The Ngorongoro Conservation Area has an area of 8,300 km2, but its main attraction, the Ngorongoro Crater covers only 3% of that. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 and is often referred to as the "eighth wonder of the world". At 600 m deep and 18 km wide, it is probably the biggest natural amphitheatre on earth. You will first be struck by its vastness, and then by the diversity of its habitats, open grassland, lakes, swamps, and forested areas. Grass, water and shade, provide the ideal living conditions for a large number of large mammals (about 25,000 animals). This is one of the rarest place in Africa where you might see the famous "Big Five": buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. Unlike the national parks, the Maasai, who have been living there for centuries, are allowed to live in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.