Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the avas domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/ramsrffh/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ram Safaris

Login

Lost your password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites and is said to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa and ssometimes described as an ‘eighth wonder of the world’. The site is named after a Maasai phrase, ‘orgirra le kkorongorro,’ which means “Big Bowl.” The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans from Serengeti National Park in the north, to the Great Rift Valley in the east. It consists of the Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu, Olduvai Gorge, Empakaai, Olmoti Crater and Oldonyo Lengai Mountain. In total, the conservation area covers more than 8,000 km² (3,200 sq. miles). The mix of forests, valleys, savannah, craters, lakes and swamps is home for a wide range of animals. Furthermore, 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 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.

Activities and attractions

Walking safaris

During this remote walking safari, you will explore extinct volcanoes, diverse landscapes, wildlife, and meet the local Maasai, Datoga and Hadzabe. The average short walk basically takes less than four hours, while the long walk takes more than four hours along with other multi-days walks. All the walking activities in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area must be accompanied by an armed ranger with prior booking and arrangement. You not only walk through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s natural areas, which have spectacular landscapes, wildlife, and people, but you also synchronize with your surroundings and become one in every detail.

Game drives

While each destination is unique in every detail, a game drive in the Ngorongoro crater is by far the tourists’ most popular and favorite destination. A gradual descent into the Ngorongoro Crater through a lush highland forest, provides countless opportunities to spot magnificent birdlife among various tree species. Once on the grassy crater floor, you may encounter a wide range of grazing herbivores, as well as predators drawn to the plentiful supply of prey.

Cultural tours

This provides room to learn and experience the lifestyle of the most famous and ancient ethnic groups; Hadzabe Datoga and the Maasai. The most prominent being the Maasai people who migrated southeast from the Nile area in the 18th century. The Datoga are pastoralists while the Hadzabe Tribe are an indigenous ethnic group residing near Lake Eyasi. They are hunter-gatherers with a population of less than 1000 and famously known for their absolutely unique lifestyle compared to any other ethnic group in the area. Here you get to know more of their cultural norms, practices and lifestyle. You are also free to participate in their cultural dances, songs as well as buy some souvenirs.

Bird watching

This is an ideal site for keen ornithologists hosting over 550 bird species. The diversity of vegetation in the area and the topography, which includes grassland plains, lakes, marshes, and highlands provide habitats for a wide range of birdlife. The wet months see the arrival of the Eurasian migrants at the pools; white storks, yellow wagtails and swallows mingle with the local inhabitants; flamingos, stilts, saddle-billed storks, ibises, rufous and various species of duck. Lake Magadi, a Salt Lake on the floor of the Ngorongoro crater, is often inhabited by thousands of lesser flamingos and other water birds. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s forests are also teeming with birds, such as turaco and hornbill species. Raptors and scavengers are common on the conservation area’s plains. Watch out for distinctive grassland birds such as ostriches, kori bustards, and crowned cranes.