Crater rim views at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Our lodge sits on the edge of Ngorongoro crater and blends seamlessly with the landscape, built into river rock and covered in vines. This prime location is what really sets us apart from other lodges in Ngorongoro. The geological theme runs throughout our interior design, with stone passages and wooden decks, as well as torches and stylised cave paintings on the walls. Our luxury rooms are decorated with wildwood mirrors and Maasai carvings contrasted with modern, en-suite bathrooms.

Each room is looped around the crater rim and has a rock-enclosed balcony which looks out over the crater floor. You can see animals wandering around, from buffalo to waterbucks, forest boars and even huge bull elephants. The view is also spectacular from our restaurant, which has dining areas named after two of Mount Kilimanjaro’s peaks: Mawenzi and Kibo. Guests are served a five-course à la carte menu while enjoying the scenery.

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is also deeply connected with Maasai culture. Some of our staff are from the local Maasai community, including one of our guides, who leads nature walks around the crater rim, explaining all about the area’s native flora and fauna. Guests love getting to touch, feel and smell nature. We also have a Maasai market where locals sell their hand-made products and in the evenings, Maasai dancers who come in to perform. You can even take traditional Swahili language and cooking lessons to really delve into our culture.

A highlight of the stay is taking a game drive down into the prehistoric crater, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s packed with wildlife and has a very large concentration of lions. Take a picnic with you for a safari in the crater and you’ll encounter lots of elephants, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippos and various antelope species. It’s an incredible mix of wildlife, history and geology.