About Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera — a bowl roughly a hundred square miles across, its walls rising some two thousand feet from a floor of grassland, swamp, forest, and soda lake. Formed when a giant volcano collapsed on itself, the crater is effectively a self-contained Eden: an estimated tens of thousands of large animals live inside it year-round, giving Ngorongoro a density of wildlife unmatched almost anywhere.
A single day on the crater floor can produce lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, hyena clans, flamingo-edged lakes, and — with luck — the crater's famous black rhino, one of the most reliable places in East Africa to see this critically endangered animal. The crater rim, nearly a half-mile above the floor, is its own world of cool mist and highland forest, with lodges perched on the edge looking straight down into the amphitheater. It is, by any measure, one of the natural wonders of the world.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Ngorongoro Crater.
Descend at first light
Early morning on the crater floor means mist lifting off the grass, predators still on the move, and the amphitheater largely to yourself before the day warms. The descent road itself is a spectacle.
Search for black rhino
Ngorongoro protects a small, closely guarded population of black rhino, and the open crater floor gives you a real chance of finding one — a sighting that has become precious anywhere in Africa.
Picnic at the hippo pool
The traditional crater-floor lunch stop overlooks a pool crowded with hippos, with black kites wheeling overhead and the crater walls ringing the horizon in every direction.
Micato Journeys That Visit Ngorongoro Crater
| Journey | Region | Days | Next Departure | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Micato Grand Safari | East Africa | 15 | Aug 11, 2026 | $40,150View & Get Price |
| East Africa’s Golden Savannahs | East Africa | 15 | Aug 6, 2026 | $39,750View & Get Price |
| The Hemingway Wing Safari | East Africa | 14 | Aug 6, 2026 | $31,450View & Get Price |
| The Great Herds of Kenya & Tanzania | East Africa | 13 | Aug 5, 2026 | $31,750View & Get Price |
| The Heart of Kenya & Tanzania | East Africa | 12 | Aug 5, 2026 | $25,000View & Get Price |
| Tanzania Spectacular | East Africa | 10 | Aug 9, 2026 | $20,700View & Get Price |
| African Splendour | Southern Africa | 17 | Aug 8, 2026 | $45,100View & Get Price |
Every journey is all-inclusive, with 100% guaranteed departures. See full day-by-day itineraries → or call 800-528-9300 for your unadvertised Pavlus price.