Eight canvas and perspex domes on the forested slopes of Olmoti Crater, about an hour from the Ngorongoro Crater floor.
Most Ngorongoro stays are about the rim and a day on the crater floor. The Highlands is about the wider highlands as well. It sits on the slopes of Olmoti Crater, away from the rim lodges, in domes of canvas and perspex with a wood-burning stove in each. Mornings are cold at this altitude, evenings are spent by the fire, and it feels more like a mountain lodge than a safari camp.
The crater floor is about an hour away, and the camp is at its best as a base for walking: up Olmoti for the view, or down into Empakaai Crater to the soda lake and its flamingos. Local guides lead the hikes, and there are visits to nearby Maasai communities. Stay three nights if you want to do both hikes as well as the crater.
Be clear about the journey. The nearest airstrip is Lake Manyara, three hours away by road, so this works best on a driving route between Tarangire and the Serengeti. It is cold from June to September, and the domes are not for anyone who wants a solid-walled room. Children from five are welcome, and there is a family suite.
A canvas and perspex dome in the forest with views over the hills, a wood-burning stove and an en suite bathroom with hot shower.
An interconnected suite for parents and children, with the same stoves, views and en suite bathrooms as the other suites.
A domed suite with its own outdoor hot tub, the one to ask for on an anniversary or honeymoon.
Meals are full board and built around fresh ingredients from the Karatu region, with breakfast served outside when the weather allows and a picnic lunch on crater days. House drinks are included; premium wines and champagne are extra.
A small spa in its own domes offers treatments and has a private sauna, which is welcome after a cold morning hike. Treatments are charged separately.
Children aged five and over are welcome, with an interconnected family suite. The Olmoti and Empakaai crater hikes have a minimum age of 12.
| Suites | 8 perspex-and-canvas domed suites |
|---|---|
| Nearest airstrip | Lake Manyara, a 3-hour drive |
| Crater floor | About an hour away |
| Activities | Crater game drives, Olmoti and Empakaai hikes, Maasai visits |
| Children | Aged 5 and over; hikes from 12 |
| Open | All year |
| Power | Solar and generator; Wi-Fi available |
Olmoti Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
A few of the things we plan for guests in Tanzania.
From about January to March the herds gather on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, on the border with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and give birth in their hundreds of thousands. Lions, cheetahs and hyenas follow. Mobile camps move with the herds, and the plains are green and bright between showers.
From July to October the herds reach the far north around Kogatende and cross the Mara River back and forth. It is quieter than the Kenyan side, with fewer vehicles at each crossing. Stay at least four nights and bring patience: herds can gather for hours before a single animal commits.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed volcano whose floor holds lions, hyenas, flamingos on the soda lake and one of the few places in Tanzania to see black rhino. Descend at dawn with a picnic breakfast to beat the vehicles. Rim lodges look straight into the caldera and are cold at night.
A northern Tanzania safari paced for families with children aged eight and over: baobabs and elephants near Tarangire, a crater rim lodge above Ngorongoro, a mobile camp in the Serengeti, then four nights on a Zanzibar beach.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability, suggest the right room and send a price.
