This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines now closed

User menu
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater

Safaris usually start early...

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is a wonderful and unique accommodation option.

Ngorongoro offers rich wildlife rewards...

...and some great scenery.

The lake is a good spot for watching the birdlife.

...you may come across some lions...

...as well as large herds of zebra...

...and beautiful spots to admire the landscape.

You also may encounter some hippos while having a break by the lake.

Ngorongoro Crater

Reviews of safaris to Ngorongoro Crater

296 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Ngorongoro Crater.

Showing 211-220 of 296
Duration
Arrival date
The A family
Cheshire

"My Feb 2013 trip"

I visited Tanzania between 16 Feb 2013 and 23 Feb 2013
"The trip was fantastic on every front. Everything went like clockwork, we had nothing to worry about except enjoying ourselves. The three camps were stayed in were all excellent in terms of facilities, catering and staff. I could not fault Esto, our driver/guide at all. It was the best game viewing holiday I have ever had and our family of 5 did not argue, get bored or grumpy once!!

The only thing that did not quite go as planned was that I had asked for a birthday cake and Olakira camp and this did not happen. However, the camp manager at Dunia, Richard, somehow learnt that my husband had a birthday and produced an absolutely delicious cake, delivered with pomp and ceremony by the whole camp staff on our last night of the holiday and it more than made up for the Olakira slip up.

The best game viewing area was around Olakira and it was even better that were could drive off road in that area to get right in amongst the herds." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
TV & Family
Portugal

"A marvellous experience"

I visited Tanzania between 28 Jan 2013 and 8 Feb 2013
"This trip definitely exceeded our already high expectations. We'd been to Tanzania once before but to the much quieter southern parks. I was expecting thee northern parks to be much more touristy and crowded than they actually were. This is my 9the trip on safari to Africa and thee 1st one that I've ever seen the great 5 on one trip! The bird spotting was excellent too.

What really made it for me though was the people we met. All the staff were incredible and especially so to my elderly mother, who they were just so kind and respectful to. Special thanks must go to our guide, Martin, who was both a fantastic driver as well as guide and just a really nice person. We spent a lot of time with him, so it was great to come away feeling that we'd parted as friends and if we ever go back would definitely request him again.

All of the camps were great and for different reasons - I'm glad we had a variety too as we had a different perspective at each place which were unique in their own ways.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None at all - you did an excellent job as usual!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs RW
NW London

"My Jan 2013 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 28 Jan 2013 and 11 Feb 2013
"This was a great holiday which met all our expectations (except perhaps in Zanzibar). We will be going back to Africa with you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mss L & Mss W
NY

"One of the Best Vacations of My Life"

I visited Tanzania between 28 Jan 2013 and 5 Feb 2013
"I think this was the most amazing vacation I've taken in the past decade.

Expert Africa made what would have been a complicated mess of arrangements on my part into an easy process where everything was taken care of from the moment I landed til the moment I left Tanzania." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Richard/Mary
England

"Tanzania 2013"

I visited Tanzania between 4 Jan 2013 and 22 Jan 2013
"Emmanauel our guide for the first ten days. Excellent. Very experienced. Wide knowledge of the bush and hte country. Pleasant travelling companion. Very anxious to pelase.
Vehicle - very good. Claire had managed to arrange winding windows for us . Essential for my husband's photography.

Emmanuel is to be highly recommended.

Claire is thanked for an excellent programme yet again. We identified 48 different mammals. 266 different birds!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep up the contacts with places that we visited. They all spoke very highly of Expert Africa. They liked the fact that the staff actually stay at the camps rather than just calling in for a couple of hours." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Family T
London

"memorable holiday in Tanzania"

I visited Tanzania between 23 Dec 2012 and 6 Jan 2013
"Fabulous trip. Well planned. It all worked. Each part was memorable.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep up the good work.

