Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Leading Tourist Attraction 2025 in Africa
Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Leading Tourist Attraction 2025 in Africa
At the 2025 World Travel Awards Africa and Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony held in Dar es Salaam on June 28, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area won the Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2025. This award is no luck because the competition was so stiff. Though it has maintained a streak of 14 years of being a nominee for this award, the Ngorongoro managed to clinch two times: 2023 and 2025. It emerged victorious over superb nominees, including:
- Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway, South Africa
- Lake Malawi
- Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
- Okavango Delta, Botswana
- Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
- Robben Island, South Africa
- Table Mountain, South Africa,
- V&A Waterfront South Africa
But is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (also the NCA) the most fascinating attraction in Africa? It probably is. In this blog, we walk you through the key attractions that made the jury say ‘wow,’ it has to be the NCA. Let’s explore!
The Ngorongoro Crater
Most craters have a lake at the center, but this one. This crater is the largest compact and unfilled caldera on Earth. Spanning about 264 square kilometers, this massive caldera is home to over 25,000 animals.
The crater is home to the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. And it’s much easier to spot these animals even on a full-day game drive. Just sit tight in your 4WD vehicle as the driver does the best to ensure you tick off all the big 5.
The crater rim is always perfect for distant game viewing, picnicking, bush dinner, and sundowners. From there, animals appear so gorgeous, together with the background crater rim on the other side.
While on a drive, expect to see more of hippos, hyenas, gazelles, wildebeest, zebras, and warthogs, just to name a few. Geologists estimate the formation of this crater to be 2.5 million years ago after the Ngorongoro Mountains (probably taller than Kilimanjaro) erupted to create a bowl caldera. The fertile soils resulting from the volcanic eruption support an enormous wildlife population.
Other things you can do in the Ngorongoro Crater include filming, birdwatching, nature walks, bush dining, and sundowning.
Ndutu Plains
You probably have heard of ‘Ndutu.’ This area is famous in that it co-hosts the calving season together with the Serengeti Southern plains. Here, you watch expansive plains run to the horizon. Because of their nutritious grass, the migratory birds come back here in December and stay till late March or April.
The plains welcome hundreds of thousands of calves in a space of two months. This is epic. The region becomes richer in young wildebeest and zebra, which in turn attract a plethora of predators – including lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas – to seek out easy pickings.
Ndutu is also home to other animals, including giraffe, wildcat, impala, elephant, dik-dik, jackal, and bat-eared fox. A game drive is always the best way to explore the Ndutu plains. You can also book a private photography tour to get a snap of the migrating animals.
Olduvai Gorge and Museum
The Olduvai Gorge is a significant historical site regarding human evolution. The famous archaeologists, Louis and Mary Leakey, made an extraordinary discovery of our ancestors. They unearthed the skull of Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus boisei), which dated back 2 million years ago.
Here, you can visit the site on an archeological tour. Next up is the Olduvai Gorge Museum, which is another important place worth a visit. Built in a Maasai boma style, this museum houses fossils, stone tools, and skeletons of many extinct animals. Following its reconstruction in 2017, the museum can now host educational training and lectures.
Laetoli Footprints
This essential paleontological site with exceptional footprints of the earliest bipedal humans who lived there 3.6 million years ago. The early ancestors walked on wet volcanic ash. When the volcano erupted again, it covered their footprints. So, they remained unknown until 1974 when Mary Leaker uncovered them. The site is perfect for walking safaris and study tours.
Empakai Crater.
The eruptions also formed this crater. Unlike Ngorongoro Crater, the Empakai crater floor is not intact. A lake takes up 75% of the crater. Here, you can watch water birds like flamingos and pelicans in the shallow waters of the lake.
The crater rim of Empakai offers stunning views of Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano. This crater also harbors certain animals like lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, monkeys, and birds. Things to do in this crater include hiking, walking, and birdwatching.
Local communities
One of the unique things the Ngorongoro has is that it’s a place where human beings and wildlife coexist. The Maasai use the fertile plains within this area to feed their cattle. Known for their outstanding attire, these charming people have unique traditions than other tribes. On your visit, they can dance for you or dress you in their world-famous, unique Lubega.
The Datoga, known for their blacksmith skills, are good at making stone and iron tools. These people survive on the shores of Lake Eyasi near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Hadzabe, one of the few tribes that still rely on hunting and gathering for a living. You can gather fruits or wood with them or go for a hunt.
Final word
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area has much to offer. Winning this award isn’t about votes only; it’s about the natural beauty within this stunning conservation area. The best way to experience it is to visit it. You can begin planning with us today. Just tell us when you are going to visit it and how much money you plan to spend.
