Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest spectacles, at least in terms of wildlife viewing. Its magical setting and abundance in African wildlife never fails to fascinate visitors. A tourist visiting the parks in the northern part of Tanzania would not want to leave the Ngorongoro area out of their travel plan.
However, the crater is just a small part of the larger Ngorongoro conservation area. For tourists and travelers, this larger wildlife conservation area offers a whole range of opportunities to see the African wildlife as well as other natural and historical attractions.
The area contains sites of international palaentological and archaeological importance. Ngorongoro area is a natural archive of human history. At least part of humanity’s biography, is written, and preserved here.
Over 25,000 animals live inside the crater throughout the year, whilst in the Ngorongoro Conservation area as a whole the number can swell to more than 2.5 million animals, depending on the season!
Set in the Northern Tanzania, sharing part of the Serengeti plains to the northwest of the Arusha and Moshi and mount Kilimanjaro, to the east, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area forms part of the large and unique Serengeti ecosystem. The area is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority that was established in 1959 with the aim of experimenting multiple land use. On this experiment, pastoralism, conservation or nature and tourism could co-exist. At this very same time, the Serengeti National Park was also enlarged and extended northwards to the Kenyan border, where it borders Maasai Mara.
Subsequently, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was awarded World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve Status. This area covers an area of 8292 square kilometres and ranges in altitude from 1020 metres to 3587 metres above sea level. The land terrain embraces several distinct habitants from open grasslands to mountain forests and from scrub bush land to highland heath.
The aim of Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority is to maintain the much-needed balance of the needs of human beings and that of the natural world. This kind of balance is not easy to achieve, and has not been easy in many parts of the world.
Besides the major palaentological and archaeological sites within the Serengeti and Ngorongoro highlands, there is a rich biodiversity and vital water catchments areas.
And within all this, man and wildlife have to live together, side by side without harm or destroying each other’s habitats
To maintain this balance, tourism has been encouraged. The revenue generated from tourism activities has encouraged and developed a culture that respects the natural, human and historical aspects of the environment.
The Ngorongoro Crater Area Authority provides an opportunity to learn about African contribution to global culture and to understand its values in today’s world. Man and his ancestors have lived in the Ngorongoro ecosystem for more than 3 million years. Evidence of regional hunters-gatherers cultures dates back 17,000 years and it is clear that various tribes have migrated in and out of the area, just as they have done in relatively recent times.
The Jewel of the Serengeti Ecosystem
The jewel in Ngorongoro's crown is the deep volcanic crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest un-flooded and unbroken caldera in the whole world – at 19.2km in diameter, 610m deep and 304 square kilometers in area.
The rich pastures and permanent waters within the crater floor supports a large population of resident animals - up to 25000-predominantly grazing animals. These include wildebeests, zebra; gazelles buffalo eland kongoni, and warthogs.
The swamps and forests provide additional resources for hippo elephant waterbucks reedbuck bushbuck baboons and vervet monkeys. The steep inner slopes provide additional habitat for dik dik and rare mountain reedbuck. Jackals thrive in the crater and bat-eared foxes live in the short grass areas.
Predatory animals –lions, leopard, cheetah, and serval cat live off the abundant wildlife and large packs of hyena roam the crater, making their own kills and scavenging from others. The crater is dynamic and constantly changing ecosystem and the numbers and proportion of some animals has fluctuated considerably over the past 30years. The sheer number of animals and the drama of the landscape is what make this ancient wonder so unforgettable. The Ngorongoro Crater is also one of the few areas of the world where black rhino are still readily visible.
About the author
Solomon Okila is Editor African Voyages Ltd Africa Travel Guide and Tourist Information and African Hotels, Lodges and Tourist Information.
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