Our second trip with Expert Africa and really good again. Well done." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
The S family
Lewes

"My Dec 2012 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 16 Dec 2012 and 28 Dec 2012
"The holiday was brilliant not just "very satisfactory"!

Martin Mollel, our driver really made the safari for us. He was very personable, very knowledgeable about the animals, very skilled at spotting them and a safe driver. He was very tactful and was very good chatting and playing with our children He was respectful of the animals. We felt safe and comfortable with Martin at all times.

We saw all the animals and many birds that Martin also knew about. We would fully recommend Martin for other clients.

Incidentally, on the jeep, it would have been good to have had a canvas cover that could have been put up above the roof openings to give some shade at times.

Thoughts on the parks:

Tarangire - A nice place to start, very quiet compared with the Serengeti we saw plenty of Elephants.

Lake Manyara - We only really saw baboons as animals in significant quantity. I would not recommend this park. It is more lush and so the animals are difficult to see. There are more prolific and variety of animals in other parks we went to. The lake has shrunk in size due to silting up and so the flamingo are just a pink band on the horizon many miles away. If there could be alternative access at the other side of the lake, then the flamingos would probably have been spectacular. I would miss this park out and make a more leisurely drive to Ngorongoro.

Ngorongoro - Specatcular scenery and the place to see Black Rhino. But there was much more - Lions Hyena etc etc. An early start is a must to see the animals before the crater gets busy.

Olduvai Gorge - unfortunately the compulsory local guide was quite old and difficult to hear and understand. He had a very strong accent and struggled to be heard above the wind. This was unfortunate as particularly for the children it could have been made very interesting if described and explained well Perhaps little information sheets that could be read before the visit would help understanding of what is being seen and its significance

Serengeti - we saw the migration which was excellent. There was a tendency in this park to see something and then find 9 other jeeps around. Sometimes with them edging very close to the animals. This seemed a bit circus like at times. That aside it was a good place to see lions and hippos, wilder-beast, giraffe and zebra etc etc

On arrival at Zanzibar, the baggage handlers ask you to identify your bags and then ask for tips prior to handing the bags over to you, which is not a very good introduction to Zanzibar. Also as the flight arrived 10-15 mins early, as we exited the airport, the transfer guy was not around and so we got mobbed by taxi drivers and other hawkers trying to get us to go with them and trying to take our bags. This was not very pleasant.

Eleanor Dunkels in London was always excellent always pleasant, helpful and informative. Her personal experience of the area was very useful. She was a pleasure to deal with.

Tips for other clients:

Don't wear blue. the TseTse flies really do get attracted to blue and give a nasty bite.

Make sure you do take some very good binoculars - a pair for each member of the group. Some of our pocket binoculars we took were woefully inadequate.

Wear wide brimmed hats that tie under the chin, otherwise they blow off

Long sleaved shirts are a good idea as its easy to get burnt with the open roof on the jeep." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
Ilkley

"Our November 2012 trip - unforgettable"

I visited Tanzania between 17 Nov 2012 and 27 Nov 2012
"I'm not sure how much information you want here - so my apologies if you get more than you bargained for! (These reports written by Lyn, but with some input from Phil too!) I keep thinking of things to mention in addition to those already written, but some may of course not be relevant, and my apologies if I repeat myself. I kept a diary and also had a notebook for daily 'spottings'.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday, a bit tiring and hectic at times (we are in our late sixties), so it was lovely to have time to relax at Sayari. I would definitely recommend a longer stay somewhere during a safari trip.

We had done our homework as I like to find out as much as possible about where we are going, so knew a fair bit about our destinations, but always guided and helped by Elizabeth Wollen. For example, I had initially put Tarangire on our list but Liz suggested Manyara park would be a better destination at that time of year. Your excellent brochure and website helped a lot . Also the Bradt Northern Tanzania guide by Philip Briggs. (I know you sent us a copy later, which will be nice to keep, as the other one was getting a bit dog-eared!) The Bradt guides generally are excellent.

