THE PLACE
A collapsed volcanic caldera inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, roughly 6 to 8 km wide with walls rising about 300 meters. A deep alkaline lake, about 85 meters at its deepest, covers close to 75% of the crater floor and is often tinged pink with flamingos. The crater is reached on foot with an armed ranger, roughly 30 to 60 minutes down through the forest and about 2 to 2.5 hours back up, and on a clear day the rim looks across to Ol Doinyo Lengai, Lake Natron, and Kilimanjaro.
QUICK FACTS
- SIZE
- Roughly 6 to 8 km wide, with walls rising about 300 meters
- THE LAKE
- A deep alkaline lake, about 85 meters at its deepest, covering close to 75% of the crater floor and often tinged pink with flamingos
- RIM ELEVATION
- About 3,200 meters on the western rim
- ACCESS
- On foot with an armed ranger, roughly 30 to 60 minutes down and about 2 to 2.5 hours back up
- VIEWS
- On a clear day, across to Ol Doinyo Lengai, Lake Natron, and Kilimanjaro
- BEST VISITED
- June to December, the drier months
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