THE NGORONGORO CRATER
The Ngorongoro Crater - located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the largest intact caldera in the world measuring over 600m deep and some 8-19Km in diameter, is believed to be about 8 million years old. The steep descent into the crater is almost as exciting as the scene that awaits you within the crater; a fantastic showcase of nature’s best.The diverse landscape within the crater, in which the savannah blends into swamps, rivers, marshes, forests and cliffs, provides sanctuary for the black-maned lions, cheetahs, buffalos, elephants, and leopards that live side by side with thousands of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras, both black-backed and golden jackals. The Crater is also home to some of Tanzania's last remaining rhinos. Flamingos and hippos inhabit the alkaline lakes and freshwater pools; old elephants can be seen patiently wading through the papyrus ponds, while way up, on the slopes of the crater, unique and beautiful Afro-Alpine vegetation blankets the ground in a rich green cover, occasionally hidden by the mist and fog that occurs at the rim, which stands at over 2300m.
