Martina's Retreat

One kilometre off the main tarmac road on the northern edge of Karatu town, looking onto a small coffee plantation and the farms around it. The Loduare gate into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is about fifteen kilometres west.

About half an hour to the Loduare gate, and roughly an hour more down to the crater floor depending on the descent road and the queue at the gate. Most guests leave very early to be on the floor at first light.

By road it is around three and a half hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport and about two hours forty from Arusha, on tarmac the whole way through Makuyuni and Mto wa Mbu. Flying in, the nearest airstrip is Lake Manyara, roughly half an hour away by road.

Nine, which makes this the smallest property in its group. Two of them are family suites that take extra beds, and some rooms connect to the one next door.

A king or twin bed under mosquito netting, a fireplace for the cold highland evenings, a writing desk and reading chair, a tea and coffee station with biscuits baked in the kitchen, and a bathroom with a large walk in shower and a separate WC. Each opens onto a private patio with chairs.

The published rate is full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner are covered, and it includes the Tourism Development Levy and VAT. Park and conservation area entry fees, drinks, activities and anything else taken at the property are settled separately.

Yes. Two of the nine rooms are family suites that take extra beds and some rooms connect, and rooms can be set as triples with notice. Children between six and twelve sharing with adults are charged at a set child rate rather than a share of the adult price.

At your table rather than from a buffet line, which is possible at nine rooms and is part of the character of the place. Breakfast is continental and English, the kitchen sources locally, and special diets are handled with notice. Safari lunch boxes are available on request.

Wifi reaches the rooms as well as the common areas, which is unusual among the Karatu lodges and useful if you have to work. The property does not publish how its power is supplied, so plan for the usual highland pattern of charging in the evening.

There is a pool, a large common deck looking over the lawn, and tropical gardens with a lot of birds in them. Most guests use the retreat as a base and spend the day out in the parks.

June to October is the dry season and the most reliable window for the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. December to March brings the calving herds onto the Ndutu plains within reach. April, May and November are the quiet months here and the lowest season.

From two in the afternoon, with check out at ten in the morning. An early crater departure the next day is normal here and the kitchen will prepare breakfast or a packed box accordingly.