Best time to visit Ngorongoro Crater month by month

Best time to visit Ngorongoro Crater month by month, Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera offering magnificent wildlife safaris with over 25000 animals including Africa’s BIG 5. Ngorongoro experiences a temperate climate with a temperature that drops as the altitude increases.

Ngorongoro crater experiences two seasons that is the wet season and the dry season. The long dry season runs from June to October and the short dry season runs from January to February whereas the long rains run from March to May and the short rains from November to December.

Ngorongoro crater can be visited throughout the year due to the enclosed nature of the crater that provides an amazing wildlife viewing opportunity at any time of the year. However, during the dry season the grass is shorter, which makes wildlife viewing easier, and animals will be seen gathering around water holes. The dry seasons though are accompanied by large crowds in the parks leading to heightened prices for accommodation.

During the wet season, the crater bowl is covered by green lush vegetation and the grass is long, hence wildlife spotting is difficult and the roads are really muddy and therefore difficult to get through. This season is the best though for a bird watching safari as it is the time when the migratory birds arrive in the Ngorongoro area. This season is characterized by less crowds in the crater and the accommodation rates are low.

The best time for a visit to the Ngorongoro crater largely depends on the traveler’s choice and preference. Here is a month by month guide on the best time to visit the Ngorongoro Crater.

January

This is the breeding season for the wildebeests therefore travelers witness the wildebeest migration in Ngorongoro since they use this area as their breeding grounds. Other wildlife that accompany the wildebeests such as elands, zebras, among others also use this area as their breeding grounds therefore more wildlife is spotted at this time of year. It is a great opportunity to witness the newborn calves of the wildebeests and take photographs.

February

This is a drier month before the rains begin. It is a great time for game viewing since the grass is shorter and predators such as lions and hyenas are spotted preying on the wildebeest calves.

March

This month marks the beginning of the long rains that are accompanied by lower rates, and less crowds in the Ngorongoro crater. These rains continue to the months of April and May.

June

At this time the long rains have ended and the Ngorongoro crater is relatively less crowded. By the end of this month the population in the crater is high since it marks the beginning of the peak season. The following months of July and August are peak seasons characterized with high prices of accommodation and large crowds in the crater. During these times, wildlife spotting is easy since they are seen gathering around waterholes. Wildlife seen around the waterholes include lions, leopards, black rhinos, elephants, buffalos, among others.

September

This month marks the beginning of spring, a season that is familiar in the Ngorongoro crater during which the area experiences chilly weather. At this time of year the crater floor looks dusty and is covered by yellow grasslands.

October

This is a transitional time in the Ngorongoro crater as the rains end and the long dry season begins.

November and December

These months experience short rains and this occasionally occur as abrupt afternoon downpours that do not affect tourist activities. During this time, the first group of the migratory birds arrive in the Ngorongoro crater making it one of the best times to visit the Ngorongoro crater for a bird watching safari.

Activities in Ngorongoro

Game drives and wildlife viewing

Due to the enclosed nature of the Ngorongoro crater, the crater has a unique ecosystem with a beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife and bird species, hence a perfect destination for game viewing including spotting Africa’s BIG 5.

Game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater start after descending into the crater from the crater rim then proceed through the lush grassland with a view of a variety of bird species in the trees.  Ngorongoro crater is known for having the largest concentration of wildlife therefore during a game drive through the trails in the crater floor expect to spot a variety of wildlife both predators and herbivores such as zebras, wildebeests, elands, gazelles, impalas, buffalos, lions, hyenas, hippos, among others. The large concentration of predators is attributed to the large number of prey in the crater.

Bird watching

Birding is one of the major attractions in the Ngorongoro Crater due to a variety of bird species. Birding is a great addition to a wildlife safari and can both be done at ago. The Ngorongoro crater is home to more than 5000 bird species, some of which are permanent residents of the Ngorongoro crater whereas others are migratory birds that move from Europe. These migratory birds arrive in the Ngorongoro crater during the months of September and April.

Some of the migratory birds include the European bee-eater, European roller, the northern wheatear, the pallid harrier, among others. These migratory birds move into the Ngorongoro crater specifically for breeding purposes since this area has perfect bird breeding conditions.

During the bird watching expedition, travelers come across bird species such as Flamingos, Yellow-charged Stork, Red-covered Lark, Grassland Pipit, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Secretary birds, Grey delegated-Cranes, Kori Bustards, Ostriches, African white-backed vulture, Black-bellied Bustard, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, among others.

Guided nature walks

This is a rewarding scenic walk along the crater rim through the lush vegetation, colorful flowers of the upper rim offering a stunning view of the Ngorongoro crater. This walk can be done a day before or after game viewing in the Ngorongoro and is a lot more rewarding to travelers especially those after montane forest birds such as the blue-banded kingfisher, the migratory fairy pitta, among others. The crater rim also houses more bird species that can be spotted during the walk such as the martial eagle, olive sunbird, cinnamon chested bee-eater, European roller among others and wildlife such as leopards. During these walks, the guide gives travelers insight into the nature, wildlife and birds of the Ngorongoro crater. This walk can be a bit difficult during the wet season so it’s advisable that travelers dress appropriately such as wearing hiking boots.

Masaai cultural experience

The Ngorongoro Crater has been home to the Maasai tribe for centuries. The Maasai are an indigenous tribe that unlike other tribes, have resisted any form of changes to their culture and way of life. The Maasai are a nomadic tribe keeping animals such as cattle, goats and sheep. Travellers are warmly welcomed to this community with a Maasai energetic traditional dance of jumping and women are given waist beads to wear while there. In the village, a local village elder who can speak English guides travelers through the community showing them how the community lives and survives generally.

Tourists could also visit the schools where children in this community obtain an education. As a way of giving back to the community, purchase of some locally made jewelry or carvings goes a long way.

Hot Air Ballooning

This is a unique and completely mind-blowing way of exploring the Ngorongoro Crater. Hot Air Balloon safari in the Ngorongoro conservation area starts near the Oldupai Gorge, a historical place where the remains of the oldest mankind was discovered.

This hot air balloon takes travelers through the dark shifting sand dunes of Ngorongoro that stand out from the rest of the landscape. It also takes travelers towards the Ndutu plains, which is a calving ground for the wildebeests during the months of December to April.

During a hot air balloon safari, tourists are exposed to an amazing view of the Ngorongoro Conservation area, wildlife, landscapes and a breath-taking sunrise or sunset depending on the time of the day.

Hike the Empakaai Crater

It is a 300m deep crater that sits in the remote northeast of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Empakaai crater offers travelers a magnificent private travel experience since it’s a less visited area. While travelers are not allowed to explore Ngorongoro on foot except with the Maasai, the Empakaai crater is the only place where visitors can explore on foot.

Like Ngorongoro, Empakaai is also a caldera rather than a crater. This crater has steep walls and therefore requires some level of fitness to hike it. It takes travelers about 30 minutes to descend into this caldera and during the hikes, visitors come across wildlife such as blue monkeys, waterbucks, cape buffaloes, bushbucks, among others.

Once on the crater floor, you will visit the shore of Lake Empakaai where you will spot the pink flamingoes standing in the lake. Visitors also often come across Masai herdsmen rearing livestock in this area.

Other activities travelers can partake in on a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater include; a visit to Lake Magadi, a visit to Olduvai Gorge, Hiking the Gol mountain, photographic safaris, among others. Tourists can also visit the other national parks in the northern circuit such as Serengeti National Park and Tarangire National Park.