Ngorongoro Crater is high on almost every list of best safari destinations in Africa. The crater is the most famous part of Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) which is located just east of Serengeti National Park. This is a very popular destination. The crater itself is not very large, just 20km in diameter so typically a safari inside of the crater is a half-day event. But inside that half-day almost every African plains safari animal might be seen excepting giraffe and oryx (a large antelope). This is one of the few destinations where spotting all of the "Big Five" - elephants, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard are possible in one day. This destination has very reliably good safari viewing year-round. Because the crater is not very big, it is a fragile ecosystem, so several restrictions are in place to help preserve it. One is that there is an extra conservation fee for each vehicle that descends into the crater ($295 tax included - this price will be already factored into any price quote that we give you), making this a more expensive destination. Another restriction is that the crater is open for visitors only from 6am until 6pm. This means that there are no accommodations inside of the crater. There are several excellent lodges and tented camps perched the the top of the 600m crater wall with great views. There is also a public campsite not far from the crater.
Besides the crater itself, the NCA includes Olduvai Gorge - an important paleoantropologial site made famous by the research of Doctors Louis and Mary Leakey done here. Many find a visit to the museum located here to be very interesting. Olduvai Gorge is located 50km to the west of Ngorongoro Crater.
Inside of the NCA is also an excellent Maasai village that can be visited. You can learn about the traditional Maasai way of life, enter inside a enkaji (Maasai house), join them in song and dance, and compare your jumping skills.
The location of Ngorongoro makes it a good destination for a 2 - 3 day safari that might also include Tarangire or Lake Manyara National Parks. Most all safaris visiting the Serengeti will pass through Ngorongoro Conservation Area (but through the crater). Stopping for a day to visit the crater therefore is almost always part of a Serengeti safari itinerary.
