The Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtakingly beautiful setting and the best place in Tanzania to see the Big Five.  However, as one of the world's most astonishing and renowned natural wonders, the Ngorongoro Crater does get busy, and at times very busy.  Due to the crowds we recommend a two-night stay only here, then moving on to the Serengeti for a quieter, more private safari experience

				Any Northern Tanzania Safari should ideally include a visit to Ngorongoro Crater: it is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife safari sites in the world and an exceptional place to interact with people from the Maasai tribe.
				The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands together form one of Africa's most beautiful regions.  Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the most fertile and richest grazing grounds in Africa.  The most famous such crater is without question Ngorongoro, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and home to the highest density of big game in Africa, including all the big five and plenty of predators. Ngorongoro is justifiably one of the continent's most famous safari destinations.
				The choice is whether to stay at a hotel on the Crater rim for the phenomenal view, or a little way away from the Crater in nearby Karatu.  The advantages of Karatu include the comparative lack of crowds, and better-value, smaller and more intimate lodges which offer a range of activities such as walking and mountain biking.
				Ngorongoro Crater: the game The Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to see 'The Big Five'.  A healthy population of black rhino and some of the largest tusker elephants left in Africa today are the prize spots, but the crater is also home to good populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with healthy herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra.  Other wildlife here includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant's and Thompson's gazelle, flamingo and bat-eared foxes, as well as approximately 400 species of bird.