Located north-west of the city of Arusha, east of the Serengeti National Park and west of the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, it covers 8300 square kilometres and includes, in addition to the famous Ngorongoro crater (2200 m) from which it takes its name, several other extinct volcanoes: Oldeani (3216 m), Makarot (3107 m), Olmoti (3100 m), Loolmalasin (3648 m) and Empakaai (3262 m). These volcanic structures were formed about 20 million years ago, following several violent eruptions closely linked to the formation of the Great Rift Valley. The Ngorongoro Crater is considered the largest intact caldera in the world with a diameter of 19 km and a depth of 600 metres.
Due to variations in climate, terrain and altitude, the landscape offers, in addition to the volcanic craters, a great variety of overlapping habitats and ecosystems: sand dunes, rainforests, grass plains, mountain plateaus, savannahs, lakes, rivers and swamps.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to almost 400 species of birds, some resident such as eagles, vultures, hornbills and ostriches, and others migratory such as storks and swallows. Thousands of lesser flamingos can be seen, especially between November and April, around Lake Ndutu and the crater lakes of Ngorongoro and Empakkai.
The area also includes the very important archaeological site of the Olduvai Gorge. Known as the 'cradle of mankind', it is the site where the remains of hominids dating back some 2 million years and various animal fossils dating back to the Stone Age have been found.
The area is managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Autority, which, unlike the TANAPA (Tanzania's wildlife park governing body), allows the presence of traditional settlements by indigenous ethnic groups such as the Maasai, while safeguarding natural resources and wildlife.
Empakaai Crater
Empakaai Crater is the second largest crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The ancient caldera is about 6 km in diameter and about half of it is occupied by a beautiful emerald-green lake that attracts flamingos and other waterfowl.
It can only be visited on foot, accompanied by an armed ranger. The well-maintained trail runs along the eastern rim and through the lush mountain forest that completely covers the crater walls. From the rim, visitors can admire the volcanic cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai, Lake Natron and, on a clear day, even snow-capped Kilimanjaro. The steep but scenic descent to the bottom of the crater presents many opportunities to spot wildlife, including buffalo, hyenas, blue monkeys, elephants and a wide variety of birds.
Olmoti Crater
Olmoti Crater, whose name means 'pot' in the Maasai language, is a shallow submerged caldera located north of Ngorongoro Crater and south of Empakaai Crater. The lush surroundings and numerous water sources provide fertile pastures for both Maasai cattle and wildlife.
It is possible to make a short excursion, with an armed ranger, to the impressive Munge Falls that feed Lake Magadi in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai, which derives from the Maasai term 'Oldupai' (wild sisal plant typical of the area), is a very special and important place. The gorge, which is almost 90 metres deep and stretches about 50 km along the Great Rift Valley, is one of the most important paleoanthropology sites in the world.
The geological layers of the gorge and the findings made, first by Professor Wilhelm Kattwinkle and later by palaeontologist Louis Leakey and his wife Mary Leakey, have illuminated the long evolutionary path of man. The hominids identified in the Olduvai Gorge area are Australopithecus boisei, Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. In addition to human remains, numerous fossils, stone tools and skeletons of many extinct animals have been unearthed, which are now kept in the museum of the same name. In 1972, about 40 km from the gorge, the famous 'Laetoli footprints' were discovered, again by Mary Leakey: perfectly preserved fossil footprints left by hominids in volcanic ash 3.5 million years ago.
Maasai
The Maasai who speak 'Maa', the term from which they derive their name, are a semi-nomadic people of Nilotic origin with a dual soul of brave warriors and transhumant breeders of cows, goats and sheep. Today, about 100,000 Maasai live in the Ngorongoro protected area and take care of their livestock without harming the wildlife. They have always been opposed to any change and therefore still live today as they did centuries ago.
The small villages in which they live are circular in shape with a bramble fence in the centre, into which they drive their cattle at dusk. All around, huts of straw and dried dung stand where numerous people and newborn calves live.
The Maasai are easily recognisable because they wear the 'Shuka': the traditional dress that consists, essentially, of a brightly coloured cloth, with a clear predominance of red. This is the symbol colour of their culture because it is believed that red can keep lions away. Both men and women sprinkle their bodies with ochre and animal fat and adorn themselves with gaudy jewellery of coloured beads and designs symbolising their clan and social status. As a rule, they wear sandals on their feet, heedless of any kind of ground on which they may walk.
Maasai society is strongly patriarchal and age-based. Only men hold the most important roles, while women have marginal roles and no hereditary rights. Marriages are chosen by the elders and polygamy is widespread. Children are close to the hearts of all members of the village, who take care of their education and growth indiscriminately. Soon the boys learn to tend cattle and the girls to do household chores, learning ceremonies and customs that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. The men's life journey is marked by stages of special rituals, the first of which involves circumcision. This is followed by the passages of young warrior, adult warrior, lower and higher elder: each of these levels is characterised by specific rights, responsibilities and clothing.
The religion is monotheistic, but the Maasai consider their surroundings sacred.
The major source of livelihood comes mainly from the herd: milk, meat, blood... Wealth, consequently, is measured by the cattle one owns and also by the number of children: the more animals and children one has, the richer one is.
A peculiarity of Maasai customs is to see in the act of spitting a sacred symbolism and a form of respect. Members of this tribe spit to greet their friends, validate business or wish good luck.
Lake Masek and Lake Ndutu
Lake Ndutu and, a short distance away, Lake Masek are part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and are a key stop on the Great Migration.
Every year, from December to March, the transhumance of the large herds of herbivores offers an incredible spectacle. The animals, perpetually in search of water and pasture for survival, reach, after an exhausting journey, this area that, with the arrival of the rains, gives them lush grasslands of low, mineral-rich grass.
Herds of wildebeest and zebra stay here for several months and, in February, give birth to thousands of cubs that attract predators such as cheetahs, lions and hyenas.
The sightings are spectacular and exciting: the bloody hunting scenes alternate and contrast with the 'miracle of new life'.
In 1973, archaeological excavations along the shores of Lake Ndutu led to the discovery of the skull of Ndutu (attributed to Homo erectus) and numerous tools and utensils from over 500,000 years ago, important evidence of the beginnings of human life.
