2 days The Crater & Lake Manyara
Two parks, one night, no wasted driving. The crater on the first day while the light is good, Manyara on the way back to Arusha.
Wildlife & Culture
Ngorongoro Crater in a Day
Down onto the crater floor by nine and out by three. A long day in the vehicle, but the only way to see Ngorongoro without an overnight.
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At a glance
- Destinations
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Best for
- Wildlife safari
- Travel style
- Mid-range · Drive
- Activity level
- Easy — most of the day is spent in a vehicle or on a boat
- Best time to travel
- The crater holds resident wildlife throughout the year. June to October usually gives drier access and clearer game viewing; the March to May rains bring greener scenery and wetter roads on the long day from Arusha.
- Start and end
- Arusha or Moshi, there and back
Why this journey
- Six hours on the crater floor, the part of the day that matters
- Black rhino live here year-round — one of the few reliable places in Tanzania
- A picnic lunch inside the crater rather than a drive out and back
- No overnight and no camp fees, so the cost stays down
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979
Hour by hour
The crater floor is roughly 260 km², enclosed by walls 600 m high, and it holds one of the densest concentrations of large mammals in Africa. This is the day-trip version: an early start from Arusha or Moshi, six hours inside, and back the same evening.
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06:00
Hotel pickup in Arusha or Moshi; scenic drive toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
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08:30
Arrival at the conservation area, entry formalities, then on toward the crater rim with the guide.
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09:00
Descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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09:15–12:30
Extensive game drive across the crater floor searching for the Big Five, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, and leopards, along with zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, and a variety of bird species.
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12:30
Picnic lunch at a designated site with crater views.
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13:30
The wildlife safari continues through different parts of the crater for more animal spotting and photography.
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15:00
Ascend from the crater floor with panoramic rim views before the return journey.
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16:30
Depart Ngorongoro and drive back to the accommodation.
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18:30
Arrival at the hotel.
Stay and travel
A day trip, so there is no overnight stay. You start and finish at the agreed pick-up point.
A 4×4 with a roof hatch and a window seat for everyone, driven by your guide throughout.
Camps fill, and roads change with the rains. Where something has to change we substitute at the same level and tell you before you travel, not after.
Included and excluded
What is included
- Every activity named in the day-by-day
- Accommodation as listed, or a similar alternative if a camp is full
- Meals as noted against each day
- Transfers between the agreed pick-up and drop-off points
- Park, reserve and conservation area fees
- An English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide
- A 4×4 with a roof hatch, or the vehicle the route calls for
- Drinking water through the day
- Government taxes
- Boat safari and transfers
- Ngorongoro crater service fee
Not included
- International flights, airport taxes and visa fees
- Travel, medical and baggage insurance
- Personal spending — drinks, laundry, telephone
- Tips for your guide and crew
- Anything not listed as included
Practical information
- Visas, insurance and tipping
- A visa is arranged before travel or on arrival. Travel and medical insurance is a condition of booking. Tipping is customary and we will suggest a range rather than set one.
Related journeys
Every route here can be changed
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