Best Ngorongoro Crater safaris - Candid tips by Howard Hillman

Ngorongoro Crater tips

Safari pointers you can trust

Why the
Ngrongoro Crater safari
animals are special

Many animals

The Ngorongoro Crater has an unrivaled high density of big safari animals including lions, elephants, hippos, cape buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, and the endangered black rhinos. It has a year-round population of approximately 30,000 large safari animals.

Where are the giraffes?

You won't see any for two reasons. First, the giraffe has long, spindly legs, which makes it difficult for it to climb into and out of the steep-walled Ngorongoro Crater (see photo). Second, nature designed the giraffe's long neck for nibbling on the leaves of tall trees, its chief food. Although such trees exist in sufficient number in the other major game reserves, they are rare here.

Always there

One of the Ngorongoro Crater's major appeals is that the animals will likely be there en masse when you are. There are no seasonal shrinkage of the game population (except during droughts). Reason: There is little need for animals to migrate. The crater's lakes, ponds and streams supply ample water - and the grasslands provide sufficient year-round food for grazers. In turn, this creates food for lions and other predators.

Great sightings

Another tourist appeal is the openness of its vast grasslands - this increases your game viewing.

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for Ngorongoro tips - PAGE TWO