Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Highlights

• Perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, is home to over 25,000 animals, including the endangered black rhino and the highest concentration of lions in Africa.
• All 75 rooms and the Kimba Suite have private stone balconies with completely uninterrupted views of the crater floor far below.
• Built from river stone and draped in indigenous vines with torch-lit walls adorned with stylised cave paintings and a fire kept permanently alight at the stone heart of the lodge.
• Unique dining experiences, including a bush breakfast on the crater floor, crater lunches in acacia groves, sundowners on the crater rim, and summer bush dinners with Maasai entertainment.
• Guided nature walks and hikes along the crater rim, crater game drives, visits to Olduvai Gorge and Empakai Crater, and Maasai village cultural tours.
• Maisha Spa offers treatments inspired by modern skincare and time-honoured African healing practices.

You Should Know

• Children of all ages are welcome. Family rooms are available, along with a children’s menu and babysitting services (on request).
• Game drives, crater excursions, spa treatments, laundry, and most activities are chargeable extras.

The Detail

Clinging to the jagged rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the great natural amphitheatres of the world, the lodge arranges its 75 guest rooms in a broad arc along the crater's edge. Every room opens onto a private balcony enclosed by raw rock, and from each one the view is the same: an unobstructed sweep down into the vast blue-green bowl of the volcanic crater floor, thousands of feet below.

The architecture draws its character from the land itself with rough-hewn stone walls, timbered walkways lashed together, and torchlit passages lined with paintings that echo the prehistoric cave art of the region. At the lodge's core, a fire burns without interruption, day and night, lending the whole place a quality of deep permanence.

The main restaurant serves breakfast and lunch as generous buffets. The morning spread is anchored by a full English breakfast alongside a broad range of international options. Dinner takes a more formal shape: a table d'hôte menu moving through a salad buffet, soup, entrée, pudding, cheese and biscuits, and tea or coffee. Vegetarian dishes are always on offer, and the kitchen is well practised at accommodating special dietary requirements. The lodge sources the majority of its meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetables from farming communities in the surrounding area.

Beyond the main restaurant, the lodge has built a set of dining experiences that make full use of its extraordinary surroundings. The Crater Breakfast begins with an early-morning game drive down into the caldera, ending with a cooked breakfast served on the crater floor itself. The Crater Lunch follows a similar logic with a picnic or full cooked meal laid out among the acacia groves. As the light softens in the late afternoon, sundowners are served on the rim with the crater spread out below. On summer evenings, bush dinners are held under the open sky, accompanied by Maasai dance and song.

The activity programme is built around the crater and the wider landscape. Game drives into the caldera run as half-day or full-day excursions, and guided walks and hikes along the rim offer a slower, more intimate way to read the terrain. For those wanting to cover more ground, a full circle rim hike is available with an armed ranger. Day trips venture further afield to Olduvai Gorge and the remote Empakai Crater, while Maasai village visits and cattle market tours give a window into the culture of the people who have lived alongside this landscape for centuries. Each evening, the resident naturalist leads wildlife and cultural talks. The Maisha Spa rounds out the offering with a full treatment menu rooted in African healing traditions.

Price Includes

• Accommodation with daily breakfast, lunch and dinner (full board rate).
• Game drives, spa treatments, laundry, and crater entrance fees are charged separately.
• Crater game drives, crater breakfast, crater lunch, sundowners, and guided walks are all available at additional cost.