Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)

Ngorongoro is a conservation Area that is conserving the wildlife, archaeological sites, three beautiful craters and human living in the real world Eden Garden. Ngorongoro is a World heritage site and also named as among the world’s natural wonders.

Among the attractions of the Ngorongoro are;

• Craters (Ngorongoro Crater, Olmoti Crater, and Empakai Crater). Archaeological Sites (Olduvai Gorge & Laetoli),
• Mountain peaks (Mt. Oldeani, Mt. Makarot, Mt. Lemagrut, Mt. Lolmalasin, Gol Mountains and Oldoinyo L’Engai),
• Wildlife (All the members of the big five, and other floras and faunas)
• Archaeological sites (Olduvai Gorge and Leatoli)
• Forests (Lerai Forest & Ngorongoro Highlands Forest), and
• Human settlements (Maasai Bomas).

It boasts the finest blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and archaeological sites in Africa, it allow humans and wildlife to coexist in a natural setting.

Ngorongoro is a huge caldera (collapsed volcano), 250 sq km in size and 600 m deep. The crater alone has over 20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino. The rhino emerge from the forests in the mists of early morning, and their prehistoric figures make a striking impression, surrounded by the ancient crater walls. No fences or boundaries border the crater walls; animals are free to enter or leave the crater, but many of them stay for the plentiful water and grazing available on the crater floor throughout the year

Humans and their distant ancestors have been part of Ngorongoro’s landscape for millions of years. The earliest signs of mankind in the Conservation Area are at Laetoli, where hominid footprints are preserved in volcanic rock 3.6 million years old. The story continues at Olduvai Gorge, a river canyon cut 100 m deep through the volcanic soil of the Serengeti Plains. Buried in the layers are the remains of animals and hominids that lived and died around a shallow lake amid grassy plains and woodlands. These remains date from two million years ago.

The most numerous and recent inhabitants of the Ngorongoro Area are the Maasai, who arrived about 200 years ago. Their strong insistence on traditional custom and costume interests many visitors. As of today, there are approximately 42,000 Maasai pastoralists living in Ngorongoro with their cattle, goats and sheep. Their presence is the main difference between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Tanzania’s national parks, which do not allow human habitation. Cultural ‘bomas’, or Maasai villages, give visitors the chance to meet Maasai people on their own terms and learn more about this complex and interesting culture