Ngorongoro Crater

The crater is the best place in the country to see black rhino in the open. Lion, spotted hyena, buffalo, wildebeest and zebra are resident, old bull elephants with heavy tusks feed in the Lerai forest, and Lake Magadi in the centre often has flamingos. Two things you will not find: giraffe, which do not come down the steep walls, and impala.

Vehicles descend by the Seneto road and climb out by Lerai, and each visit is limited to about six hours on the floor. Going down at 6 am when the gate opens gives you the best light, the most active predators and the fewest vehicles. Lunch is a picnic at the Ngoitokitok hippo pool.

The crater is one part of the 8,292 km² Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Maasai pastoralists live alongside wildlife. It also contains Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important early-human fossil sites in the world, and the Empakaai and Olmoti craters for walking. The rim sits at about 2,300 m, so mornings and nights are cold all year. The gate is around 180 km from Arusha, three to four hours by road.