Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

During our 8-day Serengeti wildebeest migration safari, we were fortunate to spend 1 night at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge which is built on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. The rooms are built around the crater rim, and timber decks link the rooms and other lodge areas. Our tastefully decorated room with a comfortable king size bed, and additional single bed, was spacious and clean, with a large en-suite bathroom and shower. Our room also had its own private rock-enclosed balcony with lovely views of the crater floor. The property is extremely neat and well maintained with spectacular views of the crater, and the stone and ivy-covered walls of the lodge blend in beautifully with the surroundings. The lodge with Maasai-inspired décor has appealing facilities, including lounge, bar, and dining areas. The lodge also has extensive outdoor viewing decks. The food was superb, and our specific dietary needs were well catered for. The delicious food was complemented with the local beers including Kilimanjaro, Safari, and Serengeti, all of which were very good. The staff were very friendly and efficient, ensuring that we were well looked after at all times. Our game viewing safari on the floor of the crater was incredible. We had so many fantastic wildlife sightings, and saw an abundance of game, including lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhino, including black rhino. Besides being fortunate to observe so many of the “big five” on our safari, we also experienced numerous fascinating and interesting animal interactions, including hyenas robbing a lioness of a Thompsons gazelle that she had just killed. Overall, it was an amazing 1-night stop-over.

My husband and I stayed here 2 nights for our honeymoon and we will NEVER stop talking about the exceptional service and stay at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. We often said this stay was the highlight of our honeymoon. We were spoiled, checked in on constantly and felt like the only honeymooners on the planet. From being personally sung to during our first dinner there, to the delicious cake, we felt so taken care of. Highly recommend going during the low season, you will not regret it. The view from our room onto the crater was incredible and the wildlife was unmatched. A big shoutout and thank you to the Manager Erick that personally checked on us multiple times a day and went out of his way to say hello, to other lovely staff Hasan, Iddy, Fides, Emmanuel, Maria and so many more, thanks for an exceptional stay! -Patrick & Sarah Welling

The hotel is very good. Except that somethings had to be improved. 1. When you take a shower and the water goes in the drainage it stinks. Maybe it was just our room since our friends in the next room didn’t face that. 2. On the day of checkout, When we went to eat breakfast we had not yet checked-out. But the hotel staff removed our mattress covers, pillowcases, towels etc and left the room bare. This felt rude and caused pain and is not acceptable at such a place! The hotel has a very good view of the Ngorongoro crater from the room and the room is spacious. The bar is good except that their Shirley temple could be better. The dining room is spacious and the food is very good. The plated food was the best of the lot in all our resorts. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. I hope that they would fix the drainage problem.

We had a brilliant stay at this hotel, friendly staff, excellent food and comfortable rooms. Great access into the Ngorongoro Crater and lovely facilities with the option for additional activities. I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting the area and would happily stay again! The sunrise views over the crater were outstanding!