History: Initially Ngorongoro was part of Serengeti National Park.  However, in 1959 the Conservation Area was established to accommodate the needs of Maasai people who are traditionally pastoralists and main residents of the area. Today local people (especially Maasai) are allowed to graze and settle within the area. 

General: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the largest area in the northern part of Tanzania; once was volcanic terrain: from the rift valley escarpment and lakes, and still active Oldoinyo Lengai Mountain. The area stretches from Lake Natron in the Northeast, to Lake Eyasi Escarpment in the south west, Gregory Rift Valley to the east and Serengeti Plains in the west. 

The area comprises of several great geological and natural topographical features attract and fascinate many tourists visiting the Ngorongoro, blended with cultures of the tribes (Masai, Tindiga and Hadzabe) living in and the surrounding areas:-

The Crater Highlands: A chain of volcanic peaks and depressions, which form the topographical backbone of Ngorongoro and provide some of its finest views and scenery.

Ngorongoro Crater: the largest unbroken caldera in the world which is unflooded. The crater is home for up to 25000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, cheatah, leons, and warthog.

Empakai and Olmoti Craters: These are two other craters within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which share the ecosystem with the Ngorongoro crater.  provide breathtaking views from the rim and amazing sceneries like Munge River water fall and caldera.

Olduvai Gorge: is a deep erosion scar on the eastern edge of the Serengeti ecosystem. It runs from Lake Ndutu to the Olbalbal swamp and depression just west of the Ngorongoro Crater; a gorge that houses the fossils the earliest living man.