Ngorongoro Crater
Deep in Maasai territory, this otherwordly Highland setting brings wildlife and culture together for a truly unique experience.
A lambent world of wildlife and the planet’s biggest unbroken volcanic crater.
2 to 3 million years ago, a volcano bigger than Kilimanjaro imploded; and the magma retreated leaving a vast collapsed hollow. Now in the shadow of 3000ft high crater walls, the resident wildlife is diverse and easily tracked - cheetah, elephant, hyena, hippo, lion, leopard, and a vast array of bird-life, including lesser flamingos. Views from the rim bring flashes of how the planet's first humans must have experienced it.
Beyond, lie Empakai, Olmoti, OlDonyo Lengai: legendary volcanic peaks and valleys for us to explore, absurdly deserted due to the rock stardom of their famous cousin. The adventurer in us absolutely loves these places: a crowded field of Jackson’s Whydah birds all a-pogo, a pair of leopards peering through old man's beard on a pillarwood tree, one elderly Maasai lady tending her pots in a deserted highland village.
Serengeti Safari Camp
Lamai
Mkombe's House
Kusini
Entamanu
Kuro
Charlie, Sanjan
Charlie, Southwest Serengeti
Camps in Ngorongoro
No matter how many times you see the Ngorongoro crater, the first view always stops you. Standing on the rim and looking down into that huge bowl, sometimes with mist sitting inside it, you realise this is a place like no other.
The best time for me is early in the morning, when we are the first vehicle going down the descent road. The air is cold, the grass is wet, and everything is quiet. Inside the car, there is always a feeling of excitement as guests wonder what they might see that day, cuddling their hot water bottles supplied by the camp team, ready and waiting as we begin the descent.
Festo Msoffe
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Built on one of the most magnificent sites in the northern Serengeti, the Kogakuria Kopje, Lamai overlooks the area’s rolling grasslands – through which the great migration pours from July to October.
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Sweet dreams are indeed made of this.
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This is one of the few parks where you can walk and fly-camp – all that’s between you and the dark is a sheet of canvas.
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The majority of safari camps and safari lodges are not set up for young children, but this exclusive-use sister property to the eight-room Lamai Serengeti was designed especially for them: there are two fenced-off pools (including one for infants and toddlers), the staff cook to order and game drives are when it suits.