The Maasai people, originally name Ngorongoro, El-Nkoronkoro. The name means “Gift of Life”. In 1979, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area joined the UNESCO World Heritage site list to protect its unique ecosystem and vast biodiversity boasting a remarkable blend of wildlife, archaeology, geography, and people.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most famous places in this area, especially for those wanting to tick off the ‘Big 5’. With a brilliant lion population and a heavily guarded population of black rhinos, this is one of the best places in the world for regular sightings. The crater consists of a saline lake, marsh, plains, and forest and hosts a population of 25,000 animals – including wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, hyenas, and leopards.
The main attraction in Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the 20 km wide Ngorongoro Crater, which was created by the collapse of a volcano. The crater walls of the natural amphitheater tower between 400 and 600 meters and elephants, leopards, rhinos, and lions roam the crater rim. The crater also offers an insight into the life of the local population: outside the crater, the Maasai people and their herds of cattle live in a protected area. The Ngorongoro Crater and the Nature Reserve Around 8,300 km2, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Ngorongoro Crater, the Olduvai Gorge, and the fact that it is the epicenter of a Masai culture that continues despite the problems of drought, modernity, and population growth.
Activities in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
As a general rule of thumb, the best time to be in Tanzania on safari is in the dry season from July – October when the weather is dry and sunny.
The beautiful green scenery and landscape is observed from December through May. The low season is during the month of April and May, at these time there are fewer tourists and perhaps lower accommodation rates.