Vibrant Holiday Safaris brings you a Ngorongoro crater experience which is located in the northern circuit of Tanzania where all the tourism in the park take place. Ngorongoro national park is home to lions, Cheetahs, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, black Rhinos, gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, and the different bird species like flamingoes which paint the shorelines of Lake Eyasi with the beautiful pink color thus a visit to the national park gets you into the real adventure of the wilderness of Africa.
Ngorongoro crater is the largest caldera in Africa and one of the most beautiful natural sites of wildlife it is under the UNESCO World Heritage site since it is believed that before the caldera formation, there was a violent explosion that formed the Ngorongoro caldera because of the volcanic mountain that was higher than the highest peak of Africa, Kilimanjaro. Due to the volcanic wastes scattered around the crater, there was lustrous vegetation that was formed.
The beauty of Ngorongoro crater national park is credited to the beautiful wave of the bouncing hills which are covered with lustrous vegetation the crater rises to about 400m and 610 m high above the ground level and also the crater has magnificent wildlife such as the black manned lions that roam around the grasslands to look for prey, the predators and herbivores which you will find feeding on the savannah, acacia woods, and the swamps. The crater brings an amazing look to the various major and fertile grazing areas in Africa such as Tarangire national park, Serengeti national park, and Maasai Mara national reserve land.
ATTRACTIONS IN NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
There is a lot that you can view when at the Ngorongoro national park since the park has attractions on both inside the crater and around the whole Ngorongoro national park. The major attraction that makes Ngorongoro stand out is the amazing caldera and the Serengeti conservation area where the migration of wildebeests and zebras take place and the calving of the wildebeests mostly happens when they reach the northern part of the Ngorongoro national park.
The Wildlife
Ngorongoro crater national park provides tourists with the easiest game drives in the African wilderness since there are huge numbers of mammals including the big five of Africa which are the lions, buffaloes, elephants that are numbering between 200 to 300, leopards, and the Rhinos. The national park also has zebras, gazelles, cheetahs, foxes, and serval cats around the grasslands to hunt for their prey. The tourists will also enjoy the beautiful birds flying around like the flamingo birds near the soda land and the park holds around 4000 bird species.
The Vegetation
The vegetation of the national park is also an attraction since the park is blessed with many types of vegetation cover. The verdant forests are mixed with the semi-arid savannah grasslands and woodlands. The savannah woodland is made up of acacia trees like the baobab and other candelabra tree species and the lowlands are covered with swamps as the highlands are forested with distinctive tree species like the zebra wood near Lake Eyasi.
Avian life in Ngorongoro national park is amazing and forms a great attraction to the tourists who travel to the area. Ngorongoro is a home for both native birds and migratory birds that move around November from Europe and other parts of Asia. The migratory birds are also found in the park during the rainy seasons in the months of May and April like the European swallows, Caspian lapwing, European rollers, and the montagus harrier among others, and the other birds in Ngorongoro crater national park include the Ostriches, grey crown cranes, Kori bustards and the secretary birds, water ducks, waders, herons, flamingoes near the soda lake within the park’s vicinity.
Ngorongoro crater from which the national park got its name from is an attraction in the region. The crater is the largest caldera in Africa sizing up to 264sqkm which is a few meters from the main gate to Ngorongoro with a great view of the caldera with other animals near the crater and the vegetation dotted with different savannah woodland tree species. The crater lakes within the Ngorongoro crater harbor a lot of animals and bird life among other interesting features of the crater in Ngorongoro crater national park.
The mountains of the gods (Gol Mountain) are another interesting feature of Ngorongoro crater national park located on the remote northwestern side of Ngorongoro. The Gol mountains are sacredly respected and feared by the Maasai people who are the human inhabitants of the region since the mountains have a strong cultural and traditional link to the Maasai community within Tanzania.
The other attractions that you have the opportunity to see or view during your visit to Ngorongoro crater national park include the Olduvai museum which is located at the edge of the historic Olduvai Gorge which was discovered by Dr. Leakey in 1959 after discovering the oldest remains of the early man, laetoli found in the southern part near the Olupai gorge which is one of the remotest areas in the region where the famous footprints of the Australopithecus Afarensis are found.
ACCOMMODATION IN NGORONGORO CRATER NATIONAL PARK
There is a wide range of accommodation choices to choose from based on the travel budget since Ngorongoro has different lodges, bandas, hotels, and campsites ranging from luxury to affordable campsites. These accommodation options give tourists the best safari experience in Tanzania because of the comfort, authenticity and the ecological touch to the tourists who are there and some of these include;
Ngorongoro crater lodge is one of the luxury accommodation facilities in Ngorongoro which is located near Serengeti national park gate in Northern Tanzania. The lodge is divided into 3 camps which are the south camp, the north camp, and the tree camp with different prices attached to them. The rooms provide a spectacular view of the undulating hill and the edge of the crater and different animals.
Ngorongoro Serena safari lodge. This is the other high-end accommodation facility that is located on the western edge of Ngorongoro crater offering great views of the caldera below. A lodge is a place for relaxing and the accommodations there include the cottages that are built with a touch of authenticity with hand paintings bringing out the African culture with the cozy restaurant near a fireplace.
Ngorongoro sapa lodge is located on the eastern side of the crater and reaching the lodge can take you only a one-hour drive from Manyara airstrip and three and half hours from Arusha offering accommodation in extensive rooms of about 92 decorated with a glassy balcony where you will have a clear view of the park animals in the far savannah offering modern lounge with a cozy restaurant, ensuite bathtubs, and very spacious rooms.
Other accommodation facilities in Ngorongoro crater national park include the Ngorongoro wildlife lodge, Kirurumu, lemala, and Ngorongoro camp which offers a spectacular view of the park.