Forget checkered picnic rugs and room-temperature potato salad – when it comes to alfresco dining, a picnic set within the world’s largest caldera takes the cake. In Tanzania, the Ngorongoro Crater sets the stage for some of nature’s most dramatic scenes — grumbling hippos peer out from permanent freshwater swamps, a lioness stalks a wildebeest in a thrilling hunt, and the critically endangered black rhino steps out of hiding to graze in the grasslands. Like a nature documentary come to life, observe Africa’s most beguiling wildlife in this World Heritage-listed wonderland.   

Uncover Millions of Years of Natural History 

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is so vast, it stretches from Serengeti National Park to the eastern reaches of the Great Rift Valley. The landscape shifts from highland plains to golden savanna, wildlife-rich wetlands and fever tree forests, concealing all sorts of wildlife, including the Big Five.  

Even more fascinating is the evidence of human evolution found within the conservation area, with fossilised footprints discovered in Laetoli that date back around 3.6 million years. Humans continue to reside around the Ngorongoro highlands: encounter the semi-nomadic Maasai people, who share the land with wildlife and preserve their culture through ceremony, dance and traditional clothing. 

Experience the Picnic of a Lifetime at Ngorongoro Crater 

There’s dinner and a show, and then there’s this. Before the sun reaches its summit and the day’s heat settles across the crater, a cool morning breeze welcomes you as you arrive at your perfect picnic perch overlooking the caldera and its daily wildlife soap opera. With fresh breakfast items gathered from your lodge, watch in wonder as a herd of elephants emerges from the thick forest en route to a waterhole, and hundreds of zebras graze.  

Feast on flavoursome sandwiches made using freshly baked bread. Buttery, flaky pastries that melt in your mouth. Fresh fruits that are equal parts sweet and tart. Juices, tea and coffee all at the ready to accompany your meal. All this and more — the delicious spread is the cherry on top of an experience of a lifetime. 

Discover a Wildlife Utopia 

If you’re a wildlife enthusiast, you’ve come to the right place. Ngorongoro Crater has been touted as one of greatest natural wonders on the planet, largely thanks to the role it plays in the Great Migration. This incredible annual event sees over two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelles move across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, following the rains towards lush grasslands and plentiful water sources. This yearly movement is so immense that the dense columns of wildebeest can even be seen from outer space. 

Beyond the Great Migration, Ngorongoro Crater is home to over 25,000 animals. The area’s fertile soil and permanent waterholes attract black-spotted hyenas, elephants, antelopes, and one of the world’s highest concentrations of lion prides. Keen birdwatchers can delight in spotting over 500 species of birds, from pink flamingos to ostriches and rainbow-hued Fischer’s lovebirds. On an exhilarating safari experience, you may spot these animals and more. 

Experience the wildlife wonderland of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater during a memorable picnic experience when you join Travelmarvel’s 14-day Kenya and Tanzania Adventure.