About Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Rising high above the plains of the Serengeti, this vast protected area stretches from Lake Natron in the northeast (the breeding ground for east Africa's flamingoes) to Lake Enaysi in the south and Lake Manyara in the east. The area includes the still active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai (Mountain of God), which last erupted in 1983. The park's centerpiece is the Ngorongoro Crater, a collapsed volcano forming a crater that is 610m (2000 ft) deep, 20km (12.5 miles) in diameter, covering an area of 311 sq km (122 sq miles). The crater accounts for just one-tenth of the conservation area, which is home to almost every species of African plains mammal (except for the impala, topi and giraffe) and particularly well known for the endangered black rhino. It also has the densest population of predators in Africa. The rich birdlife includes flamingos which are attracted by the soda content in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.