Tour To Empakaai Crater In Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Wildlife Safaris
Things To Tourn in Empakaai Crater In Ngorongoro Crater: The Empakaai Crater is the second-largest crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Empakaai is almost 8km in diameter, and its floor is dominated by a saline crater lake, and enclosed by sheer 300m high walls that rise to an elevation of 3,200m on the eastern rim. Empakaai Crater is One of East Africa’s most underrated and seldom-visited scenic gems, the crater lies about 90 minutes drive northeast of Ngorongoro Crater via the Embulbul Depression, a grassy bowl that dips to below 2,350m at the base of the 3,260m Mount Losirua and 3,648m Lolmalasin (the highest point in the Crater Highlands).
The Empakaai Crater view from the forested crater rim is fabulous, whether you look inward to the emerald green crater lake, its shallows frequently tinged pink by thousands of flamingos, or east across the Rift Valley to the ashen slopes and smoking fumaroles of volcanic Ol Doinyo Lengai, a scene that also takes in Lake Natron and snow-capped Kilimanjaro on a clear day.
Empakaai Crater offers a welcome opportunity to break the safari regime of twice-daily game drives with a stiff steep guided hike to the crater floor. The steep but scenic descent along a tolerably well-maintained footpath takes 45-60 minutes, longer if you’re looking out for the plentiful birds that inhabit the forested crater walls, and there’s also a chance of spotting bushbuck, buffalo, blue monkey, and even elephant. Good walking shoes and a reasonable level of fitness are recommended.
ACCESSING EMPAKAAI CRATER
By Air
One needs to fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport at Moshi, situated at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. From there one can get a charter flight, take a taxi, or make use of the free shuttle service. The distance from Moshi to Arusha is about 55km.
By Road
The road from Arusha to Lodoare Entrance Gate is 160km long. As of recently, the entire journey is on the tarmac and it takes about two hours. Unless you stay on the main roads, which are graveled, a 4×4 vehicle is essential when entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park.
EMPAKAAI CRATER LODGES AND ACCOMMODATION
While visiting the EMPAKAAI CRATER Within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, except for Simba near the NCA headquarters, the campsites are all classified as “special campsites”. This means that they are for exclusive use and generally have no facilities. Usually, they are designed for self-sufficient safari operations which bring everything with them. Most are large sites, but a few of them, e.g. on the rim of Empakaai Crater, are designed for small numbers of backpackers. Camping generally is not allowed in the Crater itself. Book campsites through the NCAA headquarters office or in the Arusha-Ngorongoro Information Center. There are luxury lodges situated within and outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
1. Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Empakaai Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is located in Northern Tanzania. The Lodge is within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, high on the south-western rim of Ngorongoro Crater, commanding views of this natural wonder that often moves onlookers to respectful wonder. The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is located about 4.5 hours drive from Arusha. Most of this drive is on a tarmac road, so smooth and comfortable.
The colonial-style interiors combine silver, gold, and ruby colors under banana-leaf ceilings and grass roofs. Antiques, desirable cushions, voluptuous raw silk curtains, and tall, leather-backed chairs complete the picture. This design blends with African art elements in unexpected harmony. They each have a central living area and viewing surfaces overlooking the awesome Ngorongoro Crater. Ancient African nights are evoked by the large fire bowls that flank the entrance to each of the living and dining areas.
The Crater Lodge can provide some of the best game-viewing drives into the crater and Ngorongoro Conservation Area that East Africa can offer. Bushwalks around the lodge are also available, as well as excursions to Olduvai Gorge. For those who want to take some “time out” from the rigors of a game drive, you are invited to use the Library and indoor board games. Other facilities include a central dining area/lounge, a craft, and curio shop, and a kart for ferrying luggage/guests to the camps.
The main activities that guests enjoy vary from guided walking safaris which follow dramatic routes around the rim of the crater, to visiting a Maasai cultural village. In the village, guests are free to browse through the local handicrafts or watch Maasai dancing. You can also visit the beautiful lakes Ndutu and Eyasi, and the impressive Empakaai Crater, or enjoy cool sundowners with exceptional views as well as arrange private bush breakfasts and lunches. All these are an optional extra.
2. Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge
Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge is strategically perched on the rim of this ‘Garden of Eden’, affording unbelievable views plunging over the crater floor, 7,500 feet above sea level. The Ngorongoro Lodge is elegantly built mainly from natural stone and local wood, harmoniously merging with its natural surroundings, and it is provided with panoramic windows that encompass superb views of the Crater’s great bowl. From its privileged position, all the Lodge’s 80 rooms afford breathtaking uninterrupted views, and the open-air terrace of the Rhino Lounge Bar offers superb panoramic views of the whole Crater. Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge invites you to an unforgettable safari experience from its privileged location, both for game viewing and scenery. Exquisitely decorated, offering a serene atmosphere of elegance, the modern rooms are all ensuite, with central heating systems and mosquito netting over the air vents. The 80 rooms include twin rooms, double rooms (with one double bed), one Presidential Suite, and three Junior suites. There are also interconnecting rooms, specially designed for families. The Presidential Suite has been host to world-renowned personalities who have enjoyed the magical experience of wildlife from the top location that Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge enjoys, being the first Lodge built on the Ngorongoro Crater. Wake–up calls can be made on request.
The panoramic restaurant, in its serene decoration made of rock and wood elements, elegantly featuring the safari atmosphere, perfectly combines the international high standards of hospitality and service with exquisite exotic touches of the local lifestyle.
3. Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Commonly selected as one of the best hotels in the world, this exclusive lodge in Tanzania sticks to the rim of the wonderful Ngorongoro Crater, the largest and most faultless volcanic crater on Earth. Nestling the curves of the jagged Crater rim, this luxury safari lodge takes its stimulation from the so-called ‘Cradle of Mankind’, the primitive site of Olduvai Gorge, which lies close by. Connected by high stone passages and timbered decks, its walls are ornamented with stylized ancient cave paintings and lit by widening torches. Decorated with cave paintings, the rooms are strung around the Crater rim. Each has its own pillar-enclosed balcony, and all enjoy fully continuous views of the volcano far below. The location, the service, and the luxury accommodation make Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge the decisive destination for a distinctive safari experience in Tanzania. The luxury Ngorongoro accommodation features nerve lamps, printed leather headboards, wildwood mirrors, Maasai carvings, and stylized ancient cave paintings. Each room enjoys continuous views over the Crater’s unmatched splendor. Standard room facilities include direct dial telephone and Wi-Laundry, valet and shoeshine services, mineral water and toiletries, bathrobe, and slippers.
The Kimba Suite enjoys a perfect view of the crater and is one of the most desirable accommodation choices in Tanzania. The expansive bedroom is luxuriously appointed with a king-sized double bed with a walk-in mosquito net and splendid furnishings. The split-level rock-built dining and bar area features a wall of windows, which look down onto the continuously changing views of the crater below while double doors lead out onto a broad viewing terrace.
In typical safari style, the lodge offers a ‘full English Breakfast’ as well as European options while our lunch menus usually include meat, poultry, fish, and vegetarian options. The table d’hôte dinner menus feature a salad buffet, soup, entrée, pudding, cheese and biscuits, and tea or coffee. Vegetarian options are always offered. The majority of our meat and dairy products, as well as our fruits and vegetables, are sourced from the communities that surround the conservation area. The lodge also offers a wide range of soft drinks including an array of freshly-made local fruit juices.
Ngorongoro Sopa lodge is facing the always wonderful sunsets to the west and located at the highest point on Ngorongoro crater’s entire rim, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge outlooks well over half a kilometer above the crater floor and offers matchless views across this massive caldera. The lodge is themed around traditionally circular African houses with conical roofs and decorated with examples of Africa’s rich textile of artistic traditions by way of rich woodcarvings and sculptures, the lodge harmonizes perfectly with its dramatic surroundings. But the drama does not just stop with the great outdoors: it also flows through the split level interiors of the main building which all offer an unsurpassed generosity of space while somehow managing to combine an almost magically welcoming ambiance of both warmth and coziness.
The imposing reception, combined with the supreme welcome service, is just but an indication of the lodge’s perfect settings and lunar service that await our guests. The furniture and attractive columns bearing decorated characters, which spread the reception, derived comprehensively from Tanzania’s rich wildlife and tribal cultures while the preserved plants are a recap of the lodge’s lush natural surroundings. All this is set against a context of plentiful light and lavish tones of browns, reds, and orange that create a logic of easy warmth and relaxation. The outstanding and imaginative Lobby & Lounge will welcome you in true Tanzanian hospitality and keep you fascinated with its collection of unique busts, and original furnishings, and décor pieces.
When you step through your door, you will possibly hold your breath while you gaze over the two queen size beds, and through the window walling of the lower level, the enclosed conservatory at the view of the crater beyond. And the luxury doesn’t stop there. Because of its height, the lodge can be chilly at night so each room has central heating, hot water bottles are placed in every bed during our evening turndown service and the luxuriously chosen bathrooms have tremendously spacious showers under which you can evoke the marvels of this overwhelming, almost mystically place called Ngorongoro. All rooms are equipped with facilities to ensure supreme comfort during your stay at the lodge. Among these are wake-up calls and complimentary coffee and tea, all of which will aid to kick start an early morning game drive.
The Lemala Hill restaurant offers a delicate culinary experience with a mixture of continental and local cuisine to cater to all palates. The restaurant is attentively fitted with ceiling-to-floor glass walls that offer guests panoramic views of the crater as they enjoy an expansive buffet breakfast selection, lunch, or dinner.
The Crater View Bar is engrossed in the décor, which is heavily subjective by rich earthy browns, African artifacts, and illustrations of Maasai warriors that have been skillfully carved onto the towering pillars. The bar’s gallant yet hospitable charm delivers a mixture of the lodge’s persistent afro theme and its natural surroundings.
4. Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Offers an excellent wedding and honeymoon destination. Guests eyeing to celebrate weddings and honeymoons at our lodge are ideal for choice with exceptional locations where they can memorialize their special day. Depending on the guests’ liking, events can be staged at the passionate vantage point at the edge of the crater rim with a backdrop of the pool, in the wild bush, or the intimate indoors.
5. Ngorongoro Rhino LodgeRhino is the first lodge after entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area through the Loduare Gate when coming from the East. From the lodge, it is only 20 minutes to reach the Seneto descent road into the Crater, and the Lerai ascent road is less than 5 5-minute drive away. The lodge has 24 guest rooms, all with verandah superintending a section of high montane forest. Each room has its own shower, toilet, and hand basin. To keep away the cold, each room has a wood-burning stove, and hot water bottles can be filled if you want one. In the bar/dining room, there are two large fires which are a natural focus where our guests like to meet and exchange stories of the day. Hot, tasty food is available from the buffet. After dinner, our Maasai staff may entertain you with some traditional dancing.
NOTE: Safari prices will be availed to you on request. Enquire from here for your price quotation.
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