A game drive in the impressive Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater is one of Tanzania’s most visited destinations, with its stunning sceneries and plenty of wildlife. It´s located on the Northern part of the country, and it´s usually visited in a safari combined with other parks, such as Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara.
The crater is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), which is a Unesco World Heritage Site and has an area of about 8300 square kilometers. The crater itself is 20 km wide.
I visited it in a game drive with Greg Adventures, a very good tour company located in Arusha.
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HOW TO VISIT THE CRATER
Ngorongoro is quite far from Arusha, it´s good to reserve at least two days for it, in case you´re planning to visit just the Crater.
It´s mandatory to have a guide to visit this park. You can go by yourself driving a 4×4 car and hire a guide at the park, or you can hire a safari with a travel agency.
The advantage of having an agency organizing the safari is that you don´t have to worry about anything, just relax. Also, in the safaris the meals and accommodation are included, and you get to see lots of animals if you have an experienced guide.
There are many agencies in Arusha that offer this tour. I visited Ngorongoro in a 2 days tour from Arusha (combined with Tarangire), with Greg Adventures. The safari was great, I totally recommend it.
Are you going to Tanzania? Here you can check all the accommodation options, from hostels to hotels and resorts. And if you book it through this link, you help to maintain this blog online, and you don´t have to pay anything for that.
HOW IS THE GAME DRIVE
It´s worth to spend a whole day doing a game drive in the Crater. It takes a while to get to the bottom (about 40 minutes), and there´s lots to see.
In the safari I did with Greg Adventures, we left early in the morning (7 AM) from the campsite at Lake Manyara, which is nearby, and left Ngorongoro around 5PM.
It´s very common to be misty early in the morning, and to get clearer a bit later – when I did it, I could barely see anything at the viewpoint in the morning, but on the way back, the views were amazing.
Bloggers tip: it gets very cold at the Crater (before you descend you´re at about 2.500m), so make sure you take a warm jumper with you.
The Game Drive happens in a very comfy 4×4 car that has a pop-up roof – it´s perfect for seeing the animals, as it gives you a 360 degrees view of the area.
You´ll see lots of wildlife at the Crater, even it being so steep. Herds of wildebeests, buffalos, zebras, elephants around the forested area, gazelles, reedbucks, hyenas… And also the amazing lions and rhinos, though the rhinos haven´t been spot lately there.
There aren´t giraffes there, the vegetation is mainly low, and the crater is too steep for them to getting there.
But you´ll see hippos, lots of them! Especially at the Hippos Lagoon, there are loads of them chilling and rolling in the water.
Many Maasai (a local tribe) live and create their cattle in NCA. You can also visit a Maasai village in the nearby area.
The cool thing about the crater is that it´s not just about the wildlife, which is already awesome, but also about the stunning sceneries, surrounded by the walls. It´s definitely worth the visit!
Bloggers tip: it´s also possible to do a walking safari in the Crater, accompanied by a guide.
PARK INFO
The gates open at 7AM (you gotta enter the park before 4PM), and close at 6PM. There are two different roads that descend the crater, the cars usually go by the zigzag one, and go back by the other road.
To visit the park you have to pay the park fees, that last 24h, the car fee and the guide (if you´re doing it by yourself).
Bloggers tip: Travel safe using the best travel insurance, which covers even adventure sports! Get a quote here
EATING
There aren´t restaurants inside the reserve, just lodges. What most of people do is to carry a lunch box, and to have a picnic at the park. The content of the lunch boxes are usually chicken, sandwich, cake, banana, pancake and juice.
In the tour, the meals, water and accommodation included – we had dinner at the Camping/Lodge we stayed, at Manyara Lake.
SLEEPING
There are lodges and campsites with tented camps inside the park – I just spent the day, and slept at one of the Lake Manyara’s campsite (Lilac).
You can check all the options of accommodation in Ngorongoro Crater here. And if you book it through the blog, you help to keep it online, without having to pay for it.
How about you? Have you already done a safari in Tanzania and have some cool tips about the city? Or do you plan to visit it and have some doubts? Share your ideas leaving a comment here!
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Planning your trip:
– Accommodation: you can book your accommodation here – hotels/hostels comparing and free booking cancel
– Travel Insurance: travel safe using the best travel insurance that covers even adventure sports – get a quote here
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The blogger did the game drive by invitation of Greg Adventures. I’d like to thank again for the opportunity, and also make it clear that all the opinions present here are independent and personal.