Thank you first of all for sorting out the problems caused by KLM cancelling our flight out to Amsterdam. These things happen, I know, but it did make a long, tiring and frustrating day easier, once we knew everything was sorted out for us in Nairobi and Tanzania.

Overall we found the food a bit disappointing, even though it must be difficult getting supplies in the more remote areas. I seem to remember the food in Botswana being much better! Sayari and Hatari were a bit better, also Giraffe Manor. Generally the meat was overcooked and tough. Starters and puddings were better than the main courses - too much mash!

I know you didn't cover Giraffe Manor/Kenya when we booked with you - thankfully that was arranged by friends in Nairobi and they were able to join us for dinner there on our second night, but now you do! Giraffe Manor is a lovely old building, and a totally unique experience in all. As you can get up close and personal with the giraffes there, a trip to the nearby Giraffe Centre is really not necessary. We did go, but didn't stay long. It was all a bit too commercial.

However, the trip to the elephant sanctuary is most definitely recommended. Its just a short drive from Giraffe Manor. Visiting is limited to just an hour or so each day (11-12am), to watch the elephants being fed from their hugh milk bottles, tubs of water, and a few small branches - mostly used for playing! The babies come in first - about 15 of them - each with their own keeper, some only a few months old. Then they leave and the older ones come in - otherwise they would get too boisterous with the young ones. A talk was given while the elephants were in the compound - interesting and informative - telling us about each elephant, and how they came to be orphaned. Back at Giraffe Manor we relaxed on a squashy sofa in the lounge, light lunch was served outside on the terrace. My namesake - Lynn the giraffe - turned up for some lunchtime nibbles!

The Giraffe Centre is a 5-minute walk, but as I said before, we didn't stay long. We were joined by our friends later for a good dinner, also served outside on the terrace. Our room here was very spacious, more country house than hotel and had a bath in the bathroom (always a bonus for us!).

An early start next morning to get us to Nairobi airport (organised chaos!). Lots of security - even a security queue to get into the airport. Flight 1/2hr late leaving, but only a 40 minute flight to Kilimanjaro...more security checks/paperwork. A man at the Health Office was not happy with our Yellow Fever exemption certificates, but eventually after some persuasion from a colleague we could continue on our way.

We were met here by our Asilia guide, Alfred (he was referred to several times by friends and colleagues as 'papa' Alfred!) who was brilliant. Knowledgeable, friendly, polite, humourous, knew about positioning for the best photos, patient - what more could we ask for!) The vehicle was a Toyota Landcruiser - they usually are, but configured differently. This one was a closed vehicle with a lift-off roof panel for game viewing. Well equipped with all a safari-tourist needs.

As we only had one night/day at Kirurumu/Lake Manyara, Alfred drove us straight to the park (about a 3hr drive). It was good to be driven through the northern Tanzanian towns & countryside - you get more of a feel for the country than just flying everywhere. Alfred, as always, telling us things of interest along the way. We had a late, and delicious picnic lunch, at a shady picnic spot just inside the park. Tablecloth on the table (wooden tables and benches are there already). Rest room. This area at the foot of the escarpment was a permanently green forested area, fed by underwater streams year round. Baboons and monkeys.

We were only able to see the northern area of the park, but it is very pleasant, with varied scenery. Lush forest to open grassland, reasonably green after light rain. No off-road driving so we were a long way from the water - hippo, flamingo in the distance.. The park closes at 6. Back onto a tarmac road to climb out of the park (view point), then a 6km dirt track to Kirurumu.

Canvas tents with bathroom at the back. Big thatched main building for restaurant and separate big roomy bar/lounge/terrace with stunning views over the park/lake. All pleasantly situated amongst the trees, with connecting paths and steps.

