Ngorongoro Crater Fees 2026
Ngorongoro Crater fees and NCAA tariffs for 2026
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the highlights of a northern Tanzania safari, and also one of the more expensive days of the trip. Below you will find the current fees set by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) for every visitor category, including the 18% VAT, together with an explanation of how they apply to a typical itinerary. All figures were last checked against the official NCAA tariff on 27 October 2026.
At a Glance
What a visit to Ngorongoro costs in 2026
Every visitor to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area needs an entry permit, which costs $70.80 per non-resident adult and $23.60 for children aged 5 to 15, while children under 5 enter free of charge. Each permit is valid for 24 hours and covers a single entry. To drive down into the crater itself, there is an additional crater service fee of $295.00, which is charged per vehicle rather than per person, so it is shared by everyone travelling together. If you spend the night inside the conservation area, an overnight fee also applies, at $59.00 per adult per night at a lodge or permanent tented camp, or $70.80 at a seasonal camp. All of these figures include VAT.
$70.80
Entry permit per adult, valid for 24 hours
$295.00
Crater service fee per vehicle
$59.00
Per adult per night at a lodge or permanent camp
$70.80
Per adult per night at a seasonal camp
These are the rates for non-residents. Expatriates living in Tanzania and East African citizens pay reduced rates on some fees, as shown in the full table below.
Why you may see different figures elsewhere
The NCAA publishes its tariff in two places. The tariffs page on its website, ncaa.go.tz, lists the fees with 18% VAT included, which is the amount you actually pay. Its online Safari Portal lists the same fees before VAT, so the adult entry fee appears there as $60 rather than $70.80. Because many travel websites copy one source or the other, and some round the figures or mix them up with Serengeti rates, it is common to see slightly different amounts quoted online.
The figures on this page are the VAT-inclusive amounts, and they match the amounts we pay for our guests' Ngorongoro permits. Please note that if a quote adds 18% VAT on top of these figures, the VAT has been counted twice. Our Tanzania park fees page explains how this happens and what to look for in a quote.
Full Tariff
NCAA fees by visitor category
The fee you pay depends on your nationality and residence status. Non-residents pay the standard rates in US dollars, expatriates living in Tanzania receive a reduced entry fee, and Tanzanian and East African citizens pay in Tanzanian shillings. In every category, children aged 5 to 15 pay the child rate, children under 5 are free, and visitors aged 16 and over pay the adult rate.
| Fee | Non-resident | Expatriate resident | Tanzanian or East African citizen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry, adult (16+)per person, valid for one entry within 24 hours | $70.80$60 before VAT | $35.40 | TZS 11,800about $4.37 |
| Entry, child (5 to 15)per person, valid for one entry within 24 hours | $23.60$20 before VAT | $11.80 | TZS 2,360about $0.87 |
| Lodge or permanent camp, adultper night inside the conservation area (concession fee) | $59.00$50 before VAT | $59.00 | TZS 35,400about $13.11 |
| Lodge or permanent camp, childper night inside the conservation area | $11.80$10 before VAT | $11.80 | TZS 11,800about $4.37 |
| Seasonal camp, adultper night at a seasonal or mobile camp, including the calving-season camps at Ndutu (special campsite fee) | $70.80$60 before VAT | $70.80 | TZS 17,700about $6.56 |
| Seasonal camp, childper night at a seasonal or mobile camp | $35.40$30 before VAT | $35.40 | TZS 8,850about $3.28 |
| Public campsite, adultper night | $35.40$30 before VAT | $35.40 | TZS 11,800about $4.37 |
| Public campsite, childper night | $11.80$10 before VAT | $11.80 | TZS 5,900about $2.19 |
| Crater service feeper vehicle, for each descent into the crater | $295.00$250 before VAT | $295.00 | TZS 11,800about $4.37 |
Expatriate residents. The NCAA defines expatriates as people living or working in Tanzania with valid immigration status, including their spouses and children. The reduced rate, shown in orange, applies to the entry fee only, and the overnight fees and crater service fee are charged at the non-resident rate.
Tanzanian and East African citizens. This category covers citizens of the East African Community member states. The crater service fee for citizens is also charged per vehicle. Shilling amounts include VAT, and the dollar equivalents are based on an exchange rate of TZS 2,700 to the dollar.
