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All gates to the NCA open at 06:00 hours and close at 18:00 hours every day. Gates to the Ngorongoro Crater open from 6:00 hours to 16:00 hours every day.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area has several gates used to gain entry to the area. The main entry gate is Loduare gate, located 14km from Karatu town, where you can access almost all the main attractions found in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Other entry points are Naabi gate, located at the border of Serengeti and the NCA, and the Endoro gate located 5km from Karatu and close to Gibbs farm, where you can access Endoro waterfalls and the Elephant caves, attractions nestled in the Northern Highland Forest Reserve of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Another gate is located at Nasera Rock on the border to Loliondo and close to Olduvai Gorge.
Visitors are encouraged to process payment prior to their visit. The mode of payment is online. We accept Visa and Master Cards, and bank and telecommunication money services such as T-Pesa, Mpesa, Halopesa, Airtelmoney, Tigopesa and Ezy Pesa.
The Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) and United States Dollar (USD) currencies are both acceptable for payment in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Swahili is Tanzania’s national language and is widely spoken by most locals. Among the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, the staff speak English and a few are conversant with French, Russian, Chinese, Italian and Spanish.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area, with rangers guarding all entry points and other points of the area 24 hours 7 days a week. CCTV cameras are also placed in designated areas within the Conservation Area. There is also a police station.
Health facilities within the NCA, include: Endulen hospital, dispensaries - Ngorongoro, Olbabal, Nainokanoka, Ormekeke and Osinoni - which are supplied with medical professionals who can attend visitors in case of health emergencies. Nearby healthy centres outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area include Karatu district hospitals, the Lutheran mission hospital and FAME health centre. The health centres provide good healthcare with health experts and facilities. In the case of emergencies, NCAA provides ambulance motor vehicle services within the area, to provide a quick transfer of patients to major hospitals nearby for further observation and treatment.
There is much variation in the weather within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, mainly because of the difference in altitude. Temperatures vary from 3oc to 35oc. Normally, temperatures are always lower along the rim of the craters than on the crater floor and usually the night time temperatures are cold. The coldest months are from June to August. The wet season is from November to May, and the dry season is from June to October.
Visitors are advised to dress comfortably. Loose-fitting tank tops and t-shirts with jackets or hoodies are better on cooler days. Visitors are advised to carry sweaters and cotton made clothes, since most parts of Ngorongoro Conservation Area are cold, except for the period of summer when the area gets warm.
When visiting the area, one will be able to enjoy the lifestyle of the Hadzabe, Datoga and Maasai people especially their music and the traditional dances usually performed for visitors.
There are many curio shops around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and outside the area. Some curio shops can be found along the highways from Arusha to Ngorongoro, at the entry gates, lodges, tented - camps and within Maasai Bomas. The curio shops sell various delightful items created by skilled craftsmen, wood carvings, traditional ornaments or handcrafted jewellery.
At all points of contact, have dedicated staff of Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority providing outstanding customer service to guests. All responses to the questions, needs and requests of guests are professional and timely handled. Visitors are encouraged to reach out to staff for assistance at any time.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is accessible by road and air. The nearest international airport to Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), while the nearest local airports are Arusha Airport in Arusha and Manyara Airport in Manyara. The NCA has two airstrips located within its territory, the Ngorongoro Airstrip located adjacent to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Ndutu Airstrip in the Ndutu area. • KIA to NCA – 227.3km • Arusha Airport to NCA -173.8km • Manyara Airport to NCA – 74km
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entry fee, motor vehicle, crater fee etc
what is your experience at NCAA
chat with our representative