A leisurely morning - nice to relax a bit - before leaving after lunch with Alfred for our journey on to Ngorongoro Crater and Lemala Ngorongoro camp. Alfred suggested we stop at the Tanzanite shop - we agreed, although didn't know quite what to expect. Tanzanite is beautiful but not cheap. The shop was at the back of a big African craft and gift shop. There was a bit of pressure to buy - we didn't - but it was not excessive. Maybe there was something in it for Alfred if we had bought something, I don't know, but he knew them there anyway!

Back on the road, and through interesting rolling rich farmland before eventually turning off the main road up to the Ngorongoro Park entrance. We were there for about 1/2hr while Alfred sorted the mound of paperwork needed to get us in. They do love their paperwork in Tanzania! Then up the road, climbing all the time till we got to the viewpoint looking over the crater - photo opportunity! wow! (As we went up, there were lots of vehicles coming down, rushing to get out before the park closed - presumably the 'day trippers' coming from further away).

Then its the drive along the long, twisty and dusty track to Lemala camp .. previously reported on. Small, rustic, friendly.

Left at 6 the next morning with Alfred - quick check in at the gate and then down into the crater for dawn. The first animals we saw were some lion walking along a ridge in the half-light. By the time we got down to the crater, we could watch the morning sun slowly light up the steep hill on the far side. Then plains animals by the hundreds and plenty of others too, and birdlife.

Yes, there are lots of other vehicles about - we knew there would be - but at times during the day Alfred managed to get to some distant parts of the park that the day trippers don't really have time to get to and were therefore much quieter. Again, no off-roading, but there are plenty of tracks in most areas. We had an excellent close-up view at the hippo pool. Watched 2 rhino slowly making their way through a herd of buffalo so we were just in the right spot when the rhinos walked across the road in front of us. We had our packed breakfast here, in the car, as we waited for the rhino.

On the far side of the crater - the drier side - Alfred found us a cheetah lying down in the shade of a bush, quite close. He reckoned if we waited long enough she would get too hot and have to get up & move to somewhere cooler. So we waited - a long time! - and yes, she did eventually move - further into the bush! But it didn't matter, we didn't mind waiting and it was a privilege to see her (the only one we saw on our trip). At times there were loads of other vehicles there but most didn't stay long. (see an animal, tick it off, and move on!)

Then on to the quiet Lerai forest area - and picnic lunch. Different animals here..incl elephant, waterbuck, bushbuck. A bit further on, just out of the forest near some reeds, a big pride of lions...12 in all. Watched another lioness walking from some distance away to join them. She had a big v-shaped scar on her shoulder from a previous battle somewhere. The final stop was by a pretty fresh water lake with water birds. A most enjoyable day. The crater may be busy, but well worth visiting. It has a lot to offer.

Another early start - Alfred waiting for us at 6am. Back onto a misty crater rim road at dawn...with a solitary male lion plodding along the other way, right beside us. 1 &1/2 hours to Manyara airstrip for our onward flight to Kogatende and the northern Serengeti. Said our goodbyes and grateful thanks to Alfred.

The plane went via Seronera and then Lobo, where we were stuck for about an hour. The flaps had stuck down on the plane and although it could fly (slowly), our pilot (Terry) could not take passengers. Fortunately there was another plane plus pilot there, so with a bit of re-arrangement we all moved on to that one & left for Kogatende. The other alternative would have been to wait for a replacement plane which would have been 1 1/2hrs. Rather hot there standing around waiting & loo facilities not good! But not a major problem.

Sayari: we were met at the airstrip by John, (who is the manager, together with his English wife, Clare). The airstrip is only about 20 minutes away, but he took us on a slight scenic detour along the beautiful Mara river...crocs! Welcomed at the camp with cold towels and a nice drink (every camp welcomes visitors this way, with either hot or cold towels/drinks). Open-sided vehicles good for viewing. Off-road driving too.

