Safari Guide
Ngorongoro Crater
Quick answer
How long do you need at Ngorongoro?
One full day on the crater floor, with a night on the rim before or after, is what most safaris give the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is a volcanic caldera about 20 km across and 610 m deep, home to more than 25,000 animals including the Big Five, and it can be visited in every season. The authority charges non-East-African adults USD 70.80 a day to enter the conservation area, and each vehicle USD 295 to go down into the crater.
| What it is | A volcanic caldera, about 260 km², 610 m deep |
| Wildlife | More than 25,000 animals, including the Big Five |
| Time | One full day on the floor; a night on the rim |
| Entry | USD 70.80 per adult per day (NCAA) |
| Crater service fee | USD 295 per vehicle and trip |
| Open | All year; four-wheel-drive vehicles only |
| Last verified | 2 October 2026 |
The crater
What is the Ngorongoro Crater?
The Ngorongoro Crater is the main attraction of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. According to the authority that runs it, it formed about 2.5 million years ago when a huge volcano collapsed in on itself, leaving a caldera of about 260 km², about 20 km across and 610 m deep. The name comes from a Maasai phrase the authority translates as "big bowl".
The authority describes it as the world's largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. On the floor are grassland, swamps, rivers and woodland, and the animals move freely in and out of the crater all year.
Time
How long do you need at Ngorongoro?
One full day on the floor answers most people's reason for coming, and a night on the rim lets you go down early. The rim and nearby areas have lodges, tented camps, special campsites and a public campsite. Two nights make sense if you add a walk on the rim or the Olduvai Gorge site, which is also inside the conservation area.
From December to April, add the Ndutu plains in the south-west of the conservation area, where the authority says the migration herds arrive from the end of December and give birth until April. A common circuit runs Tarangire or Lake Manyara, then the crater, then the Serengeti.
On the floor
What will you see on the crater floor?
The authority counts more than 25,000 animals in the crater, including the Big Five: elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard. Hippos, hyenas, warthogs, zebras, elands, gazelles and wildebeest share the grassland, swamps and rivers. Because the crater is enclosed, the animals are easier to find and watch than on the open plains, which is why the authority calls it probably the best place in Tanzania to see the Big Five.
Settle expectations on one point: the crater is busy, because almost every northern-circuit safari visits. An early descent gives you the quieter first hours.
Getting down
How does the descent work?
Only four-wheel-drive vehicles are allowed into the crater, so you go down with your guide in the safari vehicle and spend the day on the floor's tracks. Walking is not allowed inside the crater; on the rim and elsewhere in the conservation area guided walks are possible. Each vehicle pays the crater service fee for each trip down.
Bush lunches are allowed at the authority's discretion, with a permit per vehicle. Bring layers: the rim is high and cool in the early morning, and the floor warms up through the day.
Fees
What does it cost to visit the crater?
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority publishes its own tariffs, in US dollars for visitors from outside East Africa:
| Fee | Amount | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permit, adult aged 16 and over | USD 70.80 | Person and day |
| Crater service fee | USD 295 | Vehicle and trip into the crater |
| Olduvai Gorge and Shifting Sands, adult | USD 35.40 | Person |
The safari company usually includes these fees and the vehicle permit in its price; ask. The national parks charge separately: Serengeti, Tarangire; the whole budget in safari costs.
The circuit
How does Ngorongoro fit the northern circuit?
The crater sits between Arusha and the Serengeti, so most safaris stop here on the way in or out. After the parks, many guests fly from Arusha to Zanzibar for the beach half; our page on Zanzibar after safari covers how many nights to plan and how the flight and the transfer work.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority: Ngorongoro Crater: The crater in figures (age, area, diameter, depth, over 25,000 animals), four-wheel-drive only, no walking on the floor.
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority: tariffs: The entry permit, the crater service fee per vehicle and the other fees, in US dollars for non-East-African visitors.
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority: Ndutu Plains: The migration herds at Ndutu, December to April.
Checked on 2 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
The crater is the most visited stop on the northern circuit. These are the questions that decide how to fit it in.
How long do you need at Ngorongoro Crater?
One full day on the crater floor is enough for most people, with a night on the rim before or after so you can go down early. If you are travelling between December and April, add time for the Ndutu plains, also in the conservation area, where the migration herds calve.
What does it cost to visit the Ngorongoro Crater?
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority lists an entry permit of USD 70.80 per non-East-African adult aged 16 and over per day, and a crater service fee of USD 295 per vehicle for each trip down into the crater. Your safari company usually includes both; ask.
What animals live in the crater?
The authority counts more than 25,000 animals on the crater floor, including the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard), as well as hippos, hyenas, warthogs, zebras, elands, gazelles and wildebeest, across grassland, swamps, rivers and woodland.
Can you walk in the Ngorongoro Crater?
Not on the crater floor: walking safaris are not allowed inside the crater. They are allowed on the rim and in other parts of the conservation area, with a guide; the authority charges a walking-safari guide fee.
When is the best time to visit Ngorongoro?
The authority says the crater can be visited all year, thanks to good roads and wildlife in every season. For the migration, the Ndutu plains on the edge of the conservation area are best from December to April.
Is Ngorongoro a national park?
No. It is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, run by its own authority, the NCAA, which sets its own fees in US dollars. The national parks around it, such as the Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, are run by TANAPA.
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