Thatched lodge cottages in landscaped gardens near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Where to Stay for a Ngorongoro Safari

A room with the famous view, a coffee farm near the gate or a city hotel before the drive — here is where to sleep.

Nobody sleeps on the crater floor. The choice is between three bases: the crater rim, inside the conservation area with the view and the earliest start; Karatu, the farming town just outside the gate, where prices are far lower; and Arusha, where most safaris begin and end.

Many travellers have their lodges booked for them as part of a safari package. This page is for those arranging rooms themselves — and for anyone who wants to understand what an operator is proposing.

Rates below are indicative starting prices in US dollars for a room and change constantly with season and board basis — every card links out to Trip.com for live availability.

Where to stay

On the crater rim

A handful of lodges sit on or near the rim at about 2,300 metres. You wake up above the crater and can be first down the descent road. You also pay conservation-area fees for every night, and it is cold.

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

★★★★★

8.9 50

A stone-built lodge set into the crater rim, with rooms looking straight down onto the crater floor. One of the classic places to wake up above Ngorongoro.

On the crater rim
Crater views from the rooms
Short drive to the descent road

from US$601 / night See rates & availability

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

★★★★

A large lodge on the quieter eastern rim, known for sunset views across the crater and for having its own nearby access road to the floor.

Eastern crater rim
Sunset side of the crater
Close to the eastern access road

See rates & availability

Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge

★★★★

A long-established rim lodge with one of the widest crater panoramas from its terrace and rooms. Simpler than its neighbours, but the view is the point.

On the crater rim
Panoramic terrace
Long-running classic lodge

See rates & availability

Ngorongoro Lodge, Member of Meliá Collection

★★★★★

9.8 40

A recent high-end lodge in the Ngorongoro highlands from the Meliá group, with some of the highest guest scores in the area and prices to match.

Five-star comfort
Very high guest scores
Inside the conservation area

from US$1411 / night See rates & availability

See all Ngorongoro rim lodges

Karatu and the Rift escarpment

Twenty to thirty minutes from the gate, among coffee farms. This is where most mid-range safaris stay: warmer nights, gardens, good food and much lower prices. One escarpment lodge above Lake Manyara is listed here too.

Ngorongoro Farm House

★★★★

9.6 40

Cottages spread across a working coffee farm near Karatu, a short drive from the conservation-area gate. Much of the food comes from its own gardens.

Coffee-farm setting
Close to the Ngorongoro gate
Excellent guest scores

See rates & availability

Gibb’s Farm

★★★★★

9.4 40

A small, historic farm lodge on the forested outer slopes of the crater highlands near Karatu, famous for its gardens and farm-to-table kitchen.

Around 20 rooms
Farm-to-table food
Garden and farm walks

See rates & availability

The Retreat at Ngorongoro

★★★★

9.8 46

A well-reviewed lodge in the highlands near Karatu that offers a comfortable mid-to-upper-range base for the crater at well below rim prices.

Very high guest scores
Good value for the standard
Easy access to the gate

from US$327 / night See rates & availability

Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

★★★★★

9.6 44

A luxury all-inclusive lodge of thatched cottages in landscaped gardens near the conservation-area boundary, outside Karatu.

All-inclusive
Spacious cottages with fireplaces
Near the Ngorongoro gate

from US$974 / night See rates & availability

Karatu Tented Lodge

★★★★

9.2 44

A friendly, good-value tented lodge in Karatu — a sensible pick if you want a comfortable bed near the gate without paying lodge prices.

Among the best-value stays near the crater
Strong guest reviews
In Karatu

from US$93 / night See rates & availability

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge

★★★★

9.0 48

A lodge on the edge of the Rift Valley escarpment above Lake Manyara, about an hour before the Ngorongoro gate — handy for combining Manyara and the crater.

Views over Lake Manyara
Pool on the escarpment edge
Between Tarangire and Ngorongoro

from US$213 / night See rates & availability

See all Karatu lodges

Arusha: before and after

For the night after your international flight and the night before you leave. Choose the centre for convenience or the green outskirts for quiet.

Gran Meliá Arusha

★★★★★

9.4 77

Arusha’s leading five-star hotel, set in gardens with views of Mount Meru. The comfortable choice for the night after a long-haul flight or at the end of a safari.