John and Clare are fairly new to this camp. It is an innovative design, "trying to be different" John said, and it certainly is. The main tent is an enormous canvas affair with enormous tent poles and lots of guy ropes. Wonderfully light and airy, and open at the front and back. This does mean that when it rains hard and its windy, the rain can reach well inside. John reckoned it could by 'high maintenance'. Separate dining tent. All very spacious. Not full when we were there, and one 'wing' had been closed. They had been busy over the migration period, but by the time we arrived the migration had moved on and it was quieter. Then they would be busy again over Christmas and New Year.

John said something interesting about the migration and how the camp (and presumably others) were marketed regarding this. (I don't know if he meant just Asilia marketing, or more generally) Plugging the migration as 'the' event to see. Whilst I am sure it must be stunning, we were not bothered at all that we would not see this and feel there is a lot more to a safari trip than massing wildebeest! It is a beautiful area anyway and surprisingly varied, with plenty to see apart from the migration. The wildlife is obviously not so concentrated as it is in the crater, and a bit more skittish, but we still saw a lot. So it is definitely worth going at quieter times of year - visitors will not be disappointed.

We heard noises in the night - grazing hippos around the tent! - Sayari is only 1km from the Mara river. We only ever had one other couple with us in our safari vehicle, and most of the time it was just Phil and I. Our excellent young guide 'JB' looked after us very well. Maybe not as good as Alfred (a good friend of his), but then Alfred was exceptional, also a bit older and wiser! JB was only 24.

It was good to have a longer stay here - 4 nights - and something else I would highly recommend, particularly for the older traveller! (One English/American family had spent all week there) It's nice to be able to unpack properly, take time to relax, get familiar with the area..again highly recommended. Communal dining (but not at lunchtime) meant dinner was usually a lively affair with lots of tales to tell of home & holiday.

We didn't go out on every game drive either - usually either a morning or an evening. Although on the final evening, Phil stayed at the camp (all on our own by now) and went for a swim, and I went off with JB. It was a beautiful evening too (the two previous evening drives had been shorter than planned - on the first one, we got absolutely soaked in a torrential rain storm - all part of the fun..the ponchos provided helped a bit! - and on the second we were just on the edge of the storm, but back at the camp a mile away it had been torrential again and very windy) ...so we saw quite a lot that last time, including a big family of elephants right next to the vehicle. Magical.

For our first daytime game drive, we left at 6.30 with a picnic bush breakfast on board. A chilly start but lovely and fresh. Gradually warmed up, but not really hot till be got back to camp at lunchtime (up to about 30 oC). Someone had seen cheetah the day before, so we had a look, but without success. Headed east and the terrain gradually changed from rocky outcrops to more open grassland with occasional gullies and patches of woodland. One gully was hiding a lioness and tiny cub. Other lionesses nearby. Rhino close by, distant elephant, plains animals, giraffes, eland. Stopped for our bush breakfast - on a little table pulled out from the side of the Landcruiser - a lovely spot of rolling grassland in front and trees behind and we could see for miles.

Another morning we headed north across the Mara river, a beautiful day. The evening before we had seen a leopard lying on some rocks near the camp, but it was too dark by then to take a good photo, so JB had another look for her but no luck! Across the river, the terrain opened out to mostly vast rolling grassland/savannah, with the odd small patch of woodland, and flat-topped acacia trees dotted about - typical East African scenery. |Masses of plains animals all jumbled up together. Lots to see and beautiful scenery. JB's favourite area he said, and it was obvious he loved it. We stopped for our bush breakfast by the white painted markers which mark the boundary with Kenya...half of the Landcruiser in Kenya and half in Tanzania! Saw four lionesses with three 2 1/2 month old cubs..aahh ! Elephant close up, more giraffe.
We were told this was cheetah country, but no luck for us that day - but plenty to see anyway.
A male lion sitting under a tree guarding 3 half-eaten carcasses - he curled a lip and growled at us, so we left him in peace.
Vultures were patiently waiting in the tree above him.
We saw various other birds, including a secretary bird and 2 handsome saddle-billed storks in a small pool.
Back at the Mara river, we stopped to get out at a viewpoint just above, and looked down on to a huge concentration of hippos - about 400, JB said, and some crocs at the edge on the rocks.
That evening, I went out for a final trip with JB. It had been a wonderful day.

