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This vast protected
area stretches from Lake Natron (the breeding ground for East
Africa's flamingos) in the northeast, to Lake Eyasi in the
south, and Lake Manyara to the east. Eight million years ago,
the Ngorongoro Crater was an active volcano but its cone
collapsed, forming the crater that is 610 meters deep, 20
kilometers in diameter, and covers an area of 311 sq. km.
Spectacular as it is, the crater accounts for just a tenth of
the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The crater is home to many
species of wild game and birds. With the exception of impala and
topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and the
giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost
every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater,
including the endangered black rhino, and the densest population
of predators in Africa. A strange thing is that the crater
elephants are mainly bulls. The birdlife, which includes the
flamingo, is mainly seasonal, and is also affected by the ratio
of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor. Views
from the rim of the crater are sensational. On the crater floor,
grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and
mountains. You can descend to the floor of the crater in a
four-wheel drive vehicle. Only 4WD vehicles are allowed into the
crater and game rangers are compulsory for all.
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