A tour of Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

This is one of the world's most famous wild landscapes. The Ngorongoro crater is part of the larger Ngorongoro conservation area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Africa's 7 natural wonders. Some refer to it as nature's greatest Amphitheatre or Noah's Arc. The area is also known as the birth place of humanity.

The crater is the largest collapsed volcano cone in the world. The remaining crater is truly huge. In this photo I am standing on one edge of the crater, overlooking a crater inner field of 17 by 21 kilometers. Not only is this a geological marvel, it is also a wildlife marvel. Most of the animals living on the crater floor are somewhat stuck there. Birds and courageous mammals can escape, but most feel trapped. Although the crater floor is huge, it is also extremely flat. This brings some spectacular wildlife dynamics: predators and prey have few places to hide and are in constant eye contact. Try living, sleeping or raising young ones in such a place of constant threat.