Overland region

Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara by 4x4: local guides and trips

The green floor and walls of the Ngorongoro Crater
Photo: William Warby from London, England, CC BY 2.0

This part of northern Tanzania gathers the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Ngorongoro Crater and the Olduvai Gorge, and the national parks of Lake Manyara, at the foot of the rift escarpment, and Tarangire, known for its elephants and baobabs. To the north the volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai and Lake Natron mark the Gregory Rift; to the south-west lies Lake Eyasi. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means the highlands around the crater, the plains of Olduvai and Ndutu, and towns like Karatu and Mto wa Mbu as bases. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

12 local guides and 37 trips in Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Ndutu Ndutu — Lake. Small seasonal soda lake in the southern Serengeti, surrounded by plains and woodland. From January to March wildebeest and zebras gather here to calve. -3.0033, 34.9970 · Google Maps
  2. Olduvai Gorge Olduvai Gorge — Gorge. A ravine about 48 km long on the eastern Serengeti plains, one of the most important sites for the study of early human evolution. Mary and Louis Leakey dug here. -2.9936, 35.3512 · Google Maps
  3. Lodoare Gate — Park. Entrance to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, south of the crater, with the visitors' reception centre. -3.2987, 35.5924 · Google Maps
  4. Ngorongoro Crater Ngorongoro Crater — Crater. The world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera: 610 m deep, with a 260 km² floor at 1,800 m. The conservation area has been a UNESCO site since 1979. -3.1766, 35.5788 · Google Maps
  5. Empakaai Crater Empakaai Crater — Crater. Caldera in the north-eastern highlands, 6 km wide with walls about 300 m high; a deep soda lake covers about three quarters of the floor. -2.9092, 35.8279 · Google Maps
  6. Ol Doinyo Lengai Ol Doinyo Lengai — Peak. Active volcano 16 km south of Lake Natron, the Maasai's "Mountain of God". Uniquely on Earth, it has erupted natrocarbonatite lava; big eruptions came in 2007–2008. -2.7640, 35.9140 · Google Maps
  7. Lake Natron Lake Natron — Lake. Highly alkaline salt lake in the Gregory Rift, up to 57 km long and 22 km wide, the only regular breeding area in East Africa for lesser flamingos. -2.4167, 36.0000 · Google Maps
  8. Engaruka — Archaeological site. Ruins of an Iron Age farming community built from the 15th century at the foot of the rift escarpment, with stone canals and terraces. Abandoned by the mid-18th century at the latest. -2.9830, 35.9500 · Google Maps
  9. Mto wa Mbu Mto wa Mbu — Town. "River of mosquitoes" in Swahili: a town midway between Karatu and Makuyuni, with lodges and camp sites for visitors to Lake Manyara; bananas are the main crop. -3.3500, 35.8500 · Google Maps
  10. Lake Manyara Lake Manyara — Lake. Shallow alkaline lake of 470 km² in the rift, below an escarpment about 600 m high. Its north-west quarter lies inside Lake Manyara National Park. -3.5833, 35.8333 · Google Maps
  11. Karatu Karatu — Town. Capital of Karatu District, between Lake Manyara, Lake Eyasi and the Ngorongoro Crater rim; the area is known in Tanzania for growing onions. -3.3387, 35.6733 · Google Maps
  12. Lake Eyasi Lake Eyasi — Lake. Shallow seasonal salt lake on the rift floor, south-west of the Ngorongoro Crater. It can almost dry up in the dry season; the Hadza, hunter-gatherers, live along its shores. -3.5924, 35.1280 · Google Maps
  13. Tarangire National Park Tarangire National Park — Park. About 2,850 km² in the Manyara Region, famous for its dense elephant population and its baobabs. In the dry season thousands of animals gather along the Tarangire River. -3.8333, 36.0000 · Google Maps

Local guides in Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara

Overland trips in Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara

Trips already run here

When to go

From June to November, the dry season, big herds gather in Tarangire. At Lake Manyara the long rains fall from March to May, with April the wettest month, and the short rains in November and December. From January to March the herds gather around Ndutu to calve.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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