Crater Ngorongoro Lodge Wildlife Lodges

The Ngorongoro Crater has long been recognized as one of the best wildlife destinations in Africa - a must particularly if you haven't been on safari in Africa before. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and this alone (even without the wildlife) gives a visit to this area a wow factor that can really only be matched by places like the Grand Canyon.

Over the years, the popularity of Ngorongoro Crater has lead to large numbers of tourists visiting, to the extent that in recent years it has been all but impossible to avoid sharing your wildlife viewing with crowds. Needless to say this detracts somewhat from the experience. The problem is further compounded by the large lodges built to accommodate tourists on the Crater Rim (Ngorongoro Crater Lodge Ngorongoro Serena Lodge Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge). While these lodges are far from bad in themselves, it is difficult to achieve an intimate feeling in a lodge that caters for over 100 people at a time and we find that this is the one area of our safaris where it can be difficult to maintain the extremely high standards set by many of the small private safari camps throughout Tanzania.

So what are the options? If you are looking for luxury in and of itself then Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is very hard to beat. What's more, the lodge is cleverly divided up into three separate camps, so you never get the feeling of being in a large lodge. Access to the Crater for wildlife viewing (as from any of the other lodges on the rim) is good. If you cant afford the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or if you prefer something a little more low key, there are still two further options:

A Private Mobile Camp This is by far the best way to be in prime location for the crater and the wildlife, but not have to stay in a lodge. This way you can be totally alone, staying in private camping areas - either on the Crater Rim, or, as we often recommend, a wilderness location within easy reach of the crater. This gives you a chance to explore some of the remoter parts of the Ngorongoro Highlands as well as viewing the wildlife in the Crater itself.

One of the lodges in Karatu Karatu is a short distance from Ngorongoro (actually its on the lower slopes below the Crater on the eastern side) and is home to a few small and privately owned lodges. These are Plantation Lodge, Kifaru and Gibb's Farm. Staying at one of these lodges is quite different to most other safari lodges. Clearly none of them can compete when it comes to views into the Crater - they just don't have one, but the lodges are accessible to Ngorongoro (and Lake Manyara National Park so you can easily use this area as a base for your Ngorongoro wildlife safari. What you gain is excellent and friendly service in a small lodge and a chance to see what life in Tanzania (but outside the parks) is about.

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Ngorongoro - avoiding the crowds