Safari to Ngorongoro Karatu

some of the prettiest rural landscapes in Tanzania

Ngorongoro Karatu is a particularly attractive rural area which lies on the main safari route through Northern Tanzania.

Approaching from the south, the road climbs the main Rift Escarpment above Lake Manyara and immediately the landscapes are better watered and more widely farmed. It’s about 30 km along a good sealed road to the Lodoare Gate into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, from where it is wilderness all the way.

For the last 15 km, centred on the dusty tin-roofed agricultural centre of Karatu, this farmland becomes increasingly beautiful, with the mountainous cloud forests of the reserve looming ahead.

The area is home to the Irawq people, who are agriculturalists and therefore very different from the pastoral Maasai who dominate the surrounding areas.

A stay here can inject a really nice change of pace into a safari, a chance to experience real red-road rural Africa.

It is important to note that the lodges in this area do not serve as great bases from which to visit the Ngorongoro Crater due to traffic issues.

The Ngorongoro Karatu area tends to feature in most first time trips to the Serengeti region, either before (northbound) or after (southbound) the Ngorongoro Crater. The area provides a wonderful opportunity to take a break from safari and experience the delights of rural Africa.

The usual stay duration is 1-3 nights.

Seasonality

The only factor which affects seasonality in the Ngorongoro Karatu area is the weather, since wildlife movements are not relevant and visitor traffic is less of an issue.

The best months to visit from a weather perspective are generally considered to be May-Oct, although the early part of that season can be very cold at night.

Getting there

The vast majority of visitors to Ngorongoro Karatu arrive by guided overland safari, so they travel to their lodge and around the area in their private vehicle.

Around 5% of visitors to Ngorongoro Karatu arrive by light aircraft, almost always arriving into Manyara Airstrip, from where it is around an hour by road. In this case they travel around the area with a vehicle and guide from their lodge.

When staying in this area it is sometimes possible for us to put your vehicle and driver on standby, which means that you do not have to pay so much to have them sitting there doing nothing whilst you get on with other activities. However this is clearly not possible if you want to do trips further afield, notably down to Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara or up to the Ngorongoro Crater.

Where to stay

The Karatu area contains a wide range of accommodation options, notably including some really nice farmhouse style lodges.

The original and often the best options in the area are the relatively high quality Gibbs Farm and Plantation Lodge.

The most upmarket option is The Manor at Ngorongoro, which is most commonly used in flying safaris.

Good mid-priced options include Bashay Rift Lodge and Ngorongoro Farmhouse, with Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge being one of the best in the lower price range.

a great change of gear in a safari