A luxury camp in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, overlooking the Serengeti plains
A lounge, dining area, bar, boma, and fire pit
Ten tented guest suites, all with private decks and electric heaters for cooler nights
Game drives, cultural boma visits, Olduvai Gorge, Shifting Sands and Nasera Rock
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp is ideally situated for game drives across the Ngorongoro Crater floor, the Serengeti’s Ndutu plains, and historic Olduvai Gorge.
Early morning and late afternoon drives in closed 4×4 vehicles take you into extraordinarily biodiverse habitats, either on the Ndutu Plains or the Ngorongoro Crater floor (best experienced on a day-long drive). These areas are populated with an abundance of game, including elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, zebra, wild dog, jackal and hyena, plus an incredible array of birdlife, from kori bustards to African paradise flycatchers.
Ngorongoro Crater Camp has a longstanding relationship with neighbouring Maasai communities. During your stay, you can visit a local boma to experience the traditional way of life and gain insight into the Maasai’s rich semi-nomadic pastoralist culture. Please note that this activity incurs an additional cost.
Olduvai Gorge is one of the world’s most important archaeological sites, and its museum displays Mary Leakey’s ground-breaking fossil discoveries. You can also visit the Shifting Sands, made of black volcanic ash and considered sacred to the Maasai, and see the ancient rock paintings at Nasera Rock. Please note that this activity incurs an additional cost.
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp sits on a hillside within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, twenty-five minutes from the crater descent road. Access is by light aircraft to Lake Manyara (forty-minute flight from Arusha, plus a two-hour drive) or Ndutu airstrip (ninety-minute flight, plus a one-hour-twenty-minute drive).
The main communal areas at Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp feature monochrome wildlife portraits and a central lounge with a statement three-metre chandelier made from painted jacaranda seed pods.
Alongside it are the Explorer’s Lounge with large-scale maps of East Africa, a dining tent, and an open-sided circular bar. Most of the interiors were custom-made locally, combining handcrafted Arusha furniture with woven sisal screens and fair-trade basketry from female-led enterprises like Women Craft. Outside, the open-air boma and firepit provide a cozy setting for evening stargazing and pre-dinner drinks. Dining is flexible to suit game-viewing schedules, whether a cooked breakfast in camp before setting off, or a packed breakfast to maximise time in the bush. Lunch is served in camp or as a picnic on full-day excursions to the crater floor. Private dining is also available on request.
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp features ten spacious 68m2 tented suites, set well apart for privacy, some with views across the Serengeti plains and others looking toward Mount Makarot.
Inside, the style is contemporary and minimalist, combining teak wood floors with billowing white curtains. Beds can be configured as kings or twins, complete with additions such as Leica binoculars, a well-stocked minibar, tea-and-coffee-making facilities, overhead fans, a safe, mosquito nets, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Given the chilly mountain mornings and nights at this altitude, electric heaters are provided in every suite. En-suite washrooms feature double vanities, indoor showers, hairdryers, and bathrobes, while a raised private deck outside offers a perfect lookout for taking in the views.
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