Why Ngorongorto crater becomes the famous tourist destination centre in Africa

The Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s only wildlife filled with unbroken caldera has emerged the top tourism revenue source, raking in over 100bn/-, annually. According to Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) Conservator, Dr Fred Manongi, so far Ngorongoro, one of the World Heritage Sites, tops other attractions and national parks in the country, receiving some 600,000 tourists per year. The 102bn/- collected in the 2016/17 fiscal year has set a historical record, said Dr Manongi, noting that in the 2015/16 year, the authority collected 70bn/-, a slight increase from the previous year’s 60bn/-.Ngorongoro has therefore beaten Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, Africa’s highest peak, whose revenues are estimated at slightly over 80bn/- per annum. “We’ve almost doubled our collec tions in just two years... credits go to the government, which has successfully promoted the country’s tourism potential abroad, leading to an influx of foreign visitors here,” said Dr Manongi. A recent move to collect gate and concession fees through Electronic Payment System, replacing the old analogue cash-in-hand modes of transaction, has also contributed to increased revenues. 

Dr.Manongi being interviewed by TBC crew

Dr Manongi said the NCAA will further ensure that conservation of flora and fauna remains the top priority in the area, the only location on earth where the endangered and rare black rhinos roam freely. Ngorongoro, which shares the Serengeti eco-system with Maswa Game Reserve, Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara, features a number of attractions, including three craters; the main Ngorongoro, Empaakai and  Olmoti Craters. With over 65 lions, Ngorongoro boasts of the highest concentration of the big cats, 500 hyenas, abundant wildebeests, buffaloes, including the rare white buffalo, flamingos, elephants, hippos in the crater lake, large snakes, warthogs and zebras. Ngorongoro Crater is the only place where all the bigfive -- Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes and Rhinos can be seen in a single game drive in less than two hours. Giraffes are on the other hand found up on the caldera rim. Unlike other national parks, Ngorongoro is a controlled conservation area operating as multi-use and unique location combining the protection of wildlife while also allowing human habitation, strictly for the native Maasai.