Lodges & partnersKaratu and the Ngorongoro highlands
Fifty one rooms on a hilltop in the Oldeani coffee country, with the crater highlands on one side and the Rift Valley on the other.
From $285 per person per night
About
The lodge stands on a hill above Oldeani village, in the farming country that runs west from Karatu town toward the Ngorongoro highlands. This is the old coffee belt, planted from the nineteen twenties, and the land around the property is still smallholdings and estates. The building is stone and colonial in manner, set in forty acres of gardens and planted woodland, and it is high enough that the view turns through a full circle: Mount Oldeani and the crater rim to the north west, the Rift Valley and Lake Manyara to the east, Lake Eyasi away to the south west. Mornings are cold and clear at this altitude and the fireplaces in the rooms are not decoration.
Guests come here for the Ngorongoro Crater, which is about forty five to fifty minutes away at the Loduare gate and another climb beyond that to the rim. The crater holds resident populations rather than migratory ones, so the game viewing is steady all year: black rhino, large tusked elephant bulls, lion, buffalo, hyena and dense plains game on the floor, with flamingo on Lake Magadi inside the caldera. Lake Manyara is roughly an hour away and adds tree climbing lions, big elephant herds in the groundwater forest and one of the largest baboon troops in Africa. Lake Eyasi, south west, is where visits to the Hadzabe and Datoga communities start.
There are fifty one rooms, published by the supplier as 34 doubles, 16 deluxe twins and one suite. Every room has a fireplace, a bathtub set for the view, indoor dual and outdoor showers, air conditioning, a private deck, a safe and tea and coffee making. The property carries more facilities than most lodges in this district: a rim flow pool on the edge of the hill, a spa, a gym, a media room, a billiards room, a library, a children play room, a Maasai boutique and a boardroom with conference facilities. The grounds are planted with over three thousand trees and are a genuine bird sanctuary.
It suits travellers who want the crater within reach but would rather sleep in the quiet of the highlands than on the rim itself, families who need space and a pool, and groups who need meeting rooms. It suits less well anyone after a small owner run farm or an intimate tented camp, which is a different kind of stay altogether. Rates are Full Board, with an All Inclusive upgrade available, and game drives are arranged separately rather than built into the room rate.
Access is straightforward. By road it is roughly four to four and a half hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport, all tarmac until the last few kilometres. By air the nearest strip is Lake Manyara, about twenty five minutes flying from Arusha Airport and forty five minutes by road from the lodge.
Signature experiences
An early start down the descent road onto the crater floor, where black rhino, elephant bulls, lion and hyena live year round in a caldera about twenty kilometres across. Lunch is taken beside the hippo pool and the climb out comes in the late afternoon.
Oldeani has grown coffee since the nineteen twenties and the estates around the lodge still work. A guided walk covers the picking, the drying and the roasting, and ends with a cup made from beans grown within sight of the property.
An early departure south west to spend a morning with one of the last hunting and gathering communities in East Africa, then with Datoga blacksmiths who work brass and iron by hand. It is a long day and worth it.
A guided walk in the forest above Karatu to the caves where elephant come to dig at the mineral rich walls. The walk is gentle, the forest is loud with birds and turaco, and a ranger comes along.
Over a hundred and thirty species have been recorded in the forty acres of garden and planted woodland. Much of it can be done before breakfast with a cup of coffee in hand.
Gallery
Room types
The lodge sells one class of room, made up of 34 doubles and 16 deluxe twins. Each has a fireplace, a bathtub positioned for the view, indoor dual and outdoor showers, air conditioning, a private deck, a safe, a mini fridge and tea and coffee making.
At a glance
Best time to visit
Best months: January to February and June to October.
Location & access
Karatu and the Ngorongoro highlands
About two and a half hours door to door. Road transfer from Kilimanjaro International to Arusha Airport takes around forty five minutes, the light aircraft hop to Lake Manyara airstrip about twenty five minutes, and the road transfer up to the lodge about forty five minutes.
About four to four and a half hours in total. Kilimanjaro International to Arusha is roughly an hour on the A23, Arusha to the Makuyuni junction another hour and a quarter, Makuyuni down to Mto wa Mbu about forty minutes, then the escarpment climb to Karatu around forty minutes and a final twenty five minutes on the Lake Eyasi road to the lodge.
On the map
3.382° S, 35.598° E
What's included
Frequently asked
On a hill at Changarawe, in the Oldeani area of Karatu district, about twenty five minutes west of Karatu town on the Lake Eyasi road. It sits outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area boundary, in the farming country below the highlands.
About forty five to fifty minutes to the Loduare gate, then a climb to the rim and the descent road onto the crater floor. Most guests leave the lodge early with a packed breakfast to get onto the floor before the vehicles build up.
Fifty one in total: 34 doubles, 16 deluxe twins and one suite with a private pool. It is a large property by the standards of this district.
Year round. The contract prices every month, with the highest rates from July to October and over the days around Christmas and New Year, and the lowest in April and May.
By road it is about four to four and a half hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport, almost all tarmac. By air the nearest strip is Lake Manyara, around twenty five minutes flying from Arusha Airport, then about forty five minutes by road.
Yes. Children under 6 stay free of charge sharing with their parents, children from 6 to 15 pay a reduced rate, and one extra bed fits in a Standard Room. There is a children play room on the property and a pool.
Full Board, which is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Beverages and laundry are charged separately, and an All Inclusive upgrade can be added for a fixed amount per person per night. Park fees and the Tourism Development Levy are charged on top.
No. Game drives and the safari vehicle sit outside the room rate and are arranged separately, so the days in the crater and at Lake Manyara are planned and priced with your trip rather than with the lodge. A private vehicle can be pre booked through the lodge, subject to availability.
A rim flow pool on the edge of the hill, a spa, a gym, a media room, billiards, a library and a children play room. Outside, there are coffee plantation walks, village walks, mountain biking, nature walks in the grounds and evening dinners in the boma.
Mornings and nights are cold at this altitude, which is why every room has a fireplace. Days are usually mild and clear. Bring a warm layer for early crater departures, when the rim can be near freezing.
Mains power with a standby generator behind it, and complimentary WiFi in the rooms and public areas.
June to October is the driest and the easiest for game viewing in the crater, and it is also the busiest. January and February are a good drier window between the rains. April and May are the wettest and the quietest, and the crater still holds its resident game.
What's nearby
About 45 to 50 minutes to the Loduare gate, then the climb to the rim and the descent road
A collapsed volcanic caldera holding a resident population of black rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo, hyena and dense plains game, with flamingo on the soda lake in the middle. Vehicles are limited to a set number of hours on the floor, so an early start matters.
About an hour east, down the escarpment
A narrow park squeezed between the Rift wall and a soda lake, with groundwater forest, large elephant herds, tree climbing lions and close to four hundred recorded bird species. It works well as a half day out.
About an hour and a half south west
The dry lake country where the Hadzabe still hunt with bow and arrow and the Datoga work metal by hand. Visits start before dawn because that is when the hunting happens.
About two hours north west, usually combined with a crater day
The ravine where the Leakeys uncovered some of the earliest hominin fossils and stone tools. There is a museum on the rim and a short guided walk down toward the excavation sites.
About forty minutes, a half day walk
Caves in the highland forest where elephant dig into the mineral rich walls. The walk goes with a ranger and is manageable for most fitness levels.
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