Where to Eat
With the many sights to see in and around the Ngorongoro Crater, it won’t be long until you build an appetite as big as the elephant you just saw. Give your taste buds their well-deserved vacation (just like you) by dining at these top 5 restaurants within the vicinity:
1) andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge Restaurant
Apart from being the best hotel in the area, andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is also home to the finest restaurant within the sanctuary. Should you decide to stay in this topnotch specialty lodge, you get to treat your mouth every lunch and dinner time with the great Pan-African dishes at the lodge’s dome-shaped restaurant. With its full bar and magnificent views that you can enjoy with binoculars, andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge Restaurant is truly a feast for your stomach – as well as your eyes.
Address: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
2) Gibb’s Farm Restaurant
Delicious farm-fresh food is the foremost ingredient that sets Gibb’s Farm Restaurant apart from all others. Its recipes are made of organic vegetables and locally-raised meats, so you can expect the freshest and tastiest meals on your breakfast, lunch and dinner plates. With Tanzanian and English recipes concocted by master chef Lisa Campbell, you’ll wish that you’ll never have to leave the comforts of Gibb’s Farm Restaurant.
Address: Rift Valley, P.O. Box 280, Karatu, Tanzania
3) Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge Restaurant
Made of rock and complete with a broad verandah, the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge restaurant offers gastronomic specialties alongside wondrous views of migrating game. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style, with full English breakfast and other European dining options. Dinner, on the other hand, comes with a salad buffet, soup, entrée, cheese, biscuits and pudding. An added bonus? The restaurant comes with an extensive wine list.
Address: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
4) Lemala Hill Restaurant
Lemala Hill is the in-house restaurant of the esteemed Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Here, you can sample the best of continental and local fare this side of Africa. Serving filling breakfast buffets and sumptuous dinners and lunches, Lemala Hill is the perfect place where you can enjoy tasty treats as you bask in the view of the 3 million year-old crater.
Address: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
5) Ngorongoro Wildcamp Restaurant
Great African eats and greater African views – these are the things that the Ngorongoro Wildcamp Restaurant brings to the table. Even if you are in the middle of the wild, it won’t feel like so with the excellent fares served on your plate. Whether it is a light lunch or a casual dinner, you are sure to enjoy roaming rhinoceros or giraffe outside the window.
Address: 1990 | Esirwa, Ngorongoro Conservation Area 255, Tanzania
Where to Stay
The Ngorongoro Crater is about 2 hours away from its entry point, which makes just a day-trip to the area unfeasible (and a waste of money.) Revel in all the sights and sounds of the conservation area by staying several days in any of these top-billed accommodations near the Tanzanian caldera:
1) andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Live the luxurious life even if you are in the middle of the world’s biggest caldera by booking a room at the posh andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. This 5-star hotel offers stilted, banana thatched suites that provide spectacular views of the conservation area. Despite the suites’ traditional styles, they feature modern hotel amenities such as en-suite bathrooms, private butler services and Wi-Fi connectivity. Be ready to pay the price though, since off-season rates cost about USD 1179 per person. Peak season price, on the other hand, is as high as USD 1,800 per person!
Address: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
2) Gibb’s Farm Lodges
As one of the oldest accommodation options in Ngorongoro (it was built in 1929), Gibb’s Farm is proof to the saying that ‘wine (in this case, Gibb’s Farm) gets better with time.’ This 10-acre property is home to 22 cottages, 14 of which has just been refurbished. These cottages feature wooden floors, tasteful interiors, wraparound windows, private verandas and colorful gardens. Feeling at home in Tanzania is no tall order either, since rates start at a reasonable USD 202 per night.
Address: Rift Valley, P.O. Box 280, Karatu, Tanzania
3) Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Built on top of the jagged crater is the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, a fantastic hotel feted for its impressive architecture and amazing views of the conservation park. It offers 65 standard twin-bed rooms, apart from eight double bed rooms, one triple bed room and one suite. These fully air-conditioned rooms come with rock-enclosed balconies, wildwood mirrors, telephones, brass lamps and Maasai ornaments. Room rates range to USD 143 to USD 376, depending on the season.
Address: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
4) Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Opened in 1992, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is another best-value specialty housing where rates range from USD 113 to USD 351 per night. Located on Lemala Hill in the eastern part of the crater, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge features 92 spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms, central heating radiators, in-room diners and writing desks. Apart from its proximity to the cultural bomas, a lot of tourists stay at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge because of its excellent facilities and warm services.
Address: Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
5) Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge
Made from timber and stone, the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge paves the way for breathtaking views for a price most people can afford. With its panoramic views and stone and timber foundations, you can be assured privacy and security whilst enjoying the crater scenery from your room. Off-peak rates go as low as USD 107; during the lean season, expect to pay as much as USD 301 per day.
Address: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Ngorongoro Crater is among the few remaining wonders of the world, as most of which have already become extinct. So if you decide to visit the rich African continent, make sure to include Tanzania in your itinerary. You get to enjoy several lovely sights – the number 1 being the Ngorongoro Crater – where you can marvel at the beauty of nature and everything else in between.
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