Ngorongoro is a huge caldera formed after the collapse of volcano, 250 square kilometers and 23 kilometers wide. The crater has an average depth of 600 meters. Its spectacular setting and abundance of wildlife combine to make it a wonder of the natural world.
The crater alone has over 20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Animals are free to leave or enter the crater but most of them stay because of the plentiful water and food available on the crater floor throughout the year.
Other mammals include wildebeest, zebra, spotted hyena, hunting dogs, gazelles, jackals and primates like mice and grasshoppers. The open grassland covers most of the crater floor and feeds the herbivores. The crater has abundant yellow barked acacia trees to its Lerai forest making a home to Elephants, baboon, bushbucks, waterbucks and velvet monkey.
The floor has a number of wetland including the Munge River, Lake |