Highlights

• Perched on a working coffee plantation with views over a waterfall and the Karatu highlands
• Under an hour's drive from the Ngorongoro Crater rim for full-day descents
• Twenty-six stone-and-thatch cottages with private verandahs
• Afternoon coffee walks through the estate with the resident guides
• Heated outdoor pool and spa treatments after long game-drive days

You Should Know

• Child policy: children of all ages welcome; family cottages available for parents travelling with young children
• The lodge sits at roughly 5,500 feet; guests arriving from sea level may feel the altitude on day one
• Crater descents are a full-day excursion with an early start and packed lunch

The Details

Location

Kitela stands on a hillside above Karatu, in the farming country that stretches between Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. The gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are about 30 minutes away by road, which makes the lodge a practical base for a day in the crater without the cost of staying on the rim itself. Lake Manyara and the back road to the Serengeti are both within easy reach.

Rooms

Twenty-six cottages are spread through the gardens, built from local stone with thatched roofs and private verandahs looking out towards the waterfall or the coffee fields. Each has a four-poster bed, a fireplace for the cool highland evenings, and a bathroom with a separate tub and shower. Family cottages add a second bedroom for children sharing with parents.

Dining

Meals are served in the main lodge, with a terrace for lunch on warm days and a fireplace indoors when the evening cools down. The kitchen leans on produce from the estate's own vegetable garden and the surrounding farms, and the wine list runs through South African and European labels. Packed breakfasts and lunches are prepared for guests heading out to the crater.

Activities

Full-day game drives into the Ngorongoro Crater are the main draw, with vehicles descending at the gate opening and spending the day on the crater floor among the resident lion, elephant, buffalo and black rhino populations. Closer to the lodge, guests can walk through the coffee plantation with a guide in the afternoon, visit the nearby Iraqw villages, or spend a day at Lake Manyara looking for tree-climbing lions and large elephant herds.

Spa

A small spa next to the pool offers massages and treatments using local products, which is a useful option after a long day in the vehicle.

Price Includes

• Accommodation in a cottage on full-board basis
• All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Selected beverages
• Afternoon coffee walk on the estate
• Taxes and service charges