accommodations at The Manor are designed for privacy and comfort. There are 18 individual Manor Cottage Suites, each with a private sun terrace and a double-sided fireplace that separates the living and sleeping areas. The en-suite bathrooms are a highlight, featuring a Victorian-style claw-footed bath and a spacious rainfall shower. For families, the two-story Stable Cottage offers a perfect solution with multiple bedrooms, including a dedicated children’s area with a playroom, ensuring a comfortable and private stay for all.
Beyond being a place to rest, the lodge is a destination in itself, offering a variety of activities both on and off the estate. It serves as a strategic and lavish base for game drives into the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater and nearby Lake Manyara National Park. On the estate itself, guests can enjoy a range of unique experiences, including horseback riding, mountain biking, guided walks, and educational coffee tours that delve into the process of coffee production from bean to cup. The lodge also features an outdoor swimming pool, a spa with a steam room, a billiards room, and a TV/cinema room, providing ample opportunities for relaxation and leisure.
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge has 30 beautiful stilted suites that are celebrated for their unique design and luxury. But the lodge is just the start of an extraordinary African adventure to the famous Ngorongoro Crater—a natural wonder that every traveler should see.
Long ago, the Ngorongoro was a volcano as mighty as Mount Kilimanjaro. Today, it’s a lush and peaceful remnant of a huge eruption that may have been seen by our early ancestors in the nearby Olduvai Gorge, where humanity began.
The crater remained undiscovered by outsiders until the 1890s, which is why it’s still so rich with wildlife. The Maasai people, however, knew it well for its abundance and called it El-Nkoronkoro, meaning “Gift of Life.”
Perched on a magnificent hillside with panoramic views of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, O’ldeani Safari Lodge offers a luxurious and peaceful retreat. This lodge is a perfect blend of old-world charm and modern comfort, with a design inspired by the classic safari era. It’s an ideal base for exploring the wonders of the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire.
Each of the lodge’s stunning suites is a private sanctuary, featuring a fireplace and a private veranda that looks out onto the beautiful African landscape. You can relax in the lounge, enjoy a drink at the bar, or cool off in the spectacular swimming pool with a view. The lodge is known for its exquisite dining, with meals prepared from ingredients grown on-site. O’ldeani Safari Lodge is the perfect choice for a truly special and unforgettable safari experience.
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp offers an exceptional experience because it is located right inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This prime location makes it the perfect starting point for exploring the incredible wildlife that thrives on the crater floor.
The Ngorongoro Crater is truly remarkable, home to a vast population of around 25,000 animals. You can expect to see a wide variety of wildlife, including zebras, elephants, buffalo, warthogs, hippos, and wildebeest roaming freely within this natural enclosure. Importantly, the crater is also a haven for exciting Big Cat predators like lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and jackals, offering fantastic opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Perched on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge offers a truly privileged perspective of this magnificent natural wonder. As the only lodge on this side of the crater rim, it boasts an unmatched vantage point, providing guests with a unique and breathtaking vista of the caldera below.
The lodge’s rooms are spacious and comfortable, each with a private balcony offering stunning views. You can relax by the crackling fireplace in the cozy lounge, enjoy a drink at the bar, or take a dip in the outdoor pool—all while soaking in the incredible scenery. The lodge is known for its serene atmosphere and its close proximity to the crater floor, making it an excellent choice for an early start to your game drive. Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is the perfect base for your exploration of one of Africa’s most iconic destinations.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro Crater stands as a premier hotspot for the Big Five in Tanzania, bustling with an abundance of wildlife. This unique ecosystem is particularly renowned for its extraordinary predator encounters. Home to the highest concentration of lions globally, the crater also boasts a frequent presence of spotted hyenas. Visitors should keep an eye out for smaller predators, including golden and black-backed jackals and the elusive bat-eared foxes, which add to the area’s rich tapestry of wildlife. Fortune may further reward you with sights of these smaller carnivores in action, hunting rodents or birds, offering a complete and dynamic safari experience.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a sanctuary for many of the safari circuit’s most iconic species. The black rhino, a highly sought-after sighting, takes center stage among the crater’s inhabitants. Large herds of buffalo roam the expansive grasslands, painting a classic African savanna scene. While elephant herds seldom venture into the crater, several solitary bulls with impressive tusks have adopted the crater floor as their domain, adding to the area’s allure. Outside the crater, giraffes roam freely across the broader conservation area, yet they remain absent from the crater floor itself, likely deterred by the steep encircling walls that present a formidable obstacle.
