Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania is one of the most special places for a game drive in the world. Once a massive volcano rivalling the tallest in Africa today, the cone collapsed on itself 2-3 million years ago, creating the largest intact volcano caldera in the world.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an amazing place to go on a game drive with your kids. There are approximately 25,000 large animals living inside the volcanic crater, including one of the most dense populations of lions in the world.
We were lucky to go on a full-day game drive in Ngorongoro with our kids. We were awestruck by the beauty of the natural setting, the many varied ecosystems and the seemingly non-stop parade of amazing African animals to discover.
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Read on to learn more about our visit to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with kids.
Arrival Day in Ngorongoro
After two magical days on safari in the Serengeti with our kids, we crossed the border between the two Tanzanian national parks and entered Ngorongoro. Our safari driver took the roof down on our Toyota Landcruiser and we closed all our windows. All the roads in Tanzania so far have been very dusty, but the main road into Ngorongoro was incredibly dusty (and bumpy!)
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The Serengeti was another incredible place for a family safari experience in Tanzania! Get all the details in our post on visiting Serengeti National Park with kids.
Olduvai Gorge Site
Our only stop in Ngorongoro on our arrival day was at the Olduvai Gorge Site, one of the most important fossil sites in the world. It’s so important that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After driving for hours over very flat grassland, we were stunned when we entered the site and walked to the viewing platform for the gorge – it was huge! We sure didn’t expect to see that!
We sat down in the amphitheatre as a guide explained the history of the gorge. They have found multiple species of pre-humans in this gorge, their remains trapped in many distinct soil layers. The earliest hominoids found in the Olduvai Gorge date back over 3 million years.
After hearing the fascinating history of humankind in this area, we took a walk through the museum. The various rooms highlighted the size of each of the groups of pre-humans and highlighted the tools they used.
The Olduvai Gorge Museum was really well designed as it clearly showed the progression of human evolution. It was amazing to see how little the earliest species were and how simple their tools were. Comparing this to the most recent species (homo sapiens), with our much bigger bodies and bigger brains, and our much more refined tools.
We like to mix some culture and education into our family trips. A visit to the Olduvai Gorge Site is the perfect educational activity to enjoy during a family trip to Ngorongoro.
Recommended Tour
Being such an important archeological site for humankind, you can visit the Olduvai Gorge on many of these safari tours in Tanzania.
Day 2 – Full Day Ngorongoro Game Drive
Entering Ngorongoro Crater
We set our alarms early today to be on the road by 6:30 am for our full-day game drive in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It was a bit of a drive from our safari camp to the national park gates, but we were lucky enough to see some African animals along the way, including a giraffe about 1 minute from our camp. This was lucky as giraffes are not found within the crater!
On our drive up to the rim of the caldera, we entered the clouds and unfortunately could not see into the caldera from the top. That’s ok though, as we quickly descended below the clouds and got a really good elevated view of the caldera floor anyways. It’s massive! The Ngorongoro crater measures over 19 km in diameter and is over 600 m deep!
Our driver stopped our safari truck as there was a flock of guinea fowl on the road. We stood up to have a look, and something caught my eye… it was a small cat!
We couldn’t believe our luck – we spotted a very rare serval cat hunting guinea fowl on our way into the caldera! As happens with skittish cats, the serval cat quickly dashed into the long grass and disappeared.
Ngorongoro Game Drive on the Crater Floor
Once we reached the caldera floor, we started searching for Tanzanian wildlife. There were sun rays breaking through the clouds and the beautiful setting was on full display.
We passed a small herd of gazelles, when we spotted a lion in the grass. Our driver stopped in a spot giving us a good vantage point and we quickly realized there were more than one lion – in fact there were seven lions, including several juvenile males.
At first, they were all lying down, but one-by-one they got up and walked towards the road. The fur of the lions was glowing in the morning sun as they crossed the road and walked into the tall grass on the other side.
We could hardly believe the amazing start to our family game drive in the Ngorongoro crater. A serval cat and 7 lions right off the bat!
We passed by an ostrich on our way to the lake shore. When we arrived at the water, we were so absorbed by the white juvenile flamingos in the water, that we nearly missed seeing the pod of 11 hippos in the water nearby!
With so much water, there is an abundance of amazing birdlife in the Ngorongoro crater. As we took in the scene, we saw full-grown pink flamingos, pelicans and even some yellow billed storks.
Continuing our game drive along the shores of the lake, we passed yet another ostrich. Then we saw a commotion in the water just offshore – it turns out there were four hippos fighting for territory. Our kids always love seeing real African wildlife scenes – it was pretty cool!
No matter where you go in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, chances are good you’ll be looking at a mixed herd of wildebeest and zebras. They are literally everywhere in the crater. Eventually they almost blend into the background, but try to appreciate them – they really add a true African savannah feeling to the game drive.
Next we passed a magnificent male lion with a full, bushy mane. Our guide told us he was likely very old due to the size of his mane. Sadly, the lion was sound asleep, so we didn’t stay long.
Still close to the lakeshore, we stopped to admire a beautiful scene with a herd of waterbuck standing in a marsh. There were a ton of birds around including some interesting ibis and egrets.
