The Manor at Ngorongoro | Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area One Of Tanzania’s Best Safari Lodges

With its Cape Dutch architecture and stately gardens, The Manor at Ngorongoro could almost pass for a grand house in the South African winelands. I look out over 600ha of coffee plantations, sweeping up towards the lush, dewy forest at the rim of the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Situated high up on the hill – overlooking the Shangri-La coffee plantations in the Karatu Highlands of northern Tanzania – this wonderful lodge has 18 manor suites and the Stable Cottage. It’s the perfect countryside escape.

A baboon barks as we canter out the forest, and we see the flank of an impala darting off among the trees. As we slow to trot through fields of coffee plantations, we see a grand manor house rising majestically before us, the white Cape-Dutch-styled homestead we’ve been staying at since last night. Dropping off our horses at the stables, we walk to our suite at The Manor at Ngorongoro, which is similarly whitewashed and surrounded by manicured gardens. From our private deck and courtyard, we have endless views of rolling green hills and the escarpment beyond. With its high ceilings, it’s nice and cool inside. A fireplace divides the sitting room from the bedroom, and the dark, hardwood flooring is accompanied by Edwardian furniture and crisp, white fabrics. Immediately seated in the rocking chair, my partner leafs through a magazine while I decide to wash up in the large bathroom. I love that it has both a rainfall shower and a Victorian claw-footed bath, though now I’m in a conundrum over which one to choose. There’s even heated flooring for the cooler nights! Later that evening, we have drinks at the bar, admiring the grand piano centrepiece. Dinner is served soon after in the formal dining room, although we could choose to have it in the dining conservancy, or privately in the cellar, library or our guest cottage. Wherever we choose to dine, our sumptuous five-course meal is always complemented with fine wines.

Often called ‘Africa’s Garden of Eden’, Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest unbroken caldera, and this unique ecosystem is home to an incredible amount of wildlife. It’s a must-see for all visitors to Tanzania, so it can get quite busy! As our lodge was nearby, we had the opportunity to explore the crater at a calm pace, have an exclusive picnic on the crater floor, and retreat to base camp for some peace and quiet whenever we wanted to. We also enjoyed easy access to Lake Manyara National Park and its beautiful flamingos – a really lovely day trip. The games room, private cinema and large swimming pool, and of course, the experience of riding through the coffee plantation and Ngorongoro forests on horseback, were just a few more highlights of our very memorable stay.

• Luxurious manor on an exclusive coffee plantation with 18 guest suites and the Stable Cottage, a pool, spa, horse stables, billiard room, library, cinema, restaurant and wine cellar.
• Private dining, flexible schedules and private vehicle available (additional cost)
• Game drives, horse riding, picnics and sundowners, swimming, guided nature walks, mountain biking, spa treatments (additional cost), Lake Manyara National Park day trip (additional cost), Olduvai Gorge day trip (additional cost), private bush lunch in Ngorongoro Crater (additional cost), picnic lunches in the crater (additional cost) and coffee tours (additional cost).
• Children are welcome with babysitting and children’s activities available. One family suite on offer, and children can also be accommodated in the other suites.

• Not only do African safari lodge prices shift with the seasons, they also change based on your length of stay, room type, travel party composition, special offers, if your trip involves stays at sister lodges – and for more reasons besides.
• It’s worth noting that depending on your itinerary, your lodge cost will make up about 75–85% of your total safari trip cost.
• Our safaris are tailor-made to match your personal safari dream, we’d be delighted if you’d allow us to create a bespoke proposal for you.  Simply enquire now – our quotes are complimentary and obligation-free.
• However, to help you get an idea of safari lodge prices we’ve created three safari-lodge categories with various price ranges, to find out more click here.