Ngorongoro Crater Safari Review: Is it worth it after Serengeti?

The Ngorongoro crater floor from the rim. Beautiful, ain't it!

The Ngorongoro crater safari was the last leg of our East African Itinerary. We spent nearly a week exploring the plains of Mara and Serengeti and saw all the Big 5, the Great Migration across the Mara river and then headed to the volcanic ecosystem of Ngorongoro for another spectacular safari.

Why Ngorongoro after witnessing the grand spectacle in Maasai Mara and Serengeti?

Here are the Reasons Why Ngorongoro should be on your Bucket List?

• Unique Landscape:

Imagine a giant caldera turned upside down holding 25,000 animals within it. This is the Ngorongoro Crater! Formed by a massive volcanic explosion millions of years ago, this unique ecosystem is a wildlife paradise. Its steep 600-meter walls keep the animals inside, creating the densest safari spot in the world. It felt like we were entering a prehistoric world as we descend the rim of the crater into the enclosed ecosystem.

This pic was clicked while descending into the crater from the rim early in the morning. Soon after, we spotted a pair of lions relaxing in the bushes on the left. We followed them for a good 30 minutes before the lions disappeared into the bushes on the mound on the right. It was awesome :)

One of the several beautiful lakes sitting in the Ngorongoro crater.

Lake Magadi, the main lake on the floor of the Ngorongoro crater that draws thousands of flamingoes painting it in various hues of pink.

• The Fastest Big 5 Spotting:

Here you can see the Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, Rhino and Cape Buffalo) within the first few hours of your safari in a totally different landscape than the Mara and Serengeti's.

It is also home to the rare Black Rhino.Spotting it would be like an icing on the cake. The black rhino usually comes out early in the mornings when the temperatures are cooler. They retreat in the bushes during the hot hours of the sun.

We spotted a serval a good 100 metres away from our vehicle. It was casually strolling around the park creating a visible stir amongst us onlookers.

Serval is a wild African cat with cheetah-like spots and exceptionally long legs making them efficient hunters. It was amazing to watch the serval move around our vehicles, may be trying to find a prey in the nearby bushes.

The beautiful Ngorongoro landscape - where the crater floor is flat and wide open while the rim boasts of a lush rainforest cover along its periphery.

• Checking off Olduvai Gorge on your way:

Olduvai Gorge is a famous archaeological site sitting within the Ngorongoro conservation area where the unearthed discoveries have proved that our early human ancestors had evolved in Africa. It is also popularly known as the Cradle of Mankind.

The site today hosts a museum which boasts of an impressive collection of fossil replicas and ancient tools. It sits right on the edge of the ravine from where all these discoveries were made.

Olduvai Gorge auditorium in front of the ravine.

Enroute Arusha -> Flight Back Home:

Also, if you are going back to catch a flight from Arusha, Ngorongoro is on the way to Arusha with no detour required. Makes perfect sense to add it to your itinerary.

It takes around 4 hours of a bumpy ride to Ngorongoro from Serengeti and around 4 hours of a smooth ride on paved roads from there to Arusha.

Serengeti —> Ngorongoro Conservation Area —> Arusha

Our camp on the rim of the crater.

Note: We stayed at the Ngorongoro Crater Camp for a night on the rim of the crater. It was a cozy little camp with great food. Would recommend it any day.

There ends my East African Safari expedition from Maasai Mara to Serengeti and ending at Ngorongoro. Hope you liked reading it all!