Rhino Lodge

Rhino Lodge stands a few hundred metres from the southern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, with easy access to the road into the crater. It was once the home of Henry Fosbrooke, Ngorongoro’s first conservationist, who helped the area become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rooms

The lodge has 24 en-suite rooms, each with a wooden deck overlooking the forest and Maasai-inspired touches. Staff light wood-burning stoves on cold evenings and provide hot water bottles, and early breakfasts and lunch boxes are available for crater days.

Why we like it

• Great value close to the crater.
• History and character.
• Warm and welcoming staff.

Who it suits

Budget travellers and families on a crater safari.

Getting there

The crater rim is about three to four hours’ drive from Arusha, passing Lake Manyara and Karatu. Manyara airstrip, about one to two hours away, has flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.

Things to do nearby

• A full day on the crater floor with picnic lunch.
• Black rhino sightings on the open plains.
• Rim walks with an armed ranger.
• Maasai cultural visits in the highlands.

About the Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is a vast volcanic caldera about 600 metres deep, its floor home to lions, elephants, buffalo, zebras and some of Tanzania’s last black rhinos. Lodges on the rim look straight down into it, and game drives descend early in the morning for the best light and the fewest vehicles. Read a day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor.

Nights on the rim, at about 2,300 metres, are cold, so bring warm layers. Crater descents are limited to a set time each day. See the Ngorongoro Crater guide and black rhino in Ngorongoro.

Planning your stay

One or two nights on the rim or in Karatu give a full crater day. See our 3-day Tarangire and Ngorongoro safari and 4-day Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari.