Just came back from a FABULOUS stay at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania. I didn't really see any review of this property on FT, so I figure I'd share my experience.

Background

For all the Anthony Bourdain fans out there, this property was featured on the Tanzania episode of Parts Unknown - that's how I learned about it. It is located on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. There are quite a few accommodation options in the area, but only a handful of lodges on the rim. The advantage of staying on the rim is you get a magnificent view and the drive down the crater is fairly short and easy.

Small note: If you are looking to stay on the rim, beware that many tour operators would try to steer you towards Entamanu Ngorongoro (owned by Nomad Tanzania), which is also on the rim, but in a much more remote location. The drive from that property down the crater is quite long (up to 2 hours according to our tour guide) and difficult in the rain. I'm sure the property is lovely, but none of the tour operators who recommended it mentioned the location so I figure I'd point it out.

What's included

Similar to other lodges in Tanzania, the experience is all inclusive - all food, drinks (champagned included), laundry. Shared game drives are included if you book directly with andBeyond, however we booked through a third party and had our own private tour guide/driver.

Overall setup

There are 3 areas in the lodge, 10 rooms each - North Camp, South Camp, and Tree Camp. Each area has its own living room/dining room area, so you will only share the common area with another 9 rooms max. Both South Camp and Tree Camp were closed during our stay. Our butler did give us a tour of South Camp and we thought that the view there was better, but the view from the North Camp is also magnificent






Room (#3, North Camp)

The room is extremely over the top with 2 chandeliers (one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom). Definitely not the typical safari lodge experience, but somehow works incredibly well with the environment. I have more of a modern aesthetics and typically do not love this sort of look, but somehow really enjoyed this. It was the perfect mix of African elements and European grandeur. The North Camp manager told us that everything was handmade in Africa.



Here's the minibar setup. There were also multiple bottles of wine in the fridge, but we much prefer cocktails so we didn't really touch them. You can ask them to replace the mini bar with anything of your preference.



Food & Beverage

The food was fantastic. Breakfast and lunch can be served in the common area at the lodge, or they can pack it for your game drives. I had dietary restrictions and they created special menus for me which was much appreciated.
The butler came to our room after our game drives to check to see if we'd need anything - no need to call He also learned our preferences and made terrific cocktails to our liking.

Service

Service was immaculate and very polished compared to the other lodges we visited in Tanzania. After returning from our game drive, we found a hot bath already drawn for us in the room. We didn't end up using it as we were heading out again for a walk, and when we came back to the room for a second time, housekeeping already refreshed it with warm water. Top notch

Conclusion

Overall a fantastic stay and well worth the price. Would definitely revisit.