The open grassland across the floor is where lion prides, spotted hyena clans, zebra and wildebeest concentrate, and where the crater's famous density is most obvious. Lions here are habituated to vehicles to a degree that surprises people.

The Lerai Forest, a stand of yellow-barked fever trees in the south, is the best ground for elephant — often big old bulls with heavy tusks — and one of the most reliable areas for black rhino at the start of the day, before they move out onto the plain.

Lake Magadi, the shallow soda lake at the centre, holds flamingos in numbers that swing with water levels and season: sometimes a pink band across the shallows, sometimes almost none. The surrounding marsh and the Munge stream draw hippo and a long list of waterbirds.

Black rhino are the crater's speciality and are usually distant — bring binoculars, and be sceptical of any guide who promises a close view. Descend as early as the gate allows: the first hours are the coolest, the quietest and the best for rhino before the vehicle traffic builds.

Practicalities

Vehicles are limited to a six-hour visit on the crater floor, enforced by rangers, and descent and ascent use designated routes rather than a single road. Fees are charged in several parts — a conservation area fee per person plus a separate crater service fee per vehicle — and rates change, so confirm the current schedule with your operator rather than relying on older figures.

One thing that distinguishes Ngorongoro from a national park: it is a conservation area, not a park, and Maasai pastoralists live and graze cattle within it alongside the wildlife. Seeing herders on the crater rim is not an intrusion on the landscape — it is a deliberate part of how this place is governed.