This was our last day at Sayari, and as we were the only guests in the camp, we had been asked where we would like to have lunch. So we suggested eating in the main lounge area (as they thought we would rattle round in the dining room) - expecting to have something just served at thecoffee table, but when we got there, a table had been set up - complete with colourful Maasai cloth - at the edge of the lounge deck, looking out over grassland and trees - lovely - and we had our dinner there too.

This was the short rain period, so there had been enough rain to make things green, but the grass was not high, so still good for wildlife viewing. The mornings were usually clear and beautiful, with cloud building up later. Around on the horizon - you can see for miles - you could see storms building up - sometimes you got one, sometimes you didn't.

John and Clare were very good about sorting out our hot water problem. They gave it a 'boost' somehow (it is solar powered) and it was much better after that. John joined us at the dinner table and he and Phil spent the evening talking Safari Rally/rally drivers & cars/cricket! One evening we had another entertaining 'surprise' at dinner for a 50th birthday, and a wedding anniversary. Impromptu singing from the staff around the table with musical instruments made from all sorts!

The next day we left from Kogatende to fly to Arusha and Hatari Lodge.

I'd been taking photos on my little camera at the airstrip while we were waiting for our plane to arrive, and then left it behind on the seat of the Landcruiser. I didn't realise until we arrived at Hatari. Annelise contacted Sayari for us (John and Clare are friends of the owners). The vehicle was out on safari but John checked later and found it! There was an English couple staying at Sayari so John arranged for them to bring it back to England on their return and post it to me...so I was finally reunited with my camera, thanks to a lot of help and cooperation along the way!

Our Hatari guide, Ernest, met us at Arusha airport and we had an interesting 90 minute road trip to Arusha Park - (the usual delay at the park gate getting the entry paperwork sorted out - leaving is always easier! ) and Hatari.

Hatari: strange place, quite different. Somehow not quite what I expected, but then what is..inspite of all the homework! But we enjoyed it there, and again the area was quite different. We could see Kilimanjaro from there - usually with its head in the clouds, but we did get a knock one morning to tell us that Kili was clear, so Phil rushed out to take some photos! We arrived in time for a late lunch on the lovely terrace. Buildings nicely laid out, almost in a proper garden, with a walled veg.plot at the side. (see previous comments for Hatari)

After our lunch and settling in to our room, we went out with Ernest - a Mercedes this time, but open-sided and also with the windscreen folded down for our first trip into the park, lasting about 2 hours. Rough winding gravelly roads, quite wooded scenery but with clearings every now and then, and viewpoints. Plenty of giraffe, some nearby, some way up a steep hillside, with just their heads and necks showin above the greenery...some standing in silhouette right at the top. Stopped at various viewpoints on the way. One beautiful freshwater lake looking like something in the Lake District! Then further on to an alkaline lake (Momella lakes), full of flamingos...hundreds of them in great pink and noisy drifts - constantly moving, some flying, some landing.

Only 5 of us for dinner that night, about 14 the next night.

For our second day, we left after breakfast with Ernest, heading up through the forest on a steep, rough road, well up the side of Mount Meru. A day of 'nature' he said, rather than animals. Ended up at a fabulous viewpoint, about 2,500 metres high (about 8,000 ft). The forest had thinned out a bit and there were plants familiar to us - living on the edge of Ilkley Moor - bracken and heather amongst less familiar things. A stunning panorama below us, with craggy Mt Meru behind, and Mt.Kilimanjaro in the distance, covered in cloud as usual.

