Ngorongoro Conservation Area
“Into the crater of an extinct volcano a generous and industrious nature still forges extraordinary samples of wild beauty”
Ngorongoro Conservation Area was established in 1959.
The mix of grasslands, savannah, lakes, volcanoes, rivers, forests, woodlands, dried areas with alluvial dunes, make the area a real paradise for animal species.
The crater, whose surface (260 sq. km) covers just 3% of the whole protected area, is with no doubt its main attraction.
In the caldera (whose diameter reaches 20 km length and whose average wall depth from the rim reaches 610m) lives an unbelievable variety of animals, among which the big five: lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo.
And besides zebras, wildebeests, hippos, ostriches, jackals, spotted hyenas, gazelles, antelopes, pelicans, vultures, flamingos. Wild dogs have almost disappeared, and cheetahs, although common in the area, are quite rare into the crater. You will not find giraffes.
Being in a natural closed area could wrongly suggests the idea of being in a zoo. That would be a very wrong impression. Over there only visitors, closed in their 4×4, are in cage, the animals are free, at their home.
Experiencing their unconcern towards humans you could wrongly think they are tamed.
Don’t think back to that time when animals had no fear of humans.
This is the deep and true meaning of wildness and savageness, despite, at first sight, it could not be evident before the lazy yawn of a lion and the statuesque stillness of a rhino.