THE PLACE
The world's largest intact volcanic caldera and a Big Five stronghold - lion, elephant, buffalo, and (with luck) black rhino, all concentrated in one bowl. The only member of the Big Five not found here is the giraffe, whose long legs can't manage the crater's steep walls.
QUICK FACTS
- CRATER FLOOR
- Roughly 260 km², about 20 km in diameter
- CRATER WALLS
- Drop some 600 meters to the floor
- FORMATION
- Roughly 2.5 to 3 million years ago
- CONSERVATION AREA
- About 8,292 km², UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979
- WILDLIFE
- An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 large animals year-round, including black rhino and one of the world's highest lion densities
- BEST VISITED
- Year-round. June to October brings the driest conditions
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