Five-star, opened 2019
Pool, spa and Mount Meru views
Top guest scores in Arusha

from US$316 / night See rates & availability

Four Points by Sheraton Arusha, The Arusha Hotel

★★★★

8.4 79

The historic Arusha Hotel by the clock tower in the centre of town, dating back to 1894 and now run as a Four Points by Sheraton.

Right in the town centre
Historic property with gardens
Reliable chain standard

See rates & availability

Mount Meru Hotel

★★★★

8.5 47

A large, well-run hotel in extensive grounds on the edge of town, with a pool and views of Mount Meru. Popular with safari groups.

Pool and big gardens
Mount Meru views
Good for groups and families

from US$198 / night See rates & availability

Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge

★★★★

Plantation-style chalets on a working coffee estate on the Ngorongoro side of Arusha, close to Arusha’s domestic airport.

On a coffee plantation
Near Arusha Airport
Upmarket and quiet

from US$457 / night See rates & availability

Sanna Boutique Hotel

★★★★

9.0 76

A small, well-reviewed boutique hotel in Arusha — a good-value base for the night before the safari starts.

Strong guest scores
Mid-range price
Small and personal

from US$102 / night See rates & availability

Venus Premier Hotel

★★★★

8.2 68

A straightforward, inexpensive hotel in Arusha with good reviews for the price. Fine for a short night before an early pickup.

One of the cheaper well-rated options
In town
Practical for early starts

from US$68 / night See rates & availability

See all Arusha hotels

Crater rim or Karatu?

Base	Good for	Less good for	From
Crater rim	The view; first on the crater floor at dawn; sunset over the crater	Budget — room rates plus nightly conservation fees; cold, often misty nights	about US$600
Karatu	Value; warmer nights; gardens and coffee farms; easy for Manyara and Eyasi	No crater view; about an hour to the descent road	about US$90
Arusha	Arrival and departure nights; shops, ATMs and restaurants	A crater base — it is 3 to 4 hours away	about US$70

The cost trade-off, explained

Lodges inside the conservation area are few, in great demand and subject to nightly concession fees per guest, and every night inside also counts towards your 24-hour entry permits. Lodges in Karatu are outside the boundary, so you pay conservation fees only for the day you enter. For two people, the difference between a rim lodge and a good Karatu lodge is often several hundred dollars a night.

What the rim buys you is time and atmosphere: you can be at the descent road when it opens without a pre-dawn drive, and you see the crater at sunset and sunrise. If the budget allows one splurge night on a northern-circuit safari, this is a fine place to spend it. If not, Karatu costs you about 45 minutes of sleep and nothing else.

Camping

Budget safaris use Simba campsite, a public site on the crater rim with shared toilets and showers and a fine view. It is basic, busy in high season and very cold at night; zebra and buffalo graze between the tents. Bring a warm sleeping bag or check what your operator supplies.

Practical notes

Most safari lodges are sold on a full-board basis. Compare like with like when looking at prices.
Rim lodges usually have heating, fires or hot-water bottles, but pack warm sleepwear anyway.
July, August and the Christmas–February period sell out early, on the rim especially.
Trip.com does not list every safari lodge. If the one you want is missing, a packaged safari may be the simpler way to book it.

Accommodation links go to Trip.com. Where an affiliate relationship is in place we may earn a commission on completed stays, at no extra cost to you. Guest scores and prices were checked on Trip.com and change over time.

Plan your safari

Make the Ngorongoro Crater the heart of your Tanzania safari

Drop 600 metres to the crater floor at dawn, look for black rhino and lions among the zebra, and picnic by the hippo pool. Compare day trips from Arusha, two-day Tarangire combinations and full Serengeti safaris — and book in a couple of taps.

Browse Ngorongoro safaris Compare all tours

Good to know

Where to stay: FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Can you stay inside the Ngorongoro Crater?

No. There is no accommodation on the crater floor. The closest options are the lodges and the public campsite on the rim.

Is it worth staying on the crater rim?

If your budget allows, yes, for the view and the early start. If not, Karatu gives you nearly the same crater experience for much less.

How far are Karatu lodges from the crater?

About 20 to 30 minutes from Lodoare Gate and roughly an hour from the descent road, depending on the lodge.

How many nights do I need near the crater?

One is enough for a crater game drive. Two nights let you add Lake Manyara, Lake Eyasi, a coffee tour or a walk at Olmoti or Empakaai.

Do rim lodges have heating?

Most provide heaters, fireplaces or hot-water bottles. Standards differ, so check recent reviews if you feel the cold.