We stopped on the way up and down by the (I think quite well known) huge fig tree which straddles the road - you drive through it - a safari vehicle just fits!. On the way down we stopped for our picnic lunch in a pretty grassy clearing in the forest, with a waterfall and stream as a backdrop - very peaceful - sitting on a rug on the grass.
We saw the fairly rare black and white colobus monkeys high in the trees, sunni (the smallest antelope) and red duiker glimpsed briefly in the trees, and dik dik. Before returning to Hatari, Ernest arranged an hour-long walk with an (armed) ranger at the edge of the forest. We had seen some giraffe nearby, so we followed him, scrambling about through the undergrowth - trying to be quiet. They knew we were there, but we kept quite still and they slowly walked by, with just a few bushes between us. We do like giraffe!

We had time for a leisurely breakfast the final morning - on the terrace. We had the monkeys thundering about on the roof earlier - who needs a wake-up call! We could see 17 giraffe from the terrace - heads and necks only - in the adjoining woodland. Bought a few items in the nice little shop and had a nice quiet morning. Lunch on the terrace too - we asked for the cabbage salad to be replaced by some of their delicious tomatoes - no problem! Said our goodbyes to Annelise and Sabine and headed off to Kilimanjaro airport with Ernest in the road-going (non-safari) vehicle.

Our flight to Dar es Salaam was due to leave at 3.50 - we thought. Once at the airport, it said 3.40 and it finally left at 3.20! Flying time about 1 hour. Hot in Dar es Salaam airport - it needs a new terminal building! Tired and tatty and no air-con. Lots of security checks. KLM desk not open and no cafe there, so had to go back out again through security, a Maasai 'warrior' carried our bags up the steps (no escalator) to a cafe there, where we sat for about 4 hours (as close to a fan as we could get!). The Sky news TV showed pictures of bad floods in England! Eventually, we retraced our steps back through security again so we could finally check in our bags with KLM. Still more security checks, including finger-printing and eye check! Then into the business lounge - big squashy sofas, and air conditioning - bliss! ...and eventually home and no problems in Amsterdam. Phil bought Dutch cheese and I bought tulips!

A great holiday & our thanks to Liz and all the Expert Africa team." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs D
Caymans

"My Sep 2012 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 19 Sep 2012 and 28 Oct 2012
"Our trip was a once in a lifetime experience. One that will never be forgotten.

All the camps and lodges were different, as were the national parks and animal reserves. And we loved them all. We saw all the animals and birds in their natural habitat. Our guides were wonderful and very knowledgeable. WE were lucky that we had our own guide and jeep all the time, except for Lamai Serengeti. It made it easy for us to see all the animals in comfort. We have more Camps and Lodges to see in Tanzania.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None, you have done a marvelous safari tour for us." Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 34 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
J & H
Hertfordshire

"Superb Sept Safari"

I visited Tanzania between 18 Sep 2012 and 30 Sep 2012
"Our first safari in Africa and we definitely hope it will not be our last. We were fascinated by all we saw, heard, felt, experienced and learnt. We loved it. Seeing so many animals up-close-and-personal is such an experience and privilege. We had to keep pinching ourselves that we were actually there in the places we had only read about or seen on our TV screens.

We appreciated Liz listening to our 'wants' and coming up with the solution that to get the experiences we wanted we should combine the North and the South of Tanzania - excellent.

We are glad we did not spend more time in the more crowded areas of the Serengeti, and so glad we went up to the border near the Mara River, before flying down South to Ruaha (Mwagusi) and Selous (Beho Beho). Each camp so different - each with their own special feeling - but each providing wonderfully efficient service, given with warmth and friendliness.

We just have to save now for another safari......

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Only a minor point which relates to us as one passenger is a bad traveller - if a trip required flying over the Serengeti - try to arrange morning flights which apparently are not as bumpy!!!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 211-220 of 296
98%
296 reviews of Ngorongoro Crater by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
279
17
2
0
2
Filter by month
Inspire me

Need inspiration?

