10 Best Value Luxury Ngorongoro Crater Lodges & Camps

By Philip Briggs

A popular stop on Tanzania’s Northern safari circuit, Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and the centerpiece of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). In addition to being a spectacular scenic phenomenon, the crater supports astonishing quantities of wildlife, including all the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino).

Ngorongoro accommodations fall into two geographic categories. On the forested crater rim, a select handful of luxury lodges and camps offer great views and are convenient for morning game drives. Further afield, outside the NCA’s eastern boundary, a variety of mostly more affordable accommodations can be found around the town of Karatu.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

5,124 Ngorongoro Tours

1. Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

View over the Ngorongoro Crater from the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge terrace Ngorongoro Serena is a large, well-managed chain lodge with a great view over the crater

Serena Hotels operates six different properties on Tanzania’s Northern circuit, and all deliver when it comes to location, quality and relative affordability. The Ngorongoro Serena is no exception, with its spacious, centrally heated rooms and memorable setting in a forested valley overlooking the crater. Logistically, these are the closest accommodations to the main western descent road to the crater floor, which gives it a definite edge when it comes to early morning game drives.

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2. Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp

Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp suite A superb hybrid lodge/camp set in a magical forest on the inner wall of Ngorongoro Crater

Combining elements of a tented camp and a more conventional lodge, Lion’s Paw is an exceptionally comfortable camp with a setting that’s second to none. It stands in a gorgeous umbrella-thorn forest on the eastern crater rim, just inside the Lemala Gate, a location that’s perfect for early morning game drives. The 15 imaginatively designed suites have canvas walls, wooden floors and tiled roofs, a combination that has a genuine bush atmosphere but leaves you feeling less exposed than you might in a proper tent. The view over the crater and Lake Magadi is stunning.

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3. Kitela Lodge

View from the Kitela Lodge suite Enjoy cozy accommodations in a thatched cottage facing the forested slopes of the NCA

Situated on a working coffee plantation, Kitela Lodge lies only 500m/1640ft outside the NCA border and it offers wonderful views of Ngorongoro’s forested footslopes. The 20 thatched cottages here are super spacious, and decorated in muted tones that make them very easy on the eye. All units come with king-size beds, fitted nets, heaters (very welcome in this chilly highland climate) and wide wooden decks that look out onto a colorful garden. There’s also an inviting bar and restaurant, and a swimming pool with a view.

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4. The Retreat at Ngorongoro

Lit up fireplace at The Retreat at Ngorongoro room at dawn Good value, great amenities and a pretty setting make The Retreat a dependably popular choice

One of Ngorongoro’s best compromises between cost and comfort, this modern boutique lodge stands in large grounds that border the forests of the NCA. Cottages are large and well-equipped, and amenities include a swimming pool, gym, spa and jogging path.

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5. Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection

View over the Ngorongoro Crater from the Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection suite This luxurious crater-side lodge will appeal to those who place a premium on comfort and amenities

A relatively recent addition to the selection of lodges on Ngorongoro Crater rim, the 16-room Meliá is also the most conventionally luxurious offering in the vicinity. An impressive list of services and amenities includes a spa, gym, massage center, snack bar, à la carte restaurant and room service. The air-conditioned stylish rooms have a contemporary classic feel offset by colorful Maasai-influenced touches, and come with a mini-bar, modern bathroom and a breathtaking view over the crater. It has less of a bush atmosphere than many other places on the crater rim, but many will find the sense of solidity welcome on the cold and misty crater rim.

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6. The Highlands

The Highlands suite with a view Escape the crowds at this exclusive and innovative lodge on remote Olmoti Crater

There’s nothing formulaic about The Highlands. Built and managed by Asilia Africa, this exclusive Ngorongoro lodge has a wonderfully isolated location on the rim of the scenic Olmoti Crater, which lies in the northern NCA about an hour’s drive from Ngorongoro Crater. Accommodations are in eight stilted canvas-and-glass domed suites that offer sensational views over the forested walls of Olmoti Crater and are well-insulated to offset the chilly highland climate.

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7. Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro

One of the Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro cottages Classical facades and stylish interiors distinguish this popular hilltop lodge on a coffee estate

This stately lodge bordering the NCA is notable for its gabled facades and whitewashed exteriors, which recall the Cape Dutch architectural style associated with South Africa’s Winelands. It has a commanding hilltop setting on a coffee estate and the characterful split-level cottages come with king-size beds, roaring fireplaces and old-fashioned bathtubs.

Elewana The Manor Tours

8. &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

&Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge suite The eclectic decor and stunning crater rim location make this Ngorongoro’s most prestigious lodge

The most striking feature of most lodges on Ngorongoro’s rim is the view over the crater floor. Not so at &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. True, this perfectly sited property, which started life as a hunting lodge in the 1930s, offers utterly unforgettable views. But it’s the playful Maasai-meets-Versailles architecture and decor, with its mix of baroque, classical, African and colonial touches, that makes it unique. What’s more, the crater is a constant visual presence throughout the lodge, at least when the highland mist permits, and game drives are led by some of Tanzania’s most knowledgeable guides.

&Beyond Ngorongoro Tours

9. Ngorongoro Tented Camp

Ngorongoro Tented Camp tent A classic tented camp with a fine view through the forest to the crater floor

Ngorongoro Tented Camp is an exclusive Ngorongoro camp set in a fairy-tale forest inside Lemala Gate. The nine tents here are truly massive (each one contains two queen-size beds) and they’re also fitted with gas heaters and 24-hour solar power. You’ll love the dining tent, which evokes safaris of old with its beautiful wood and leather furnishings.

Ngorongoro Tented Camp Tours

10. Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp tent This tented camp on the forested crater rim is a great place to connect with the African bush

Ideal for those who don’t want to retreat behind bricks and mortar at the end of a day on safari, this luxurious Ngorongoro camp stands in the same enchanted forest as Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp and Ngorongoro Tented Camp. The chilly highland location is countered by a roaring campfire and the provision of gas heaters and electric blankets in the spacious tents. The location, a couple of kilometers inside the easterly Lemala Gate, is perfect for early morning game drives.