Ngorongoro in April

April is the wettest month in most parts of Tanzania, and Ngorongoro is no exception, with the crater rim receiving an average monthly rainfall of 220mm. This has no direct effect on wildlife viewing - on the contrary, wildlife populations within the crater are very high in April - but it does mean that a significant proportion of game drives are likely to be partly rained. Taking other parts of the country into account, April is also the peak of the monsoon season on Zanzibar and the coast, and the worst possible month for Kilimanjaro climbs. On a brighter note, at least for those who’ve no intention of climbing Kilimanjaro or exploring the coast, this weight of negative factors mean that tourist numbers on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit tend to bottom out in April, which makes it an excellent time to experience Ngorongoro and the Serengeti at their least crowded.

Ngorongoro in June

June is arguably the optimum month to visit Ngorongoro Crater. The long rains should be over, but the scenery will still be green and lush, and the safari circuit remains relatively uncrowded, as peak tourist season only starts to kick in towards the end of the month or into July. Looking further afield, it is also a good month for Zanzibar beach holidays and Kilimanjaro climbs, and…

Ngorongoro in August

August is one of the driest months in Ngorongoro Crater, and with the long rains having ended two to three months ago, the landscape will be looking parched, yellow and dusty. This makes it easier to see predators on the open plains, so it is great for wildlife spotting, but the hazy skies and starker scenery tends to be less rewarding than wetter time of year for photography. It is…

Ngorongoro in January

Credit: Kusini Camp Ngorongoro Crater has a temperate climate characterised by rather chilly nights throughout the year but January is one of the warmest months, with an average daily maximum of 23°C and average minimum of 10°C. January generally marks the end of the so-called short rains, so it shouldn’t be all that wet, but the landscape retains a lush green appearance and the air…

Lake Ndutu and the Serengeti plains

Ngorongoro Conservation Area is essentially an eastern extension of the vast Serengeti-Mara ecosystem - indeed, it formed part of the original Serengeti National Park as it was gazetted in 1951 but was split off shortly afterwards to appease Maasai protests against being evicted from their traditional grazing lands. Today, the southeast of the conservation area, around Oldupai Gorge,…

Lake Eyasi and the Hadzabe

Bounding the southern Ngorongoro Conservation Area at the base of the Rift Valley Escarpment, remote Lake Eyasi is a shallow soda lake prone to large fluctuations in area and level depending on local rainfall. Possessed of a certain desolate beauty, the surrounding dry savannah is home to the Hadza, or Hadzabe, a tribe of nomadic hunter-gatherers that numbers fewer than 100 individuals…

Luxury safari in Ngorongoro

Northern Tanzania boasts some of the most luxurious, exclusive and expensive lodges anywhere on the African safari circuit. Typically, these offer packages inclusive of world-class cuisine, house wines and beer, and game drives with guides who boast a higher level of expertise and far greater local knowledge than the average jobbing safari driver. These all-inclusive lodges also tend to…

Popular Ngorongoro Crater Safaris

These popular itineraries can be customised to match your budget and travel dates