Reviews of Lemala Ngorongoro

"We disembarked from the small 12-seater Cessna and were met by our driver / guide Nurdin. We left the Lake Manyara Airstrip with Nurdin in an enclosed Toyota Landcruiser and headed to the Ngorongoro Crater on the asphalt two-lane road called B144. It’s been six days since we’ve seen a paved road. It’s in pretty good shape too (not that many potholes). Going down the road about thirteen kilometers we passed by Rhotia which is a ward or neighborhood (not a town with typical services) which I guess is a step up from a collection of buildings along the highway. Less than ten kilometers farther down the road we entered the town of Karatu which is the biggest town in the area - so all the small areas including the airstrip are considered a part of Karatu.

We talked to Nurdin about the incomplete houses seen along the way. Nurdin explained that Tanzanians would acquire the land and start building a house based on how much money they have saved up for certain stages and also based on what the owner could do himself. So, several of the unfinished houses were at the roofing stage or window stage as these stages required more resources (specialized labor and money). Sometimes, Nurdin said it took ten years to finish their house. Much different than western built housing.

Another 20 minutes or sixteen kilometers later we arrive at the Lodoare Gate – the entrance to the, Ngorongoro Crater conservation area. We pick up our permit, pay some fees and take some pictures and were off next to the viewpoint. This six-kilometer ascent to the rim should take only fifteen minutes, but the traffic was very heavy requiring everyone to slow down while passing. The road is also very bumpy, and we must close the truck windows every time we pass someone (It is hot out and opening the windows is the only source of fresh air for us). Nurdin showed us all along the road where we drove next to the crater there were holes and scrapes in the hard dirt of the mountain side. Nurdin said it was from the elephants scraping the minerals out that they need for their diet. We pull off the B144 road at the top of the crater rim at the viewpoint parking lot and get out. The view is truly spectacular, offering a panoramic vista of the crater's dry plains, the Lerai Forest, and Lake Magadi. We could make out the opposite rim through the haze and the lake too. We were able to make out a couple of elephants in the distance on the caldera floor. [The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera. It's nineteen kilometers across and over twenty-six thousand hectares in area (12 miles across and 102 square miles in area)].

We piled back into the Land Cruiser and headed east around the rim on Henry Fosbrooke Road and stopped at the Lemala mini gate traveling about ten kilometers. Boy! is this road is extremely rough and bumpy, Nurdin drove a little faster than the road from the gate due to less traffic. We understood that driving a the little faster actually smoothed out some of the bumps, but we felt a little sorry for the truck’s suspension and our back sides too. Not sure how long it took, but it seemed like a long time (maybe close to 45 minutes). We checked in at the mini gate and then drove about five minutes on Lemala Ascent Descent Road to Lodge, Lemala Ngorongoro. We couldn’t believe how tired we were from the severe jarring ride into the caldera!

We were met at the lodge by the GM (we think) named Praise God (it took us a few tries to understand this). Praise God went over the camp layout and introduced us to our room steward Zumo. Our tent was next to the main lodge. We were in a family tent for only one day, so don’t unpack. ☹ We’ll have to move to another tent the next day. It is a fully tented camp, so the accommodations are actual tents. The camp is considerably more rustic than the other six lodges we’ve been to. The tents are in a nice location tucked under a grove of acacia trees. The first thing that greets you on entering your tent is a coffee table, which forms part of a lounge area including a comfy sofa, and a writing desk complete with a lamp. The sofa backs onto the bed, flanked by a couple of explorer’s chests (with an extra blanket and comforter) functioning as bedside luggage storage or tables. There are rugs on the floor (nice at night on the cold toes, and a gas heater provides some necessary warmth during the chillier night. The crater can be cold at night due to the altitude. We only ran our heater until we were ready for bed, instead relying on the extra comforter and hot water bottles. Each tent’s ensuite washroom comprises flush toilet (taking 5 to 7 minutes to refill – so be forewarned), washbasin with vanity and mirror, and walk-in shower. The shower is a "Talking Shower" meaning your steward obtains heated water and brings it to you while they stand outside your tent to ensure the temperature is warm enough. It can be a little off-putting, but it is certainly an interesting experience. This family tent also had some issues with it being directly in line for the smoke coming from the campfire in the open area. We had to close all the flaps on the tent to try to keep it out and stay comfortable.

The lounge and dining areas are in the main tent, which also has a veranda where you can enjoy great forest views. There are comfortable sofas, armchairs, and campaign chairs around coffee tables and explorer’s chests. There is a campfire, where guides and guests can share stories of their safari day – unfortunately the smoke came right through our tent. At least the fire dies out after dinner. We did bush breakfasts which were very good. The lunch was good, especially the soup of the day. Dinner was ok although one night we had pork chops, and it was more chop than pork. The language barrier was the most severe of the seven lodges we visited on safari. Figuring out who to talk to when there were several staff by you was a bit of a challenge. One time, we ran out of butter and after our attendant conferred with many associates, and then he just took the butter from someone else’s table. On our last day, we asked if we could have a cup of hot chocolate as it was still chilly outside, and this seemed to baffle them. We let it drop as we never figured out if they didn’t have any or knew what it was. Not a big deal, just a little disappointed. We ate bush lunches and for the most part it was good, but we were never sure it the main entrée was a leftover from the previous day or that was all they could serve as we had it two days in a row. Weird.

