TWINS AFRICAN Travel

Wildlife

Ngorongoro Crater Descent

Four days in the caldera and the Rift Valley lakes

4.9 · 356 reviews Arusha Region, Tanzania
Duration
4 Days
Group size
Max 6
Difficulty
Easy
Best time
Year round
Starts / ends
Arusha · Arusha

Overview

The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera on earth — twenty kilometres across, six hundred metres deep, and home to around 25,000 large animals that mostly never leave. It is the densest wildlife concentration in Africa and one of the few places with a realistic chance of the Big Five in a single morning.

Four days is enough to do it properly: an unhurried descent at first light, plus Lake Manyara on the way in. Short, and the best introduction to Tanzania if your time is limited.

Highlights

  • Full descent to the crater floor, entering at dawn
  • Realistic chance of black rhino, among the last free-ranging population
  • Lake Manyara tree-climbing lions and flamingo flocks
  • Maasai highlands and the crater rim at sunset
  • Short enough to combine with Zanzibar the same trip

Itinerary

1 Arusha to Lake Manyara

Drive west along the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Manyara for an afternoon game drive. Groundwater forest, baboon troops, and flamingo on the soda flats when water levels allow.

Stay · Karatu lodge Meals · Lunch, dinner
2 Ngorongoro Crater floor

Early descent to be on the floor as the gates open. Six hours among lion, elephant, buffalo and — with luck and a good guide — black rhino on the Lerai side. Picnic lunch by the hippo pool.

Stay · Crater rim lodge Meals · Breakfast, lunch, dinner
3 Highlands and Maasai community visit

A morning on the crater highlands with a Maasai community that manages grazing inside the conservation area. Afternoon at leisure on the rim, which is the best seat in the country.

Stay · Crater rim lodge Meals · Breakfast, lunch, dinner
4 Return to Arusha

A slow drive back through Karatu coffee country, arriving Arusha by early afternoon for onward flights.

Stay · — Meals · Breakfast, lunch

What’s included

Included

  • Ngorongoro conservation and crater descent fees
  • Lake Manyara park fees
  • Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • All accommodation and meals as listed
  • Maasai community visit fee
  • Airport transfers

Not included

  • International flights and visa
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Tips for guide and lodge staff
  • Personal items and laundry

Gallery

Ngorongoro Crater Descent Ngorongoro Crater Descent Ngorongoro Crater Descent

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