Ngorongoro Crater
A huge collapsed volcano whose flat floor holds grassland, swamps and a soda lake. Lions, elephants, hippos and rhinos live inside its walls and can be seen on day drives from the rim.
Ngorongoro Crater
Rare black rhinos, lions and elephants are among the dense wildlife on the floor of this huge volcanic crater.
Attractive locations
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
A protected highland area surrounding the huge Ngorongoro Crater, where lions, elephants, hippos and rhinos live on the crater floor. Maasai herders also live and graze in parts of the area.
Lake Magadi
A shallow soda lake on the floor of Ngorongoro Crater. Flocks of flamingos often feed along its edges, and zebra and wildebeest graze on the surrounding grass.
Olduvai Gorge
A steep-sided ravine where researchers found important fossils and stone tools of early humans. Guides explain the rock layers and what has been discovered here.
Olduvai Gorge Museum
A small museum at the edge of the gorge, with fossils, casts and displays on early human evolution. It makes a useful stop before looking over the ravine itself.
Ol Doinyo Lengai
An active volcano whose name means Mountain of God in the Maasai language. Fit hikers climb it at night to reach the crater rim by dawn.
Lake Manyara National Park
A park between the Rift Valley escarpment and a shallow lake, known for groundwater forest, flocks of birds and tree-climbing lions. It is easy to combine with a drive to Ngorongoro.
Airports
Arusha Airport ARK
It is about 120 km in a straight line from Ngorongoro Crater.
Seronera Airport SEU
It is about 115 km in a straight line from Ngorongoro Crater.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Tanzania page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan17.6 °C143 mm
- Feb17.8 °C101 mm
- Mar17.8 °C153 mm
- Apr17.2 °C190 mm
- May16.0 °C95 mm
- Jun15.1 °C18 mm
- Jul14.9 °C5 mm
- Aug16.0 °C13 mm
- Sep17.5 °C19 mm
- Oct18.3 °C79 mm
- Nov18.0 °C167 mm
- Dec17.6 °C151 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Mar, Apr, Nov.
Costs
Prices here are about 28% of US prices (World Bank, 2024). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112. Your safari operator or hotel can give you local police and ambulance numbers.
ngo
Tanzania Red Cross Society
Helps with: Tanzania's national Red Cross society, with headquarters in Dar es Salaam. Its site lists a hotline, said to run 24 hours a day, and a separate counselling service line.
Who qualifies: People in Tanzania who need to reach the Red Cross, including its hotline or counselling line.
Phone: 0800 750 150
Email: info@trcs.or.tz
Address: Mwai Kibaki Road, Plot No. 53, Block C, Mikocheni B, P.O. Box 1133, Dar es Salaam
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Tanzania
Helps with: The UN migration agency's country office in Dar es Salaam. Contact it about migration matters in Tanzania.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +255 689 103 096
Email: iomdar@iom.int
Address: Plot 17 Ruhinde Rd, Kinondoni, P.O. Box 9270, Dar es Salaam
embassy
Foreign embassies and high commissions in Tanzania (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy or high commission. The Tanzanian foreign ministry lists missions in Dar es Salaam with postal addresses, phones and emails.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or high commission.
local government
Emergency number 112 (police, ambulance and fire)
Helps with: Reaches police, ambulance and fire services. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 112