Tanzania Ngorongoro Safari Camps
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was established not only to protect wildlife and other natural resources, but also to safeguard the interests of indigenous people. Here you have the unique experience of seeing Maasai herdsmen whose cattle graze side by side with the tremendous variety of wildlife found in the area. Apart from its wildlife riches, the crater is also of great archaeological importance with the remains of some of mankind’s earliest ancestors discovered in the area.
Divided into three camps, thirty stilted suites with banana leaf ceilings and grass roofs provide an intimate and exclusive safari experience with private bathrooms and plenty of space. Each camp has its own sitting and dining areas, with private butlers to provide warm, personal service to each guest. The domed dining room, where sparkling silver and crystal vie for attention with the huge windows and awe-inspiring views, ensures that the setting, as well as the meal, is one you will never forget. In this place of dramatic contrasts, where Versailles meets Maasai, anything is possible and the natural luxury of the breathtakingly beautiful setting ensures the dramatic interior of your suite blends perfectly with its stilted thatch architecture.
Lush layer of grass grow on the forest floor, providing a perfect grazing territory for bushbuck, waterbuck, eland, elephant and buffalo. Troops of olive baboon and vervet monkey are also common. Long-crested eagles hunt at the forest’s edge and vultures nest in the tops of the taller trees. One of the quintessential images of the area, the shallow Lake Magadi attracts huge flocks of flamingos. Thanks to the incredible density of wildlife in the crater, this is one of the few game drives where you can reasonably expect to see all the members of the Big Five in a single drive.
Lemala Ngorongoro is an intimate seasonal camp set in a delightful ancient acacia forest on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater. The camp offers accommodation under canvas with only eight double luxury tents and one family tent with room up to five guests. Each spacious tent is outfitted with a gas heater, two large single beds or one king-size bed with warm duvets, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hr solar lighting, and private bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and a large safari shower. The main tent is beautifully furnished with grand sofas, lamps, wooden cabinets and chests, and colorful rugs. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire for sundowners before enjoying a tasty dinner under chandeliers.
Lemala’s major advantage is the quick and easy access into the crater which maximizes game viewing and avoids the morning crater traffic. From here it only takes fifteen minutes to descend to the floor – and the scenery is stunning and the wildlife abundant. Very often game drives are taken in solitude for nearly two hours in the best morning light before more people arrive. Another advantage is the close proximity to Ol Moti and Empakaai craters for optional walks with an armed ranger and the Masai.
The camp works closely with the local Masai community who regularly come over to talk about the conservation area and the Masai life. For special occasions, Lemala can also organize optional private lunches inside the crater or breakfast with the Masai. It is perhaps the most intimate way to experience the crater's splendors. Don’t miss this delightful seasonal camp facing a lovely forest filled with sounds of wildlife, birds and the bells of Masai cattle. The camp is open from June to March.
Perched on the edge of a permanent marsh, Lemala Ndutu is the ultimate amphitheater for the wildebeest migration. The camp offers accommodation under canvas with only eight double luxury tents and one family tent with room up to five guests. Each spacious tent is outfitted with a gas heater, two large single beds or one king-size bed with warm duvets, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hr solar lighting, and private bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and a large safari shower. The main tent is beautifully furnished with grand sofas, lamps, wooden cabinets and chests, and colorful rugs. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire for sundowners before enjoying a tasty dinner under chandeliers.
This stunning Ndutu site in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was chosen purely to capture the boundless drama that accompanies the migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra. Tucked away under huge umbrella thorn acacias, it offers fantastic views of the marsh which attracts a large number of plains game and predators. The camp enjoys regular visits from the resident wildlife ranging from lions, leopards, cheetah and hyena to elephant and giraffe. Lion hunts close to the camp are not uncommon.
Another major advantage of the area is the ability to do off-road game viewing.
Lemala's open four-wheel vehicles are specially designed with charging units and a large refrigerator so that guests can enjoy full day game drives with great picnic breakfasts and lunches. The camp also offers optional walks along the marsh with an armed ranger for closer encounters with the wildlife. Superb tents and hosting, alfresco meals, fireside discussions and sundowners, spectacular views and sunsets, prime migration viewing and optional walks all add to one of the best under canvas safari experiences in Tanzania. Lemala Ndutu is open from mid-November to mid-April.