Ngorongoro Conservation Area — Attraction in Arusha

I visited the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania in November 2019, and it was an experience that words can hardly capture. Standing on the rim and looking down into the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, you immediately realize you’re seeing something truly unique. The views alone are jaw-dropping, a vast, green basin stretching as far as the eye can see, with wildlife roaming freely below.

Once inside the crater, it felt like stepping into a real-life documentary. Lions basking in the sun, elephants moving gracefully across the plains, hippos lounging in the water, and countless wildebeest and zebras dotting the landscape. At one point, I watched a rhino in the distance, an incredibly rare sighting that made the day even more special.

And then, something I’ll never forget: my first time seeing a full rainbow from start to finish, stretching across the crater. It was surreal, almost like nature’s way of reminding me how extraordinary this place is. That moment alone was worth the journey.

What struck me most was the diversity of wildlife in such a concentrated area. It’s not just about spotting the “Big Five", it’s about seeing how all these animals coexist in this incredible ecosystem. Every turn of the road revealed something new, from vibrant birdlife to playful hyenas.

Tips for future visitors:

Try to get an early start, the morning light is stunning, and the animals are most active then.

Bring binoculars; while you’ll get close to a lot of wildlife, some (like rhinos) may be seen from afar.

Layer your clothing, the weather can shift quickly between the rim and the crater floor.

Ngorongoro isn’t just a safari stop, it’s a place that makes you feel deeply connected to nature. It’s raw, beautiful, and unforgettable. If you’re traveling to Tanzania, don’t miss the chance to experience this wonder...

Just writing to express our great appreciation of the fabulous team at Bantu Pori Journeys for their outstanding safari support during these crazy Covid challenging times. It has always been a dream of ours to visit Africa and do a once-in-a-lifetime safari so about a year ago our group of 4 couples embarked on a mission to find the absolute best, most reputable safari company to travel with. After doing tons of research, we choose Bantu Pori Journeys to plan our trip to Africa in February of 2020. We plotted & planned every safari detail with Bantu Pori Journeys for our Migration safari.

With the pandemic raging our first fantastic safari was postponed to February 2021. We couldn't have asked for any better resolution to our situation and we'd also like to send a huge shout-out to our travel planner Baraka, who has endured our seemingly endless emails back and forth during the planning of our trip and through the duration of the Covid situation. Throughout they have been so supportive, positive, completely compassionate, professional, and willing to work with us, giving us incredible confidence.

Our 7 day and 6 nights migration safari was well organized, our driver guide Kante was excellent. The parks were unforgettable. Day one: Tarangire National Park Day two to Four: Serengeti National Park (Ndutu and central area) with a balloon ride Day five: Serengeti National park to Ngorongoro lodge Day six: Ngorongoro crater Day seven: Lake Manyara National Park with bridge walk All in all a really personal experience that you wouldn’t receive with a bigger company. For those looking for a good agency to make their safari dream come true, I really recommend this one !! See you next time...

Welcome to Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), one of the world’s truly amazing places.

The NCA is not a national park but it is a pioneering experiment in multi-purpose land use.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a Protected Area (PAs) and a Mixed World Heritage Site in Northern Tanzania, covering 8,292 square kilometres and sheltering the finest blend of landscape, wildlife, people, and archaeological sites in Africa.

It is located 180km West of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania, extending from the plains of Serengeti National Park and Maswa Game Reserve in the West, to the Eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley.

This Protected Area was named after Ngorongoro Crater, world’s largest unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera, which is 610m deep and host over 25,000 large animals including some of Africa’s last remaining black rhinos.

Outside the big crater, wildlife in Ngorongoro Conservation Area co-exist with the semi-nomadic Maasai, who practise traditional livestock grazing. The Maasai are a pastoral tribe that has managed to preserve its culture over hundreds of years, living in harmony with the wild animals.

Apart from the Crater and its wildlife and people, the other significant features in Ngorongoro Conservation Area include Olduvai Gorge (also spelt Oldupai) and Laetoli, which contain important palaeontological records related to human evolution. Indeed, Ngorongoro has been a place for extensive archaeological researches in the past 100 years, revealing evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, collectively extending over a span of almost four...