Vehicle permit. Each safari vehicle also needs a daily permit, which costs TZS 41,300 for a Tanzanian-registered vehicle of 2,001 to 3,000 kg, or $177.00 if the vehicle is registered abroad. On our safaris this is included in the vehicle cost and does not appear separately on your quote.
Would you like a quote that includes these fees?
Send us your dates and group size, and within 24 hours we will reply with a day-by-day plan and one price in US dollars, with no hidden costs.
Activities and Sites
Fees for Olduvai Gorge, walking safaris and other activities
The conservation area is much larger than the crater, and several of its other attractions carry their own fees, payable in addition to the entry permit. The rates below apply per person to both non-residents and expatriates, with the child rate covering ages 5 to 15 unless stated otherwise. Tanzanian and East African citizens pay shilling rates, which are listed on the NCAA tariffs page.
| Activity or site | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Olduvai Gorge and Shifting Sands | $35.40 | $11.80 |
| Laetoli footprints | $23.60 | $11.80 |
| Walking safari, 1 to 4 hoursChild rate covers ages 12 to 15 | $23.60 | $11.80 |
| Walking safari, over 4 hoursChild rate covers ages 12 to 15 | $29.50 | $17.70 |
| Endoro nature trail and elephant cavesChild rate covers ages 12 to 15 | $17.70 | $11.80 |
| Hot-air balloon, NCAA feeOne rate for everyone aged 8 and over | $39.53 | $39.53 |
| Sundowner | $5.90 | $2.36 |
| Horse ridingAges 16 and over only | $11.80 | n/a |
| Mountain bikingAges 16 and over only | $17.70 | n/a |
Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important early human sites in the world, is the easiest of these to add to a safari, as it lies a short detour from the main road between the crater and the Serengeti. Please note that the balloon fee shown above is the NCAA's fee only, and the balloon flight itself is priced separately by the balloon company. Our guide to the Ngorongoro highlands describes Olduvai, Empakaai, Olmoti and the other sites in more detail.
Two further fees are charged per vehicle rather than per person. A permit to serve a hot lunch inside the crater, meaning a meal prepared at a lodge or camp and served warm, costs $23.60, and a visit to a cultural boma costs $20.00. The NCAA tariff has no fee for packed lunch boxes.
How the fees work on a typical itinerary
The tariff gives the price of each permit, but the total for your trip depends on how many permits you need, where you spend the night and how often you go down into the crater. These are the points that make the biggest difference.
Each permit is valid for 24 hours and one entry
An entry permit is valid for 24 hours from the time you enter and covers a single entry into the conservation area. If you arrive in the afternoon, spend the night at a lodge on the crater rim and go down into the crater early the next morning, one permit at $70.80 per adult will usually cover your whole visit, provided you leave before it expires. If you leave the conservation area, for example to spend the night in Karatu, you will need a new permit when you return, even if the first one still has a few hours left.
Where you stay affects the overnight fee
Lodges and permanent tented camps inside the conservation area charge a concession fee of $59.00 per adult per night, while seasonal and mobile camps charge a special campsite fee of $70.80. Karatu, about 30 minutes from the Loduare gate, lies outside the conservation area, so no overnight fee applies there. Staying in Karatu does, however, mean buying a new entry permit when you drive back in for the crater.
The crater service fee is charged per vehicle
The crater service fee of $295.00 covers one descent into the crater for one vehicle, whether there are two people on board or six. It is charged for each descent rather than for each night you spend in the area, so a second visit to the crater on another day is charged again.
The road to the Serengeti crosses the conservation area
The main road from Arusha to the Serengeti passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, so every road safari to the Serengeti includes an entry permit, even if you do not go down into the crater. This is one reason why many itineraries combine the crater visit with the drive to or from the Serengeti.
Ndutu is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ndutu plains, where the wildebeest herds give birth each year between January and March, lie inside the conservation area rather than in Serengeti National Park. A stay at Ndutu therefore carries Ngorongoro fees: the $70.80 entry permit plus $70.80 per adult per night at a seasonal camp, or $59.00 at a permanent lodge or camp. The boundary with the national park is not fenced, and on any day your game drive crosses into Serengeti National Park, a Serengeti entry fee also applies, at $82.60 per adult for most of the year and $70.80 between 15 March and 15 May.
