A long but rewarding day. Leave Arusha before dawn, descend into the crater by mid-morning and spend the day among the highest density of large mammals in Africa, with a realistic chance of all Big Five.
Pick-up at 05:30 for the three and a half hour drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, climbing through Karatu farmland to the crater rim.
Descend the steep access road to the crater floor. Game drive across the Lerai Forest, Lake Magadi shoreline and the open grasslands where lion prides and black rhino are found.
Lunch beside the hippo pools, with black kites circling for anything left unguarded.
Continue the game drive until the mandatory 16:00 exit, then ascend and drive back to Arusha, arriving around 20:00.
Want this itinerary shifted a day, or a different lodge?
Every trip is private, so the plan is yours to change. Tell us what you would rather do.
It is a 14 hour day with seven hours of driving. It works, and many guests love it, but an overnight in Karatu turns it into a far more relaxed experience for a small supplement.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority charges a crater service fee per vehicle on top of a per person conservation area fee, and both are substantial. Those fees fund conservation and are the same for every operator.
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