Ngorongoro Crater is a spectacular sight, a caldera formed by the collapse of an ancient volcano's cone. The caldera seems vast, measuring 260 sq km, but it makes up only a small part of the 8300 sq km of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). Ngorongoro is not part of the Tanzanian National Parks system, but rather is a separate entity administered by an independent body, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. One of the unique aspects of the NCA is that it is shared by both animals and people. The Maasai are the main residents of the NCA and they heard cattle, goats and do some limited farming. The Maasai are not allowed to live in any of Tanzania's other parks, therefore the sight of Maasai cattle grazing near gnu and zebra is unique to the NCA.
In addition to Ngorongoro Crater, the NCA has two other, smaller crater ecosystems, Olmoti and Empakaai. The northern area of NCA is made up of the Serengeti and Salei plains while Oldupai Gorge lies west of the crater. (OLDUPAI is the correct spelling, taken from the Maasai name of the plant which grows in the area - Olduvai is the modern convention based on an early European mis-spelling.)
There is a single road on the crater's rim, running around the southern half of the crater. One lodge (SOPA) is located on the eastern rim, while the other lodges and campgrounds are on the western side. There is a one-way descent road on the west side, a one-way ascent road on the south-west, and a two-way road on the east near Sopa Lodge. The trip down to the crater floor takes about 30 minutes.
Most of the crater is open grassland surrounding a lake near the center of the caldera. A large swamp lies south of the lake and the thickest forest in the crater is to the southwest. Vegetation was sparse in most areas due to the poor rains, but areas near permanent water were lush and green. Off road driving is prohibited due to the small area and high traffic. (One of the criticisms of Ngorongoro is the large number of safari vehicles which you will likely encounter.)
Ngorongoro boasts on the highest concentrations of wildlife in East Africa and game viewing can be excellent. Between 20,000 and 25,000 large animals make their home in the crater, supported by the availability of water year-round. The walls of the crater are 600m high, but do not stop animals from moving in or out of the caldera. Only the giraffe and impala are not found in the crater. During our day and a half in the crater, we were able to observe most all of the major animals including lion, rhino, elephant, hippo and cape buffalo. Gazelle, gnu and zebra were plentiful as well. In all, we counted more than 25 specicies of animals - and we weren't looking hard! Birds were also abundant and in great variety. The crater floor isn't the only place to see animals - the forest area is full of surpises.
After leaving the crater, you may wish to visit Oldupai Gorge which has a museum documenting the extensive archeological work which has been done there since the first discovery in 1911. The guides are very knowledgeable and present a very informative program from the observation area overlooking the gorge.