Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater would be a remarkable sight even if it were empty of animals. Formed when the volcano collapsed in on itself following an enormous eruption some 2.5 million years ago, it’s the world’s largest intact caldera, measuring 10 to 12 miles across. Its rugged walls soar up to 2,000ft, encircling seasonal swamps, permanent springs, a shallow soda lake, a forest of yellow fever trees and open grassy plains. But it isn’t devoid of life. On the contrary, the crater supports one of the densest concentrations of large mammals on the continent: black rhinos, wallowing hippos, big tuskers, vast herds of zebra and wildebeest, along with large numbers of attendant predators — chances of seeing lion and hyena are high. There are no lodges within the crater…