Animals of the Ngorongoro Crater – Wildlife in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

We discuss the Ngorongoro Conservation Area quite often here at Sababu Safaris. It is among the most popular safari destinations in Tanzania and it’s one of the most important areas of biodiversity and ecological importance in all of Africa. While the Ngorongoro Crater and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are terms often used interchangeably, the crater is actually an inactive volcanic crater found within the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The caldera and the area’s volcanic past make Ngorongoro’s range of biomes and topology completely unique: there are domed cones, three calderas, hot springs, forests, swamps, savannah, mountainous terrain, gorges, and salt ponds.

This enigmatic range of landscapes supports a truly diverse roster of wildlife, making the Ngorongoro Conservation Area one of the most biodiverse places in all of Africa. Today, we’d like to discuss the wildlife found here, giving you a taste of what you can expect to find on a safari through the NCA. If anything we discuss here inspires you to travel with Sababu Safaris, you can get even more inspiration by spending a little time with our tailor-made Tanzania Safaris resource and by reading more about us.

The Black Rhinos of Ngorongoro

This majestic animal is so rare that it deserves its place at the top of this blog. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the very few places on the continent where you can see this incredibly endangered species, and that is why they are considered a particular highlight of the crater. Black rhinos are diligently protected by authorities (they are under 24-hour camera surveillance within the crater), and while their numbers have been slowly increasing due to reproduction and enhanced anti-poaching efforts, it continues to remain an endangered species and you have to be lucky to spot them. Given how rare all rhinoceroses are, this could be one of the only opportunities you have to see the most elusive of the “Big Five”.

See the Fastest Land Animal in the World

While cheetahs are extremely rare inside the Ngorongoro Crater, you can commonly find cheetah in the Lake Ndutu area of the NCA, outside the crater. The average cheetah can reach speeds of 70 mph (112 km/h), but some have been known to run even faster. If you are lucky enough to witness a cheetah hunting, you may find it hard to believe your eyes. After all, it’s one thing to watch wildlife documentaries; it’s an entirely different thing to see this staggering display of speed in real life. It is very common to see cheetahs on a Ngorongoro safari as they are protected within the area and are thriving.

The Ostriches, Secretarybirds, and Kori Bustards of Ngorongoro

While many people looking forward to a safari in Tanzania tend to focus on the big mammals, the birdlife is some of the biggest and most impressive in the world. Ostriches, for example, are the biggest birds in the world, and there are a lot of them jogging around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Even knowing they’re the biggest birds in the world is no substitute for seeing them first-hand from your safari vehicle. 

Secretary birds (image below) can also be found here. These tall, striking birds spend most of their time on land, and this is evident from their large, muscular legs. However, unlike ostriches, they can fly when they need to. 

You can also look forward to seeing kori bustards in the NCA. Kori Bustards are arguably the largest flying birds that are truly native to Africa. Similar to secretary birds, kori bustards spend most of their time on the ground and the males are the heaviest birds capable of flight.

The Lions of Ngorongoro

The lion is one of nature’s most impressive, most adaptable predators. Lions can be found across much of Tanzania, the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, and Ruaha National Park, to name but a few. Lion prides run wild throughout the Ngorongoro Crater and is an impressive, powerful sight to behold. There are about 60 lions inside the Ngorongoro Crater, and their behavior and favorite spots are very well understood by our expert safari guides. Outside the crater they tend to congregate in the Ndutu area of the NCA.

The Elephants of Ngorongoro

The elephant is one of the most majestic creatures you'll encounter on your safari. Similar to lions, elephant numbers have dramatically decreased in recent years. Poaching is mostly responsible for this, but the authorities are doing what they can to redouble conservation efforts. We cherish elephants in Tanzania and will do everything we can to protect them. There are only about 30 elephants in Ngorongoro, but they are fairly easy to track for experienced local guides. If elephants are the main focus of your Tanzania safari, you’ll also want to visit Tarangire National Park, as the park has the largest population of African elephants in Northern Tanzania.

See the Great Migration in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Great Migration is often cited as visitors’ main reason for visiting Tanzania. After all, it is the largest migration of land mammals in the world, with close to two million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebra, Thompson’s gazelle, impala, and eland. And it’s also worth noting that all of these animals attract a large number of big predators, making for some of the best safari experiences in all of Africa, let alone Tanzania. While the majority of The Great Migration occurs in the Serengeti, it passes across part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area between December and March, and the part of the calving season occurs here during February and March. If you’d like to learn more about this, read our 10 facts About The Great Migration.

That is all for today’s guide but, of course, we have only scratched the surface of the fascinating wildlife of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We hope we’ve inspired a few readers to add this enigmatic location to their big Tanzania safari adventure. There is simply nowhere else in the country like it — in fact, there is nowhere else in Africa like it! If you have any questions about the Ngorongoro Crater after reading this guide, please feel free to get in touch. Before you book anything with Sababu Safaris, we will provide you with a full safari itinerary - this way you can be sure it is exactly what you’re looking for. And if you’d like even more inspiration, check out another guide we wrote about why the Ngorongoro Crater should be on your bucket list.