The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact caldera in the world. The crater is situated in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, in the northern part of Tanzania. Ngorongoro Conservation Area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Ngorongoro was formed about two million years ago. The crater measures an average of 18 kms in diameter, about 600m vertical drop and covers an area of 260 km². It’s home to more than 25.000 large animals, making it the park with the highest concentration of animals in the world. The crater is one of the prime areas to observe the endangered black rhino and black manned lions. Other animals living on the floor of the crater are leopards, cheetahs, elephants, monkeys, zebras, gazelles, buffalos, wildebeest, hippos and many species of birds including flamingos on Lake Magadi.
The animals can walk in and out of the crater, but most have selected this fertile habitat as their permanent residence.