The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in northern Tanzania is one of Africa’s most spectacular safari destinations—often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” It combines breathtaking scenery, cultural encounters, and some of the best wildlife viewing on the continent.
About 3 hours’ drive west of Arusha, between Lake Manyara and the Serengeti.
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The Ngorongoro Crater
- The world’s largest unbroken caldera (collapsed volcano), about 20 km wide and 600 m deep.
- A natural enclosure with grasslands, swamps, forests, and lakes.
The wider NCA includes volcanic highlands, Maasai villages, and Olduvai Gorge (a key site for human evolution discoveries).
Around 25,000 large animals live there year-round.
We visited on a cloudy day and we could not really appreciate the size and scope of the crater. We still saw a ton of animals and had a great time, but it would have been more impressive if we could have seen it with a clear sky.
It was also very cold here, especially in the morning. Our glamping for the night told us to shower before the sun went down or there is not hot water.