Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of Africa’s most important wildlife areas and a bold experiment in multiple land use.  At its core is the world famous Ngorongoro Crater, a giant caldera in which the dramas of life on the African plains are played out each day by a diverse assemblage of large mammals – wildebeest, zebra, lion and rhino.  Beyond the crater rim, Maasai pastoralists herd their cattle across the plains, seemingly oblivious to the herds of wild animals sharing this vast landscape, the ‘endless plains’ of Serengeti. Lake-filled Empakaai crater and the active volcano of Ol Doinyo Lengai are nearby.  The area is also of great significance in tracing the origins of mankind with excavations in the Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli, resulting in discoveries of fossil remains of Homo habilis, and 3.5 million-year old human footprints.  As such, the area boasts the finest blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and archaeological sites in Africa.