Ngorongoro Crater: A Wildlife and Wild Space Wonder of the World

We pulled off the road and looked out from the viewpoint. I was in disbelief. This incredible natural wonder of the world is profoundly stirring. A haze covered much of the bowl of the caldera with the exit of daylight. We were surrounded by the most exquisite, thick forest – a shock of trees that was unexpected. This is a place that beams its beauty beyond the crater bowl – and it is a place made even more beautiful by the presence of the Maasai, their villages and daily lives.

We arrived at our busy campsite outside the crater, with the famous Ngorongoro Crater Lodge balancing on the rim in the distance. In the darkness, a leopard rasped and lions roared from this giant cauldron below us. We were up at first light and drove down to the gate through mist with a Highland colour palette that made me feel completely lost in the world for a moment. Even shukas are tartan-esque if you think too much about it. →

The Mosaic of the Crater Floor
The crater floor of Ngorongoro Crater has a collection of different ecosystems - rich environments that include swamps, the soda lake of Lake Magadi, shortgrass plains, and acacia woodlands.

We went through the gate just as the sun was rising. A new day over Ngorongoro Crater. Game viewers raced past us, but we paused on the road down from the rim as if contemplating the shift into another dimension. This was some Disney wonderland situated on, in, and around a huge volcanic crater. About 2,5 million years ago, the massive eruption caused the volcano to collapse in on itself creating an enormous caldera – the world’s largest terrestrial intact caldera that isn’t a lake.

Today, this is an amphitheatre that creates an ideal mise-en-scene for incredible wildlife activity to play out every day in seclusion from the rest of the world. This extinct volcano is brimming with life. It is a terrarium of different ecosystems – home to more than 30 000 mammals and one of the largest lion populations in the world.

With that kind of context, it is a place that can’t help but feel mystical, otherworldly even. From the rim, the sun rose over Lake Magadi and we watched the meditative silhouette of an Augur Buzzard perched in a euphorbia as the crater filled with colour. The magic of the world has collected in this beautiful place and it was impossible for me to ignore the majesty of life in a place borne of devastation and desolation. →

Dust in the Dawn
Top Tip: Go into the Ngorongoro Crater as the gates open. This gives the incredible luxury of quiet drives and beautiful golden light.

Bush Blush
Whether they are feeding along the shore or taking off in great flocks, flamingos add a pink tinge to the landscape in the Ngorongoro Crater.

As with so many safari experiences, branching away from the crowds has the potential to yield for-your-eyes-only sightings. We headed away from everyone, leaving another lion, and went up Engitati Hill to take in the herds and views from up high. A giant elephant bull with a single, thick tusk watched us under heavy-lidded eyes and long lashes. Another mash of cars ahead made us check through our binos and there, shimmering in the heat haze, was a beautiful black rhino – a horned jewel out in open grassland being admired by a long line of cars.

As we circled round to the exit, we decided to pass by the spot where we had seen the lions first thing that morning. Few creatures have the tenacity of these mating cats. Out in the sun’s heat, panting and together, we saw them in the grass where we had left them hours before.

We drove out of the crater through the cracked shade of the rim’s forest. Up and up we climbed. The gate felt like a portal to another dimension. My heart was filled with the day’s experiences, a story closed with climbing canopies of trees. We stood at the viewpoint and looked into the crater. Exploring this incredible biosphere had been like living through the microscope, with the wildlife and detail undetectable from this vantage point.

Ngorongoro is said to be the name given to the echoing sound of a cow bell. I love the idea that there is something that so quintessentially resonates the place of Maasai pastoralists in this unique landscape, with villages that surround it like a button. To me, it is a word that is so much like a heartbeat – giving life to a dream-come-true experience. After writing this story, research alerted me to the fact that there is a secondary, cultural interpretation of the word that means 'gift of life', so there is a heartbeat in there - ancient and steady - after all. →

Iconic Wildlife
Every rhino sighting is a privilege, but spotting this incredible species in this landscape is something special. The best sightings need binos.

Lerai Forest
The Lerai Forest gets its name from the Maasai word for the yellow-barked fever trees. This wooded area secrets away birds, leopard, and herds of elephants among the boughs.

What To Wear on Your Ngorongoro Safari
Get Ngorongoro-ready with the best safari clothes and accessories.

The Circle of Life
Every day, the spectacular interplay of age-old new life, death, and survival plays out.

Alive with Lions
The Ngorongoro Crater has one of the highest densities of lions in Africa. Look out for the movement of tawny forms in the grass.

View From the Top
The viewing decks along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater are great stops for aerial views.