The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans from Serengeti National Park in the north, to the Great Rift Valley in the east. In total, the conservation area covers more than 8,000 km² (3,200 sq. miles). It consists of the Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu, Olduvai Gorge, Empakaai, Olmoti Crater and Oldonyo Lengai Mountain. The mix of forests, valleys, savannah, craters, lakes and swamps is home for a wide range of animals.

Ngorongoro Crater is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of the world heritage sites. It’s unique ecosystem is defined by the rim of the Great Rift Valley wall escarpment that makes it difficult for animals to migrate easily from the crater’s natural enclosure. Its unique 100 square mile caldera floor’s eco-culture is home to most of the animal species found in East Africa.

More than 25,000 resident animals inhabit Ngorongoro Crater. In the grass steppes and acacia forest you can encounter almost every animal species of the East African savanna, including the ““Big Five”” (rhino, elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard). Its diverse species of wildlife drink from Lake Magadi that is on the crater floor formed by other water sources in the crater that flow into it.