3 Days Ngorongoro Crater Tour
3 Days Ngorongoro Crater Tour is an amazing adventure that will take you to the Ngorongoro conservation area, which is located in the northern part of Tanzania. Ngorongoro conservation area was established as a multi-land use area where wildlife co-exists with the semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists who move from one place to another in search of water and pasture for their livestock.
The conservation area is one of the ideal destinations in Tanzania due to unique and breathtaking attractions such as wildlife species including animals like the Big Five mammals, primates, vegetation types, bird species and Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world’s largest unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera that covers a total surface of 264 square kilometers, 19 km wide and 2000feet deep. The 3-day Ngorongoro Crater tour, which starts and ends in Arusha, will give you interesting experiences and lifetime memories.
Highlights
- Day 1: Pick up from Arusha and transfer to the Ngorongoro conservation area
- Day 2: Full day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater
- Day 3: Guided nature walk and departure to Arusha
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Arusha and transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
You will have breakfast at your hotel in Arusha, carry your lunch box, and your driver guide will pick you up, give you a short briefing about the tour, and then start the journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The journey takes about 4 hours drive in a 4WD safari vehicle, and on the way, you will drive through the Maasai villages and have great views of the farmlands, local people, homesteads, and en-route lunch.
Upon arrival, you will have a stopover at the gate where you will have stunning views of the crater floor, take photos, and then descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for an evening game drive where you will be able to spot some of the animals heading back to their resting places and predators that will be coming out of their hiding areas. After the evening game drive, you will drive to the lodge, check in, have dinner, and overnight.
Day 2: Full day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater
Full day game drive; after an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a full-day game drive, where you will either carry a packed lunch from the lodge or drive back to the lodge for lunch. The morning game drive in the Ngorongoro crater is more rewarding because that’s the time when animals are most active therefore you will descend into the Ngorongoro crater through the lush and highland forests at the crater wall and when you reach the grassy crater floor you will have beautiful views of the sunrise, landscape, animals like the big five mammals(elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, black rhinos, views of other animals in the park except the giraffes grazing in the acacia woodland and grassland plains, view colorful bird species, views of different plant and tree species among others.
After the morning game drive, you will have lunch at the crater floor and later go for an afternoon game drive where you will drive to Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline crater lake that is located in the eastern part of the Ngorongoro Crater. During the game drive to the alkaline Crater Lake, you will have incredible views of hippos and bird species like flamingos and many others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Day 3: Guided nature walk and departure to Arusha
Guided nature walk; you will have an early breakfast at the lodge and then meet up with your driver-guide to go for a guided nature walk where you will be able to explore the conservation area on foot. Ngorongoro conservation area offers short and long nature walks which start with a briefing at the park headquarters, and after the briefing, you will be allocated an experienced park guide who is well conversant with walking trails and an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger.
During the nature walk, you will be able to get up close and personal with different animals in their natural habitat, have breathtaking views of colorful butterflies, listen to the sweet sounds of birds singing in trees, view different plant and tree species, enjoy the cool and peaceful environment, and take photos among others. After the nature walk, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will meet up with your driver guide and drive to the lodge for lunch.
Departure to Arusha, after lunch, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Arusha town, where you will be dropped at the airport for your departure flight or dropped at any place of convenience.
End of 3 days Ngorongoro Crater tour
The Tour Includes
- Pick up and drop off in a 4WD safari vehicle
- Services of a professional driver guide
- Park entrance fees
- Guided nature walk
- Full board accommodation
- All mentioned activities
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life Insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, craft items, drinks, cigarettes, laundry services, tips, among others.
