Tourism in Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority - Africa Natural Tours ( africanaturaltours.com )
Tourism in Ngorongoro Conservation
Area Authority: Africa Natural Tours
AFRICA
NATURAL TOURS (The best tour company in Tanzania)
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The
jewel in Ngorongoro's crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest un flooded
and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300
sq kms in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder.
The
Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites and is said to have the
highest density of wildlife in Africa. Sometimes described as an ‘eighth
wonder of the world’, the Crater has achieved world renown, attracting an
ever-increasing number of visitors each year. You are unlikely to escape
other vehicles here, but you are guaranteed great wildlife viewing in a
genuinely mind-blowing environment. There is nowhere else in Africa quite
like Ngorongoro!
The
Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Forming
a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres, with sides up to 600 metres
deep; it is home to approximately 30,000 animals at any one time. The
Crater rim is over 2,200 metres high and experiences its own climate.
From this high vantage point it is possible to make out the tiny shapes of
animals making their way around the crater floor far below. Swathes of
cloud hang around the rocky rim most days of the year and it’s one of the few
places in Tanzania where it can get chilly at night.
The crater floor consists of a number of different habitats that include grassland, swamps, forests and Lake Makat (Maasai for ‘salt’) - a central soda lake filled by the Munge River. All these various environments attract wildlife to drink, wallow, graze, hide or climb. Although animals are free to move in and out of this contained environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests and spring source lakes on the crater floor (combined with fairly steep crater sides) tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain throughout the year.
Ngorongoro Crater: Wildlife Highlights
Ngorongoro
Crater is one of the most likely areas in Tanzania to see the endangered Black
Rhino, as a small population is thriving in this idyllic and protected
environment. It is currently one of the few areas where they continue to breed
in the wild. Your chances of encountering leopard here are also good and
fabulous black-maned lions. Many flamingos are also attracted to the soda
waters of Lake Magadi.
Ngorongoro Crater: Maasai village trips
Part
of the reason behind the Ngorongoro Conservation Area has been to preserve the
environment for the Maasai people who were diverted from the Serengeti
Plains. Essentially nomadic people, they build temporary villages in
circular homesteads called bomas. There are possibilities to visit a couple of
these now, which has been opened up for tourists to explore. Here you can
see how the huts are built in a strict pattern of order according to the
chronological order of the wives, and experience what it must be like to rely
on warmth and energy from a fire burning at the heart of a cattle dung dwelling
with no chimney. These proud cattle herding people have a great history as warriors,
and even though they are no longer allowed to build villages inside, they
continue to herd their cattle into the crater to graze and drink, regardless of
the predators nearby.
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