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Areas of Interest: Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara, Nainokanoka Masai Village, Olmoti Mountain, Empakaai crater, Great Rift Valley, Crater Highlands

Activity: Game Drive, Game and Bird Watching, Camping, Scenery, Culture, Ethnic, Photography, Exploring on Foot

The Crater Highlands consist of an elevated range of volcanoes and collapsed volcanoes, which rise from the side of the Great Rift Valley and run along the Eastern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  The peaks include Oldeani, Lemagrut, Olmoti, Loolmalasin, Empakaai, Ngorongoro and the active Ol Doinyo Lengai. They all have a number of impressive peaks - with steep escarpments, crater lakes, dense forests and grassy ridges, streams and waterfalls.  The area is secluded and rarely visited but offers some of Tanzania’s most jagged and extraordinary scenery and some of the finest trekking.  Most walking is done at around the 3000mts mark though there are more routes available to the more adventurous.

Day 1 - Ngorongoro Crater
Departing Arusha town in the morning we drive via Lake Manyara National Park for lunch and an afternoon game viewing before proceeding o­n to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  Overnight at the Simba campsite o­n the crater rim.     

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake that is part of the Rift Valley wall; the lake is at the base of this dramatic western escarpment giving it a beautiful and serene setting.  In addition to this peaceful setting, Lake Manyara’s main attractions are its rich bird life, tree climbing lions and its hippos, which you can see at a closer range than many other places.  Lake Manyara also hosts thousands of flamingos at certain times of the year and has diverse vegetation ranging from savannah, to marshes and acacia woodland, enabling a variety of wildlife habitats including butterflies. 

The Ngorongoro crater is the world’s biggest whole volcanic caldera at 8300 sq km and is frequently described as one of the wonders of the world, not only because of its geological magnificence, but also because it serves as an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s largest populations of large mammals.  Ngorongoro and other freestanding mountains are volcanic in origin, formed during the fracturing process that created the Rift valley 15 to 20 million years ago. 

Day 2 - Empakaai Crater
Departing the campsite after breakfast we drive up to Nainokanoka Masai Village o­n the slopes of Olmoti mountain where we pick-up the local guide/and ranger and follow Masai cattle trails north-east across the grass-lands of the Embulbul depression, towards Empakaai crater, reaching the lightly wooded crater rim o­n its southern edge which normally takes 7 - 8 hours.  We return to Simba campsite by late afternoon.   

Almost half the floor of the 6km wide, 300m high Empakaai crater is taken up by a deep soda lake, which is often surrounded by huge flocks of flamingos, whilst the steep inner walls are densely forested.  Blue monkey, buffalo, and bushbuck are likely to be seen on the rim, which boasts stunning views of Lengai Volcano, Kilimanjaro and Lake Natron.  The crater floor is home to a variety of antelope and water birds. It is possible to descend into the crater itself and camp by the lake, although this means carrying the camping gear, as it's too steep for the donkeys.  You will require extending your trip by one day if you wish to do this.  A better option would be to camp o­n the rim for two nights and descend to the crater floor for the whole day. 

Day 3 - Ngorongoro crater tour then Arusha

After breakfast you descend into the Ngorongoro crater with your vehicle for your 1/2-day Crater Tour. After lunch we break camp and depart to Arusha town where you will be dropped off at your hotel.   

Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s best-known wildlife viewing areas and one of Tanzania’s most visited.  Within its walls are a variety of animals and vegetation, including grasslands, swamps, forests, saltpans and a fresh water lake.  You are likely to see lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and many of the plains herbivores such as wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, reedbuck, as well as thousands of flamingos wading in the shallows of Lake Magadi – the soda lake at the craters base.