We left camp and took the very rough road back to the Lodoare Gate in dense fog. It’s so much better zipping down the rough road when you cannot see more than a couple of truck lengths ahead of you. We later learned that there was an opportunity to visit the souvenir shop at the gate, Nurdin didn’t bring it up even though we talked about stopping along the way to the airstrip if we had time. At the gate, Nurdin gave us a locally made woven thatch box. We thought it was a nice gesture as a sendoff gift. The box contained a big handful of loose peanuts (we are big fans of the peanuts from Africa) although we figured out at the airstrip that people from other lodges had the same box, but it contained a nice lunch. Nurdin stopped at The Tanzanite Experience store. It was interesting to learn about tanzanite. There was also a kiosk next to the store that sold nice paintings. This store was solely for tourists as the souvenirs looked like imports and the jewelry and paintings were way out of our price budget.

The reason for staying at Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp is its proximity to the gate, and the ease of getting to the crater floor. But due to several issues, although some were minor, and some not, we would not come back to either the crater or the lodge in the future. We enjoyed seeing the animals, but it felt overall that the crater itself has become very commercialized and very crowded, and a lot of the people in the crater were rushing through (trying to see the rhinos), and not really appreciating all the wildlife that was there. The lodge was pleasant but compared to the other camps we had been at; it lacked the warmth and caring attitude we had come to expect." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya; 9n in Tanzania

"We were warmly welcomed, the tent offered very pleasant accommodation, the food was reasonably good. The staff were attentive throughout.

The camp is situated in unusual and beautiful trees above the crater and whilst it does not offer views the access to the park is very quick." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"My driver MJ was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area.

The crater was beautiful and we saw a lot of animals. I also took a nature walk and saw a Maasai village.

The only thing that was somewhat challenging was no outlets in the tents so had to charge anything in the main lodge." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 5n in Rwanda

"Lemala is in an ideal location only 15 minutes from the crater floor. This allows you to start your safari a couple of hours before the masses arrive. The people at Lemala are very friendly and the food delicious.

Only complaint would be the room temperatures. I saw my breath in the morning and after you take a shower you'll be freezing.

There is a heater in the room, but it's only turned on for two hours each night." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"A real bush experience but with the elements of luxury. Secluded location, but able to get you into the Crater before the “hoards if jeeps”. Staff very attentive, yes it was cold, but soon sorted with heater, blankets and hot water bottles! Victor remained our guide and again provided 1st class service - excellent to have kept the same guide through 2 camps.
The talking shower is a unique experience but it works!" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"Tents were very dark and looked a little tired, not sufficient room for two suitcases and little space to hang or store clothes which meant living out of our cases.

The beds were very comfortable.

The staff were very friendly, welcoming and service was excellent." See all these reviews: 17n in Tanzania

"Great location, just 15 minutes to get to the floor. Our guide made sure that we were first in the crater to avoid the crowds.

They need to regulate the safari companies to keep the cowboys out, they are damaging the site and harming the wildlife with very aggressive driving and ignoring the rules for the crater.

It is cold at the camp! We were told but it was colder than we expected.

Loved the hot water bottles and the talking shower." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania

"Somewhat short stay so hard to give much feedback.

Our tent was comfortable, the bucket shower was warm, and the rustic but nice accommodation made us feel like we were truly on safari in Africa, especially when our host mentioned elephants occasionally walk through the camp at night seeking the water intended for the bucket showers!

Hosts were great and the food was good. Very friendly staff. Would recommend for location (right next to the entrance to the Crater) and accommodations, however, we stayed at some other fantastic tent camps later in the trip that made us feel that we couldn't give the same rating as those other sites." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"We choose this camp primarily for its location, right on top of the crater rim with one of the closest access to the Ngorongoro crater.

In this respect the camp did clearly meet all our expectations. Welcome by a local Massai was further very warm and friendly, and our tent felt spacious and comfortable.

Management yet definitely needs improvement. We were in particular very unhappy with the cleanliness of the facilities (dirty tablecloth on each and every table for breakfast and dinner despite being the only guests since a couple of days) as well as the poor quality of food." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"I'm really torn writing this review. Although all of them are positioned in the midst of beautiful scenery and surrounded by wildlife, this Lemala property somehow felt closer to nature. We loved the location of the camp because it was so atmospheric; almost primeval. The downside of that is that it was cold and damp, in fact even with the fire on nothing really felt dry here. I don't think there's anything that can be done to address that except to completely rebuild and that would be a shame because it would lose its wonderfully dark and brooding ambiance. We enjoyed being in a more authentic tent as a contrast to the other, more luxurious Lemala properties and in spite of the damp our tent was cosy and the bed was wonderfully comfortable. The atmosphere was reminiscent of one of those old safari movies of the early 20th century. The downside was that we didn't have all the "mod cons" like a fridge or tea and coffee making facilities but really, that's such a small price to pay for staying in this delightfully quirky camp.
The food was good but perhaps not up to the quality of the other lodges we stayed in. This is no doubt due to the fact that in such a setting the chef doesn't have access to the same cooking facilities.The scores for rooms and food reflect the lack of "mod cons" but if there was a score for atmosphere it would be way beyond excellent." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 8n in Zanzibar