Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is a luxury stone lodge regularly voted one of the best hotels in the world, perched dramatically on the jagged rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater – the largest and most perfect volcanic crater on Earth. The lodge is built into the crater's rim, cloaked in river stone and indigenous vines, designed to blend completely into the landscape and remain entirely invisible from the crater floor 600 meters below. It takes its inspiration from the nearby Olduvai Gorge prehistoric site (the "Cradle of Mankind"), with walls decorated with stylized prehistoric cave paintings and lit by flaring torches.
Rooms
The lodge features 75 spacious rooms and suites (66 rooms with twin beds, 8 rooms with three twin beds, and 1 Kimba Suite), all set on two tiers along the crater rim and linked by arched stone-clad passages and timbered decks. Each room has central heating (essential for the cold crater mists), private rock-enclosed balcony with uninterrupted crater views, en-suite bathroom, tea/coffee making facilities, Wi-Fi, wardrobes, telephones, and hair dryers. The Kimba Suite offers additional space with its own sitting room, king-size bed, flat-screen TV, and mini-bar. Rooms are charmingly African in style with earthy colors, cave-painting wildlife motifs, brass lamps, leather headboards, ancient carvings, and unique cave paintings.
Restaurant
The split-level dining room and bar has floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing incredible views of the crater floor far below, with a capacity of 160 guests. The lodge features a roaring central fireplace that burns constantly at the stone heart of the lodge – the perfect place to relax before meals and swap safari tales. The restaurant offers impressively varied buffets for breakfast and lunch, and set menu choices at dinner time. The full-service lounge has an outdoor balcony with a fixed telescope for guests' use, plus comfortable easy chairs for relaxing after long safaris.
About
The lodge offers unbeatable crater rim views with many rooms featuring private terraces overlooking the 102-square-mile crater floor that is now a rich wildlife habitat. Deep within the crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests – dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos, and lions. Guests can be one of the first on the crater floor in the morning, maximizing game viewing time before other safari vehicles arrive, with option for early morning breakfasts set up on the crater floor.
Activities
Activities include traditional game drives on the crater floor amongst large prides of lion, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, and elephant; sundowners on the crater rim; guided nature walks through forests and rocky outcrops along the crater rim with local Maasai guides; Maasai village and cattle market visits; Maasai dance and theatre experience nightly; cooking lessons; Swahili language lessons; and cultural talks by the resident naturalist on the Ngorongoro ecosystem. The Maisha Spa offers treatments using African ingredients including body polishes with Kalahari melon and marula, and African massage using a gourd to relieve tension.
Destination
Tanzania Safaris
Style
Lodge
