Ngorongoro Farm House
With easy access to the spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife of Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Farm House has cottages spread out over beautiful gardens and a coffee plantation in the Karatu area. It's a working farm with an organic garden. Expect fresh, delicious food and the tantalising aroma of the farm's own coffee beans which are grown, picked, roasted, ground and enjoyed right there.
Highlights
- 5 km from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, ensuring easy access to this natural wonder
- Spectacular game viewing in the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater
- Working farm with coffee, vegetables, cows, pigs and sheep
- Cottages designed in farmhouse style for a genuine African Farm experience
- Maasai walks, an opportunity to meet and learn the culture and traditions of the local people
- Wonderful, deep swimming pool for cooling off after a day in Ngorongoro
- Freshly roasted and ground coffee from the source
- Nature walks around the farm
- Massages
While the Ngorongoro Farm House has 52 cottages, they are spread out over the gardens and amongst trees, allowing you a sense of privacy. The view across the farm to Oldeani Volcano is spectacular. There are 49 standard rooms and three suites, all designed in a style reminiscent of the colonial farming times with high, wooden beam ceilings and polished concrete floors.
Standard rooms can be twin, triple or double with king size beds, and six of them interconnect for families. The three suites all have king size beds. Each cottage has a private veranda, mosquito nets and en-suite bathroom with shower.
Main lodge area
The main house is a beautiful, thatched single-story house with a gift shop, lounge, restaurant and a huge deck offering spectacular views across the farm to Oldeani Volcano. Bare brick fireplaces with crackling fires keep the chill of the highlands away on colder days.
Meals are lovingly made using fresh produce from the garden and farm and are served in the restaurant, on the deck or by the pool.
Both a bar and a coffee bar providing delicious aromas are also in the main house. Sip on a cocktail or a cappuccino on the deck as the sun sets over Africa.
Game viewing activities
The most renowned game viewing is done in the nearby Ngorongoro Crater where an estimated 25,000 large animals live in a relatively small 260 km² which make up the caldera's bowl. A day trip to the crater will almost certainly reward you with sightings of the Big Five, including the endangered black rhino and a large number of antelope, monkey, hippo, crocodile, zebra and more.
Vehicles are only allowed into the crater during the day, so an early start is recommended. Ngorongoro Farm House does not offer trips to Ngorongoro Crater, as most people come with their own car and guide. They can, however, put you in touch with local guides.
Things to do in and around Ngorongoro Farm House
- Visit nearby Ngorongoro Crater with its teeming wildlife
- Spectacular walks both in and out of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Drink coffee
- Guided treks in the area, length and difficulty to suit all fitness levels
- Nature walks around the farm
- Maasai walks introduce you to the cultural, customary and traditional use of indigenous plants
- Enjoy a half- or full-body massage
- Cool off at the pool after a hot day in the African sun
Getting there
By car - Ngorongoro Farm House is about 190 km from Arusha by tarred road. The trip generally takes between two and three hours.
By air - There are daily scheduled flights from Arusha to Lake Manyara Airstrip and chartered flights to Ngorongoro Airstrip. Arusha is served by two airports; domestic Arusha Airport has daily flights and Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Our take on Ngorongoro Farm House
Experience life on a working Tanzanian farm with beautiful views. Ngorongoro Farm House is close enough to Ngorongoro Crater to make trips to the bowl easy, but just out of Ngorongoro Conservation Area to make it a slightly more budget-friendly option than accommodation on the crater rim. Fresh produce from the gardens and coffee from the plantation are an added bonus.
Includes
Accommodation including three meals a day
Drinking water
Tea and coffee
Afternoon coffee walk at all Karatu properties
Excludes
- Soft drinks, beer and house wine
- Gratuities
- Items of a personal nature
You may also want to look at
7 Day Taste of Tanzania Safari Tour
Experience the vast expanses of true wilderness and perhaps some of the best game-viewing areas on the African continent. Our 7-Day Taste of Tanzania Safari Tour takes in the untamed Tarangire, the world-renowned Serengeti (famous for the Great Migration) and Ngorongoro National Park. Accompanied by some of the country's best guides, your safety and comfort will be in excellent hands, leaving you to enjoy the safari of a lifetime at the best possible price.
Ngorongoro Karatu Area
Accommodation and park fees within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area can be high. Just 20 km out of the park lies the bustling town of Karatu, surrounded by beautiful coffee plantations. It is here that comfortable, affordable accommodation in spectacular settings can be found. The area enjoys easy access to Ngorongoro, with its breathtaking scenery and teeming wildlife, especially at Ngorongoro Crater.
