A whole day inside one of the world's great wildlife arenas
A black rhino beside a wildebeest.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed volcano about 600 metres deep, with grassland, swamps and a soda lake on its floor and animals in every direction. This day trip takes you there and back from Arusha.
It is a long day, but a rewarding one. You set off early, see the crater from the rim, drive down to the floor and spend the morning and the afternoon among buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, lions, hyenas and hippos. The crater is also one of the few places in Tanzania where black rhino are seen with some regularity.
Lunch is a picnic at Ngoitokitok Springs, beside a pool full of hippos. You start the climb back out around 15:00 and are in Arusha again in the early evening.
One of the best places in Tanzania to look for black rhino
Huge numbers of animals in a small area
The view from the rim before you descend
Back in Arusha the same evening
Your guide collects you from your Arusha hotel at about 06:00 with a packed lunch on board. The road, about 160 km and mostly paved, crosses the Rift Valley and climbs through Karatu's farmland; allow 2 to 3 hours to the gate.
From the gate you wind up through forest to a viewpoint on the rim, then go down about 600 metres to the floor.
Your game drive moves between open grass, acacia woodland, marsh and the soda lake. Lions, elephants, buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and jackals are all here, along with flamingos and many other birds, and your guide will keep an eye out for rhino.
Around midday you stop at the Ngoitokitok picnic site beside a hippo pool. Eat with the hippos grunting a few metres away and waterbirds working the shallows.
After lunch you explore another part of the floor: seasonal lakes, marshes and plains where the animals are often thickest. Your guide explains how the crater was formed and why so many animals stay here all year. At about 15:00 you start the climb back to the rim.
The drive back passes through the highlands and the Rift Valley again. You reach your hotel, or Kilimanjaro International Airport if you prefer, in the early evening, usually between 18:00 and 19:00.
Times are a guide: traffic, weather and animal sightings change them. If a long day sounds like too much, the 2-day safaris add a night in Karatu.
The line shows the order of the trip, not the exact road. Press ↻ to play it again.
| Group Size | Price Per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 Person | $760 |
| 2 People | $450 |
| 3 People | $360 |
| 4 People | $310 |
| 5 People | $280 |
| 6+ People | $250 |
Private trip for your group only: the more of you share the vehicle and guide, the lower the price per person. For 7 or more people we send a quote.
How booking works: a 30% deposit confirms your trip and the balance is paid on arrival in Tanzania, before the trip starts. We reply within 3 hours. Booking terms
It is a long day, about 12 hours door to door, but most of the driving is on good road and the time in the crater makes it worth it. If you prefer an easier pace, sleep a night in Karatu on a 2-day safari.
The crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to look for them, but there are not many and they are usually seen at a distance. No sighting can be promised.
Yes, we can drop you at Kilimanjaro International Airport instead of your hotel; tell us your flight time when you book.
Tarangire's elephants on day one, the crater on day two.
Manyara's forest and lake, then a long morning in the crater.
Elephant families and giant baobabs, two hours from Arusha.
Tell us your dates, where you are staying and how many of you are travelling. We reply within 3 hours.
