NGORONGORO NATIONAL PARK

Location: Location 165km from Arusha; approx. 2hrs 30 min.
Indisputably one of Africa’s true wonders of nature and an extraordinary place of haunting beauty, with its grand majestic mountain ring and lake, Ngorongoro, an active volcano some 8 million years ago, covers an area of 264 sq. km and is the largest intact caldera in the world.
Approaching Ngorongoro Crater is a unique experience. The road winds upwards through a beautiful area of tropical rainforest and meadows carpeted with wild flowers. Its enduring charm stems from its overwhelming physical beauty and the abundance of wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor.

Wildlife rhythms: During the dry season (July to October), large animals concentrate around watercourses such as Mandusi Swamp and the Hippo Pool; migratory birds arrive November and December.

Wildlife highlights: Some 25,000 large animals enter and leave the crater at will. Lions (50), spotted hyenas (400), wildebeests (around 5000), plains zebras, gazelles and buffaloes (4000, espe¬cially during the rainy season) are abundant. This is the only place you are likely to see black rhino in Tanzania. However, impalas, giraffes, oryxes and topis are absent and only bull elephants (50) occur in the crater. The animals are used to vehicles and carry on their intimate business with total disregard for observers, so the wildlife-watching is outstanding. Some 115 mammal and 550 bird species (half of Tanzania's total), have been recorded. The lakes are feeding areas for lesser flamingos, although they don't often breed here.

Watching tips: To get away from the tourist crush visit the northern and eastern parts of the park during peak hour traffic: it may be less dense with animals, but offers more chance to sit quietly and watch life uninterrupted. The late afternoon is a generally quieter time to visit the west than in the morning. Screeching vervet monkeys in Lerai Forest may indicate the presence of a leopard or another predator: look at where they're facing, then search for movement.

What to do: Game drives, information centre at the gate.

Note: A possibility exists to visit a very famous archeological site considered as the crandle of humanity. This can be done enroute Serengeti National Park.

OLDUVAI GORGE

Between the Ngorongoro Conservation area and the Serengeti National Park lies ’Oldupai’ Gorge. This remote spot has become famous as the archaeological site where Dr Mary Leakey in 1959 discovered Australopithecus Boisei dated 1.5 million years ago.
A museum overlooking the gorge displays many of their finds such as prehistoric elephant, enormous ostrich and giant horned sheep, explaining the significance of the geology, fossils and artefacts.