Solo travel to the Ngorongoro

Credit: Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Very few people visit Ngorongoro solo. The main reason for this is presumably because a solo safari in northern Tanzania works out to be so much more expensive per person than it does for a couple or a small group. That said, if cost is not an obstacle, there is absolutely no reason why you couldn’t do a solo safari to Ngorongoro and elsewhere in Tanzania. Those actively seeking company along the way might do best to fly between the sort of exclusive lodges that offer all-inclusive packages, shared game drives and a common dining experience. Those that prefer their own company might prefer to book a bespoke road safari with their own driver/guide throughout. Special interest groups for which a solo safari might be preferable to joining a group safari are photographers and birdwatchers who want to pursue their passion without having to compromise to allow for the requirements of more generalist safari goers.

Ngorongoro Crater

People visit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is to see the eponymous crater. Ngorongoro is the world’s largest intact and unflooded caldera, the relict of a massive volcano formed by the same tectonic activity associated with the creation of the Great Rift Valley. In its prime, Ngorongoro would have towered as high as Kilimanjaro does today, but it collapsed in on itself around one-…

Heroes Point

Credit: Naona Moru Camp Coming from the direction of Arusha, the road from Lodware Entrance Gate to the crater rim switchbacks uphill through fertile slopes swathed in Afromontane forest to Heroes Point, which is where most visitors catch their first breathtaking view to the crater floor. It is here that German conservationist and filmmaker Michael Grzimek (son of the legendary…

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…

Ngorongoro in November

Ngorongoro Crater tends to be relatively warm and wet in November, with an average daily maximum temperature of 22°C, a nightly minimum of 10°C, and around 110mm of rainfall. These short rains are usually not so heavy as to have a negative impact on tourism, and they create an spring-like aura of regeneration to the landscape following the long dry season. Wildlife is plentiful, with…

Ngorongoro travel tips

Ngorongoro Conservation Area can only realistically be explored in a solid 4x4. The 150km road from the northern Tanzanian ‘safari capital’ Arusha to Lodware Entrance Gate, the only access point along the eastern border, is now surfaced in its entirety, and can be covered in less than three hours. All roads within the conservation are unsurfaced, however, and most - including the…

Family safari in the Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro and the other reserves that comprise Tanzania’s northern safari circuit are well suited to family and small group safaris. Cost-wise, since almost all safaris are undertaken in 4x4s with pop-up tops, the optimum group size is four or five individuals, though larger groups can always be split between two or more vehicles. It is generally a good idea for groups to be…

Popular Ngorongoro Crater Safaris

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