Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

You stay at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge on the rim of the crater, a stone-built lodge with seventy-four rooms that look down into the volcanic basin. Each room has a private balcony enclosed in rock, facing the crater floor where lions, elephants and wildebeest move across the grasslands. The lodge is built from river stone and covered in native vines, so it blends into the rim from a distance.

The main restaurant serves buffet breakfasts and lunches with international dishes, and table d'hôte dinners with local ingredients. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the crater view. The stone-walled bar has a fireplace kept lit day and night, and the walls are decorated with cave paintings.

Game drives descend into the crater on the steep access road, where you might see black rhino among the acacia groves and soda lakes. The lodge can arrange picnic lunches on the crater floor, or sundowner drinks on the rim at dusk. The crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with restricted vehicle access to protect the wildlife.

The lodge generates its own electricity through a renewable energy system installed in 2024, reducing reliance on diesel generators. Stone passages connect the rooms to the central lounge and dining areas, lit by torches after dark.