Observing wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater is a rewarding experience all year round, with the Dry season (June to October) offering the best conditions for spotting animals, thanks to the shorter grass. During the Wet season (November to May), the crater’s landscape transforms into a lush, vibrant spectacle, offering stunning scenic views. However, the taller grass during this period may make it more challenging to catch a glimpse of the crater’s smaller inhabitants. The months of March and April, in particular, see the highest levels of rainfall, further enhancing the verdant beauty of the environment but possibly hindering visibility of wildlife.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
450+
Nov to Apr
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
Plenty of sunshine graces the crater floor, while mist often envelops the rim, creating a cooler atmosphere necessitating warm attire for game drives.
June, July, August & September – Expect afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor with clear skies. Nights can be cold, possibly freezing on the crater rim.
October – Typically sunny, although early arrival of short rains may occur, possibly starting in late October.
During the Wet season, daytime temperatures rise compared to the Dry season, yet mornings remain brisk. Afternoons typically reach around 23°C/73°F on the crater floor, while nighttime temperatures hover around 6°C/43°F on the crater rim.
November & December – ‘Short rains’ – These brief showers, occurring mainly in the afternoons, are unlikely to disrupt your safari plans. Lasting approximately one month, they may fall anytime between November and December.
January & February – The interval between rains is unpredictable, but a period of dry weather often occurs.
March, April & May – ‘Long rains’ – Rainfall is common during this period, usually not persisting throughout the day. April and May may experience notably cold conditions due to cold fronts.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a key destination on the Northern Circuit safari, often visited en route to Serengeti National Park. Conveniently located just a 3-hour drive (180km/112mi) from the town of Arusha, the starting point for safaris in northern Tanzania, Ngorongoro is easily accessible via a well-maintained tarred road.
Travelers have various options for exploring the Northern circuit. They can hop between parks using small aircraft on chartered or scheduled flights departing from Arusha. Alternatively, they can embark on a safari vehicle journey, either covering the entire circuit or specific parts of it. A popular itinerary involves flying into Serengeti and returning by safari vehicle via Ngorongoro Crater, or vice versa. In most cases, the safari guide from Bush 2 City Adventure will meet visitors at the airport and handle all further arrangements.
For those traveling from the Seronera area in Serengeti, the journey to the crater spans about 140km/90mi and takes approximately 3 hours by road, although the duration can extend considerably due to wildlife sightings along the way. The drive from Lake Manyara National Park to the crater covers 80km/50mi and typically takes about 2 hours, while the route from Tarangire National Park spans 180km/110mi and requires approximately 4 hours.
The most convenient gateway to Arusha is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), located approximately 50km/31mi away. Travelers can also opt to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and then connect to Arusha Airport (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).
Please note that Bush 2 City Adventure currently does not offer international flight air ticketing services. Guests are kindly advised to arrange and book their own international flights to Tanzania. We recommend checking the official websites of major airlines that frequently serve Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) for availability and booking.
To learn more about international travel options to Tanzania from various global destinations, please click here
Charter flights between parks are typically arranged by safari consultants as part of the safari tour package. Additionally, we offer the option to book your safari package inclusive of domestic flights on a scheduled basis. Some of the airlines servicing Arusha Airport and Kilimanjaro Airport include:
For comprehensive information on passport, visa, vaccination, and other entry requirements for Tanzania, please refer to our FAQ page dedicated to Tanzania.
Maliwaza a renowned Safari Expert, has helped thousands of travelers experience the magic of Tanzania, including the iconic Great Migration in the Serengeti.
In our assessment, the Ngorongoro Crater is considered a highly secure destination. Incidents of crime within Tanzania’s parks and reserves are rare. While some cities may have instances of crime, exercising standard safety measures is advisable when visiting urban areas like Arusha town, which serves as the entry point to the Northern safari circuit. Although occurrences of crime involving visitors are exceedingly uncommon, we recommend reviewing the ‘Cities & Urban Areas: Safety Precautions’ section below for further guidance.
It’s essential to take precautions against malaria when visiting the area. We recommend using a DEET-based mosquito repellent, as it is the most effective, and consider taking antimalarial medicine as a preventive measure. Additionally, covering exposed skin in the evening can help reduce the risk of mosquito bites. Before your travel, we advise consulting with a healthcare professional to discuss appropriate vaccinations for your trip.
Observing wildlife is a safe and rewarding experience as long as you follow the guidance of your tour guide and respect the regulations of the park. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with our ‘Wildlife Viewing Safety Precautions’ outlined below for added safety during your excursion.
