Ngorongoro Crater

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Why the
Ngorongoro Crater
is special

It is a haven for tens of thousands of big East African wild animals in north central Tanzania. The wildlife includes lions, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, rhinos, gazelles, and buffaloes.

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Ngorongoro Crater's
spectacular setting

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Geology

Ngorongoro is the remnant of a volcano that blew apart, leaving a flat plain area ringed with steep walls.

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Once soared high

The Ngorongoro volcano, before it exploded and collapsed 2 million years ago, was one of the world's tallest mountains.

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Size

To appreciate its former size, consider that today's collapsed crater (technically a caldera) measures about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. The encircling rim (shown in photo's background) is 600 meters (2,000 feet) above the crater floor.

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How the Ngorongoro
differs from the
Serengeti and Masai Mara

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Migration

Unlike with the Serengeti and Masai Mara, the migration in the Ngorongoro Crater is scant. Reasons: It has an abundant year-round food and water supply - and the precipitous walls of this collapsed extinct volcano discourage (but don't totally eliminate) migrating.

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Human contact

I noticed that the wild animals within the Ngorongoro Crater are less people shy to safari vehicles than those in the Serengeti. This makes it easier to view the animals up close. That helps explain why some seasoned safari goers believe that the Ngorongoro Crater is the most interesting wildlife preserve in the world.

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Serengeti Migration (Tanzania)

Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania)

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