Let our trip chooser narrow down the options for you

Inspire me

Where to stay in Ngorongoro Crater

Our suggestions for safari camps in Ngorongoro Crater


Plantation Lodge

Plantation Lodge

A relaxed base between Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, Plantation Lodge has lush grounds and offers good value and high standards.


94% (45 reviews)
Gibb's Farm

Gibbs Farm

Located not far from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Gibb's Farm has comfy rooms, homegrown food and strong community links


88% (43 reviews)
Lemala Ngorongoro

Lemala Ngorongoro

Lemala Ngorongoro is a small, comfortable tented camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater with lovely walking in the vicinity.


86% (37 reviews)
Entamanu Ngorongoro

Entamanu Ngorongoro

Opened in 2016, Entamanu Ngorongoro is a small camp high on the Crater rim with views towards the crater and the plains of the Serengeti.


96% (27 reviews)
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

Crater Lodge

The ultra-luxurious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is perched in a spectacular location on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater.


93% (27 reviews)
The Highlands

The Highlands

The Highlands is a unique camp near Olmoti Crater, north of Ngorongoro, offering drives, walks and cultural visits from a beautiful remote setting.


91% (25 reviews)
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Situated on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, with outstanding views, the Sopa Lodge is a somewhat dated, international-style hotel.


88% (23 reviews)
Rhino Lodge

Rhino Lodge

Rhino Lodge is a simple, good-value lodge with a great location near the crater rim, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.


91% (22 reviews)
Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge

Farmhouse Lodge

Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge is set on a 750-acres working farm. Close to the NCA gate, it makes a great base for exploring the Crater.


89% (18 reviews)
Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge

Rhotia Valley Ttd. Lodge

Rhotia Valley is a simple lodge with a strong commitment to the local community, including a children's home, which guests may visit.


94% (14 reviews)
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Ngorongoro Serena

The large, hotel-like Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge sits on the western rim of Ngorongoro Crater and has stunning views of the caldera.


91% (13 reviews)
Bougainvillea Safari Lodge

Bougainvillea Lodge

Bougainvillea Safari Lodge provides an economical base from which to visit Lake Manyara or the Ngorongoro Crater.


89% (7 reviews)
The Manor

The Manor

The Manor is a smart, family-friendly Cape-Dutch-style lodge, offering high-quality service and food in very comfortable surroundings.


100% (5 reviews)
Neptune Ngorongoro Lodge

Neptune Ngorongoro

Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge is a smart hilltop lodge with log-style cottages set close to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.


93% (3 reviews)
Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge

Wildlife Lodge

Stay at the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge while on road safari in Northern Tanzania's spectacular Ngorongoro Crater area.


67% (3 reviews)
Crater's Edge

Crater's Edge

Craters Edge is an intimate luxury property on the north-eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.


100% (1 review)
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

A small tented camp, located on the eastern side of the Ngorongoro Crater rim, with a five minute drive to crater descent gate.


No reviews yet
Lion's Paw

Lion's Paw

Located on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, this camp has stunning panoramic views down onto the crater floor. A five minute drive to the nearest descent gate allows for early access into the crater, maximising on avoiding the large crowds


No reviews yet
Ngorongoro Fly-Camp

Ngorongoro Fly-Camp

Explore the remote northern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater on a two-day hike and spend the night in this small fly-camp.


No reviews yet
Country Lodge

Country Lodge

Country Lodge is conveniently located on the edge of Karatu and provides a comfortable base for exploring Ngorongoro Crater or Lake Manyara.


No reviews yet

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Newsletter background

Stay in the know with Expert Africa

Join our newsletter. Get the latest on new camps and lodges, insights from our team, uplifting conservation stories and more...

A few more details and you're subscribed

Thanks!

Almost there! We've sent you an email to confirm your subscription. Just click on the link and you'll soon be receiving our newsletter in your inbox.

In the meantime, take a look at our previous Bush Telegraph newsletters.
Africa