It was a truly beautiful scene and we stayed and watched for quite a while. Eventually we left, but as we pulled away, Celine noticed that the waterbuck were sprinting full speed through the shallow water. This wasn’t playful running – it was panic! Then we saw the lioness…
Our driver immediately threw our 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser into reverse and put us in a great position to watch the show. Although we only saw one lioness at first, it turns out there was a pack of seven lionesses out hunting. You can just see their crouched hunting stance as they glid through the tall grass.
Eventually, the lionesses gave up on the waterbuck, but then something amazing happened. The lions walked right over to the stream that was in front of our truck and started drinking. They were so close and were staying so long, we simply couldn’t believe it.
Then they started jumping over the stream, which was an amazing sight! Seeing the lions leap through the air is something right out of National Geographic. Our kids loved it!
Then, the lions passed our truck and sat on a pile of rocks, just 10 feet away. This was starting to feel surreal, having so much luck on the African wild cats so early in our Ngorongoro family game drive. The big beautiful cats stayed on the rocks for quite a while before getting up and walking into the distance through the tall grass.
Wow – what an experience! Ngorongoro is known for it’s healthy lion population, but I never imagined we’d have such an incredible encounter!
Our next major sighting was an elephant and a black rhino way off in the distance. They were just little dots, but the black rhinos are a critically endangered species, so it was pretty lucky to see one, even from afar.
We stopped in the middle of a massive wildebeest herd. Many of the young ones were going a little crazy – stampeding all around, jumping, zig-zagging and just causing trouble. We loved watching this natural spectacle, and our kids thought it was crazy fun!
Then Celine noticed two hyenas lurking in the background. Hyenas are always an exciting find as they look like African villains, just as they are portrayed in the Lion King. We watched the hyenas closely, but they eventually got bored and left the wildebeest herd.
We just kept seeing amazing birdlife including more pink flamingos, lots of grey crown cranes, and several kori bustards (one of my African birds!)
We enjoyed a packed lunch from our safari camp at a natural spring with many hippos in the water. It’s a fun & popular spot to stop for lunch in Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
We passed a family of grey crown cranes before seeing our first water buffalos of the day. Then our driver led us into the only forested area of the Ngorongoro crater, where we saw two large elephants grazing on the lush vegetation.
We then spent the next hour or so stuck in a massive rhino jam. Rhinos are the hardest of the classic African animals to see in the park, so a rhino sighting always draws a huge crowd.
When it was our turn to see the rhinos, we got a good view, although they were pretty far away. It’s always very exciting to see rhinos, but it was a big time investment.
Once we finally got out of the rhino jam, we saw a few more forest elephants on our way to the exit. Once on the exit road, we came across a huge male elephant drinking water from a puddle on the side of the road. They are such beautiful, gentle giants – getting a chance to see them drink up close is simply amazing. It was the perfect way to end a highly successful family game drive in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
All told, we saw four of the African Big 5, with the leopard being the only one of the Big 5 who eluded us today. We had some truly incredible wild cat encounters, which will rank amongst the best of our entire family safari vacation to Tanzania & Kenya.
Where we Stayed – Embalakai Camp Ngorongoro
Staying in a safari camp is a great accommodation choice for a family safari vacation. We stayed at several safari camps during our family safari vacation to Kenya & Tanzania and we highly recommend this adventurous accommodation option.
For our family trip to Ngorongoro, we stayed at the Embalakai Camps, not far from the famous volcano crater. We stayed in a large family tent, which had a queen sized bed and two single beds – perfect for our family of four.
We stayed at the Embalakai Camps on a full board meal plan. The buffet food was delicious and they had enough selection that our picky kids had full tummies each night.
Our tent was right on the edge of the wilderness, and we could hear the call of wildlife as we fell asleep each night. Thankfully, Maasai staff members provide animal security for guests and will escort us around the property in the dark, as required.
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Ngorongoro Conservation Area was just one stop on our family trip to Tanzania. Follow along to our next stop when we went on a night safari in Lake Manyara National Park with kids.
A Printable Ngorongoro Safari Scavenger Hunt
To help make your family safari even more fun, we’ve designed this printable scavenger hunt for kids! Designed for ages 5 – 12, this scavenger hunt turns your game drive into an exciting mission to spot 20 real animals found in Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Your kids can check off animals, follow location hints, and track their points to earn a safari rank – like Rookie Ranger or Legendary Wildlife Guide!
Each 8 page Ngorongoro Conservation Area Scavenger Hunt includes:
- 20 safari animals found in the Ngorongoro with fun location hints.
- Points-based game with a 4-level scoring chart.
- Checklist format with space to write scores.
- Fun facts about Ngorongoro and its animals.
- Color + black & white versions included (4 pages each).
- 8.5″ x 11″ printable PDF.
Our Ngorongoro Conservation Area scavenger hunt is the perfect activity for your family safari. Your kids will love it!
More KENYA SCAVENGER HUNTS
If your family vacation to Tanzania takes you beyond Ngorongoro Conservation Area, check out the rest of our printable Africa Safari Scavenger Hunts!
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 58 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).