Expatriate residents pay a reduced entry fee
Expatriates living or working in Tanzania pay $35.40 instead of $70.80 for the entry permit. All other fees, including the overnight fees and the crater service fee, are charged at the non-resident rate. For example, two expatriate residents visiting the crater on a day trip from Karatu pay $365.80 in fees, compared with $436.60 for two non-residents.
Examples
What the fees come to on four common itineraries
The examples below show the government fees only, including VAT. Accommodation, the vehicle and your guide are additional. The second and third examples show why, if you are coming from the Serengeti, a night on the crater rim can work out cheaper in fees than a night in Karatu.
Crater day trip from Karatu
2 non-resident adults, arriving from Arusha or Tarangire
| Entry permits$70.80 × 2 | $141.60 |
| Crater service fee$295.00 × 1 descent | $295.00 |
| Total fees | $436.60 |
Karatu is outside the conservation area, so there is no overnight fee and one permit covers the day.
From the Serengeti, with a night on the crater rim
2 non-resident adults, entering from the Serengeti in the afternoon and leaving within 24 hours
| Entry permits$70.80 × 2 | $141.60 |
| Lodge concession fee$59.00 × 2 × 1 night | $118.00 |
| Crater service fee$295.00 × 1 descent | $295.00 |
| Total fees | $554.60 |
One permit covers the drive in, the night on the rim and the crater visit the next morning.
From the Serengeti, with a night in Karatu
2 non-resident adults on the same route, staying outside the conservation area
| Entry permits, drive to Karatu$70.80 × 2 | $141.60 |
| Entry permits, return for the crater$70.80 × 2 | $141.60 |
| Crater service fee$295.00 × 1 descent | $295.00 |
| Total fees | $578.20 |
Leaving for Karatu ends the first permit, so a second one is needed for the crater. On this route, staying in Karatu costs $23.60 more in fees than staying on the rim, before the difference in lodge prices.
Ndutu in February, three nights at a seasonal camp
2 non-resident adults, with one game drive across the Serengeti boundary
| Entry permits$70.80 × 2 × 3 permits | $424.80 |
| Special campsite fee$70.80 × 2 × 3 nights | $424.80 |
| Serengeti entry, peak season$82.60 × 2 × 1 day | $165.20 |
| Total fees | $1,014.80 |
If you arrive in the afternoon and leave in the morning, three nights require three permits rather than four.
How to check the Ngorongoro fees on a safari quote
We recommend asking any operator to show park fees as separate lines rather than a single total, so that you can check them against the figures above. These are the points worth looking at:
- The number of permits. Two nights on the crater rim, arriving in the afternoon and leaving in the morning, usually requires two permits per person. A night in Karatu between the Serengeti and the crater requires a second permit for the crater visit.
- Overnight fees. If you are staying on the rim or at Ndutu and the quote shows only an entry fee, the overnight fee is either missing or has been included in the lodge rate, which is worth confirming with your operator.
- The crater service fee. This should appear once for each descent into the crater, so two nights on the rim with one crater visit means a single fee of $295.00 per vehicle.
- VAT. The figures on this page already include 18% VAT, so there should be no separate VAT line added to the park fees.
Every Saleh Safaris quote includes these fees in one price, and we break them down on request so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ngorongoro fees
Related pages
Tanzania park fees 2026
Entry and overnight fees for the Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, and how they are calculated.
Ngorongoro Crater safari guide
Wildlife, the best time to visit and what to expect on a day in the crater.
Calving season safari
A private itinerary for Ndutu and the crater between January and March.
Tanzania safari cost 2026
A full breakdown of what a private safari costs, including park fees.
Sources and Maintenance
Where these figures come from
The NCAA can change its fees without notice, and neither of its tariff pages shows a validity date. All figures on this page include VAT and were checked against both pages on the date below.
- NCAA tariffs and fees (Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, VAT included, checked 27 October 2026)
- NCAA Safari Portal, price tariff (the same fees before VAT, checked 27 October 2026)
- Saleh Safaris park permit payments and lodge fee sheets (operator observation: every NCA fee matches the official VAT-inclusive figure)
Plan your Ngorongoro visit with us
Let us know your travel dates and where you would like to stay, and we will send you a quote that lists every permit, overnight fee and crater fee separately.