GUIDE ON CRATER GEOLOGY & WILDLIFE IN NGORONGORO

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s impressive geological attraction and supreme wilderness Mecca. It is actually a caldera, which was formed centuries ago when a massive volcano imploded and collapsed in on itself. A tremendous eruption emptied a volcanic magma chamber which could no longer support the weight above it. The mountain then developed a circular fracture which was left as a perfect rim around a flat-bottomed cauldron often more than a hundred square miles in extent. This is the structure that houses over 30,000 animals on the crater floor.

The reason it has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, is that the caldera rim remained whole, but the cauldron did not flood, thereby producing an ideal environment for a diverse African wildlife world in miniature where thousands of animals co-exist in ecological harmony in a varied landscape of savannah, marsh, lake, salt pan, forest and escarpment, with enough food and water to sustain them year-round.



Tens of thousands year of ungulates swarm on the plains, mainly white-bearded wildebeests, zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles, with increasing numbers of herbivores such as the Cape buffalo, elephants, all sustained by lush grasses fed by the historic volcanic ash. Their sheer numbers ensure that the majority survive. Hundreds of predators, like the six prides of distinctively inbred black-maned lions, numbers of solitary leopard, speedy cheetahs and spotted hyena clans thrive on the less fortunate. Carrion eaters such as golden jackals, vultures and lammergeyer, ensure that not a shred of their flesh is wasted.

An exemplary Ngorongoro Crater trip down to the crater floor begins just after dawn, descending from the rim in a game-viewing 4x4 people carrier down a steep, winding road through verdant montane forest. Here you may find elephants, tiny dik diks, and rare reedbucks. You can also arrive from the highlands of Ngorongoro around Karatu.



Many trails cross the crater floor, all guarded by rangers to protect the rare black rhino whose spiked horns are worth thousands of dollars to would-be poachers. Rounding central Lake Magadi, you may see thousands of migratory lesser flamingos on the salt-encrusted shallows, together with hundreds of small, stilt-legged kittlitz's plover and other wading birds.

On you go, through the Lerai Forest, frequented by armored rhino and wrinkled-skinned solitary male elephants carrying enormous tusks of ivory. You may meet a graceful leopard coming down a tree or a troupe of inquisitive vervet monkeys. Be careful. Ubiquitous olive baboons have learned to take advantage of visiting enthusiasts and can be very aggressive thieves. The South East slopes of the crater rim catch moist air from the distant coast.



This cascades as mist down through tropical forest which is festooned with orchids, lichens, and mosses and alive with insect life which, in turn, attracts a luxuriant variety of insectivorous small mammals, birds and reptiles. Crossing grasslands towards the picnic area at Ngoitokitok Springs, there is a good chance of encountering a battle-scarred rhino or buffalo seeking forest shade, or several of the distinctive pride of black-maned, sometimes crook-tailed, inbred Tokitok lions.

High-shouldered spotted hyenas may be seen cooling themselves in muddy puddles as you approach the Gorigor Swamp, where pods of hippopotamus wallow by day, apparently harmless tubbies with tiny trumpet ears which they shake vigorously as they surface, displacing mats of thick, green water weeds and lilies. But beware, towards evening they emerge to graze on land, and woe betide the unfortunate voyeur who gets between them and their homely swamp.



Hippopotamus and buffalo are the most notorious killers in the crater, feared by all, including lions, which do not generally confront a hippo, and are often intimidated by advancing buffalo males if they dare to hunt one of their numbers (read more on the best time to visit Ngorongoro).

Smaller mammals, visible when grass is shorter in the dry season, include banded and dwarf mongooses, standing guard, erect on their back legs. Cat-like serval, caracal, and spotted civet, with its air of perpetual surprise, are all present in the crater, together with handsome nocturnal bat-eared fox and black-backed jackal, looking as if a small, black blanket has been thrown over it from the shoulders to hang down as a long, thick tail.



You may even spot a wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat hanging from an acacia branch, protected from the sun by its folded leathery wings, or a leopard tortoise plodding patiently across the dusty track. You won’t find oribi, impala, topi, oryx, giraffe and crocodile inside the crater, where their preferred food or habitat is hard to find, but almost every other mammal to be seen when traveling in East and Southern Africa is represented among the permanent populations.

You may find them outside the crater – in the conservation area of Ngorongoro – part of the Serengeti ecosystem. An incredible number of birds inhabit the crater. Flightless ostriches lumber across the grasslands and ponderous kori bustards somehow lift their clumsy bodies into the air. The hildebrandt's francolin, a relative of the pheasant, is also to be found here together with over 500 species, treasured for their beauty, their song, their courting activities or their bizarre appearance.



There is so much to see on your AfricanMecca tour of Ngorongoro Crater that the unregulated six-hour slot allotted to every visitor is crammed with spectacle and wonderful photographic subjects as well as the unexpected action that may be triggered at any time to render your dream holiday in Africa an unforgettable experience.

Although your time is justifiably limited in order to protect the fragile ecological balance and allow the maximum number of visitors to enjoy its unique character, you are guaranteed a memorable and deeply satisfying Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater safari.