The Crater · Black Rhino · The Big Five
A collapsed volcano holding its own wildlife kingdom: lion, elephant, buffalo and some of the last black rhino in northern Tanzania, seen from lodges on the crater rim and farms in the highlands.
Private journeys including the crater from USD 9,000 per person. The rim lodges book far ahead.
Luxury Ngorongoro Crater Safaris, in Brief
A luxury Ngorongoro Crater safari means descending 600 metres into the largest intact volcanic caldera on earth, where lion, elephant, buffalo and a small population of black rhino live year round on the crater floor. Guests stay on the rim at &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or The Manor, or among the coffee farms of Karatu at Gibbs Farm, and descend at dawn before the day visitors arrive. Our journeys including the crater start from USD 9,000 per person.
By Abner Ongeri, founder, Karen, Nairobi
Where to Stay in the Ngorongoro Crater
Each area has its own season and character. These are the camps and lodges we use, and when we would send you to each.
Lodges looking down into the caldera
The rim lodges put you minutes from the descent road, so you reach the crater floor at first light, when the lions are still moving and the day visitors are hours away. Mornings are cold and the views are extraordinary.
Luxury camps and lodges 4 stays, scroll →
NgorongoroCrater's Edge Lodge
NgorongoroThe Manor at Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro&Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
NgorongoroLemala OsonjoiCoffee farms below the rim
Karatu sits in the green farmland below the crater, warmer than the rim and a lovely place to slow down, with coffee estates, forest walks and a shorter drive to Lake Manyara.
Luxury camps and lodges
KaratuGibbs FarmPrivate Luxury Safaris
We time your descent for first light, before the day visitors come up from Arusha, and bring breakfast with us.
The crater has a six hour limit on the floor. With an early start, that is a long, unhurried morning.
The rim for the view and the early descent, Karatu for warmth, gardens and a gentler pace. We advise honestly on which suits you.
See luxury Tanzania safaris, balloon safaris and every camp we use in Tanzania.
Luxury Ngorongoro Crater Safari Packages
Every journey we offer that includes the Ngorongoro Crater, with its price. Travel one as it is, or have us reshape it around your dates.
Best Time to Visit Ngorongoro Crater
Choose a month to see the weather, the wildlife, the prices and where we would place you. Choose a month to see the weather, the wildlife, the prices and where we would send you.
The safaris were intimate, never rushed, and our guide made each sighting significant.
Guest review · Rated 4.9 from more than 170 reviews
Good to Know
Yes, for most guests it is one of the great sights in Africa: a 260 square kilometre caldera holding lion, elephant, buffalo and black rhino within its walls. The trick is to descend at dawn and be back on the rim before the crowds arrive.
Wildlife lives on the crater floor all year. June to October is dry and clear, January and February are warm with the calving nearby at Ndutu, and the green months of March to May are quiet and beautiful.
Yes. The crater holds one of the few remaining populations in northern Tanzania. Sightings are usually at a distance on the open floor, and a good guide with a spotting scope makes the difference.
&Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or The Manor on the rim, minutes from the descent road, or Gibbs Farm in the coffee country of Karatu, which is warmer and greener but a longer drive to the crater.
There is a six hour limit on the crater floor. With a dawn descent, that is a full, unhurried morning, and most guests do it once.
Our journeys including the crater start from USD 9,000 per person. Crater entry, the vehicle fee and conservation area fees are included in every quote we send.
Two nights: one full day for the crater, and time to enjoy the rim or the highlands. Most guests combine it with the Serengeti and Tarangire.
Not on the crater floor. Walking is possible on the rim, in the highlands and at Empakaai and Olmoti craters, and Gibbs Farm offers forest and farm walks.
Begin
Share your dates and who is travelling. A designer in Nairobi will place you where the game will be, hold the best camp for your dates and send an exact price within 24 hours.
Also see luxury Tanzania safaris, the Serengeti, Tarangire.
