ngorongoro conservation area
experience
●Lake Magadi There are so many memorable places to visit on nature vacation in Tanzania. Within the Ngorongoro Crater itself, Lake Magadi, shallow, azure blue, fiercely alkaline from sodium carbonate, is fringed by hundreds of long-legged pink flamingos. Most are lesser flamingos, distinguished by their dark red bills, which eat blue-green spirulina algae. But there are also many greater flamingos with black-tipped pink bills, slightly bent to facilitate sifting shellfish from the rich bottom mud.
●Lerai Fever Tree ForestThe Lerai Fever Tree Forest, which consists of tall, slim yellow barked acacias forming an airy, lace-canopied wonderland of glades, is much frequented by elephant, rhino, eland, bushbuck, hyrax, and hundreds of birds. These foliage are the preferred food of the rare, black rhinoceros, but the old forest is regenerating slowly, because of damage by elephants, which tear off whole branches rather than merely grazing.
However, seedlings are spreading through the Gorigor Swamps, home to hippopotamus and wading birds, and favored drinking place of thousands of ungulates during the dry season. A younger Fever Tree forest is now forming new groves at the base of the Ngoitokitok Springs, home ground of the famous Tokitok pride of lions, film and television personalities in their own right.
●Olduvai Gorge and LaetoliLake Ndutu and Lake Masek are also on the migratory route in the Rift Valley, not far from Olduvai Gorge, where the ancestors of mankind began the journey towards civilization, with the fabrication of the earliest tools and the building of the first human settlements. At Laetoli, hominid footprints of our genetic ancestors and their relatives, have been found in sedimentary rock of 3.7 million years old.
No Tanzanian safari would be complete without a guided tour of the excavations and modest paleoanthropological museum at Olduvai where you can also see evolutionary fossils. But we are their descendants, and in making our mother tour of Africa, we are returning to our ancestral home.
●Shifting SandsAsh from Ol Dionyo has formed Shifting Sands - a black dune of moving sand hundred meters in length, and nine meters high, which ingeniously moves slowly across the plains at a rate of 15 meters every year.
●Olmoti Crater and Empakaai CraterYour Ngorongoro safari with AfricanMecca holds endless riveting possibilities. You can take gentle, guided walks to two other nearby craters. Olmoti Crater is a shallow, grassy hollow, very quiet and lovely, where Maasai pasture their cattle alongside eland, bushbuck, reedbuck and an occasional buffalo. From the south wall of the caldera, the Munge stream forms a delightful waterfall, plunging several hundred meters into the Ngorongoro crater to feed Lake Magadi. Empakaai Crater is half-filled by an unusually deep soda lake.
●Gol MountainsTo the northeastern zone, the primeval Gol Mountains provide a surreal wilderness environment of stark, pink cliffs, enclosing the Angata Kiti pass, a bottleneck for the annual Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra, searching for mineral rich grasses as they return to their ancestral breeding grounds in southern Serengeti and the Ndutu wilderness.
●Nasera RockRising 80 meters from the foot of the Gol Mountains, monolithic Nasera Rock is home to mountaineering klipspringers, baboons and varied birds. It is also the location of a Stone Age human shelter, excavated by the Leakeys.
●Salei Plains and Ol Karien GorgeOl Karien Gorge is a sheer rock-sided ravine at the end of the vast, bare Salei Plains. It is a Mecca for twitchers, because ruppel’s griffon vulture breeds there in March and April, coinciding with the passage of the Great Migration to provide plentiful food.
Accomodation
Accommodations in Ngorongoro range from simple camping sites to luxury lodges. Camping is popular in the region, as it offers visitors an intimate connection to the natural environment. There are several campsites located within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, offering a variety of services, from basic to full-service.
Pocho Tours offers a range of accommodations in the Ngorongoro Crater area, providing guests with comfortable and memorable stays. Here are the types of hotels and camps you can find:
1. Luxury Lodges:
- Ngorongoro Crater Lodge: This exclusive lodge offers luxurious suites with stunning views of the crater. Guests can enjoy personalized service, gourmet dining, and elegant amenities.
- The Manor at Ngorongoro: Located on a coffee plantation, this upscale lodge features spacious cottages, a spa, and beautiful gardens. Guests can indulge in fine dining and explore the surrounding countryside.
2. Mid-range Lodges:
- Rhino Lodge: Situated on the crater's rim, Rhino Lodge offers cozy rooms and a restaurant with panoramic views. It provides a comfortable base for exploring the crater.
- Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge: With its prime location on the crater rim, this lodge offers comfortable rooms and a terrace with breathtaking views. It provides easy access to wildlife viewing.
3. Tented Camps:
- Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp: This luxury tented camp provides spacious and well-appointed tents with en-suite bathrooms. Guests can enjoy delicious cuisine and campfire evenings.
- Ndutu Safari Lodge: Situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, this tented camp offers comfortable tents with private verandas. It provides an authentic safari experience.
4. Mobile Camping:
- Nomad Tanzania: They offer private mobile camping safaris in the Ngorongoro Crater area. Guests stay in spacious tents with comfortable beds and en-suite bathrooms. The camps are set up in scenic locations.
These accommodations cater to various budgets and preferences, ensuring that visitors to the Ngorongoro Crater can find the perfect place to stay while enjoying the incredible wildlife and natural beauty of the area.
wildlife in ngorongoro crater
