Ngorogoro crater (3°09’42.31”S 35°35’15.61”E) is actually a caldera, according to our extremely knowledgeable guide, Baraka. The caldera is a National Park, and the area that surrounds the caldera is a Conservation Area. This means that the Maasai can live and graze their cattle outside the caldera, but hunting is not allowed.

Ngorogoro Crater

Since 2009 the government has prohibited them from grazing in the caldera itself.This is one of the many compromises that have been made (mostly by the Maasai) to protect the animals inside the caldera. If you talk to Maasai about this (as we were able to do at a later date) you understand that it is not a perfect solution.

The caldera floor is about 100 square miles, almost 6,000’ above sea level, and a little less than 2,000’ below the rim.