Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Built from river stone and grown over with creepers along the western rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge  is close to invisible until you are on top of it. The rooms curve in an arc following the edge.

Why We Love Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Every one of the rooms opens onto a stone balcony with the crater floor several hundred metres below and nothing in the way. Being on the rim means you drop down for the first game drive while the mist is still lifting, ahead of the vehicles coming up from Karatu.

The Experience

Seventy five rooms linked by arched stone passages and timber walkways, with walls carrying painted work drawn from the rock art of the region and a fire kept burning in the stone dining room. Interiors are simple rather than lavish; the balcony is the point.

Need to Know

At around 2,300 metres the rim is cold and often wrapped in damp mist, so bring layers. Rooms have heating and hot water bottles appear on the colder nights. It is our crater base on the Savannah & Spice route. Read our Ngorongoro guide.