Active/Adventure: Places: Tanzania: New at Ngorongoro

Tanzania: New at Ngorongoro

Tanzania is home to two of the world’s natural travel wonders. There’s the Great Migration in the Serengeti, a semi-annual parade of wildebeest, gazelles and other herbivores, and the Ngorongoro Crater, a gigantic volcanic depression, that typically holds more than 30,000 animals. (If the former is a parade, this one is more like a natural amphitheater, where the wildlife takes center-stage.) Now, thanks to the opening of two new tented camps — Lemala Ngorongoro and Lemala Serengeti — both can be visited in style.

Lemala Serengeti consists of a main dining area and eight spacious tents, each with its own wooden platform floor and private bathroom. Unlike some colonial-inspired camps, the décor here is more arty and earthy: simple wooden furniture and khaki bedding is offset by brightly-colored, African prints, rugs and pillows. The appearance belies the fact that Lemala Serengeti is a mobile camp that essentially follows the Great Migration throughout the year. From December to March, it’s located in Ndutu (known for its proximity to Oldupai Gorge—i.e. the Cradle of Mankind), where the setup provides some spectacular wildlife sightings. A nearby spillover—a popular rest stop for the migration’s participants—is surrounded by tall grasses, which conceal waiting (and hungry) predators. For June through October, the camp sets up on a hill overlooking the northern Serengeti’s signature plains (in Mai, the Masai language, “serengeti” literally translates into “endless plains”). Just a short distance away lies the famous Mara River, whose deadly wildebeest crossings go down as some of the most exciting safari moments. Of note, this section of the Mara is less congestsed and less popular with Masai farmers than others, so you won’t witness any run-ins or “traffic jams” with grazing cattle.

The Ngorongoro Crater, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, also has amazing game viewing. Though animals come and go on a daily basis, the Big Five are well-represented and the area boasts Africa’s highest concentration of predators, including tree-climbing lions and the now rare black Rhino. Lemala’s second camp, Lemala Ngorongoro, sits right on the crater’s northern rim, away from most other crater lodging and five minutes from a secluded access point. It provides front-row seats to, as well as daily game drives into, the action. (There’s also a lake, where, much like in Kenya’s Lake Nakuru, hundreds of pink flamingoes congregate daily, providing an equally spectacular, though far less violent show. ) In the same vein as its sister property, Lemala Ngoongoro has eight, beautifully-designed tents—each with a wooden floor and bathroom—and a main dining tent. Non-gaming activities include: communal dinners with a naturalist guide and visits to the nearby farming villages. The local Masai still bring their cattle into the crater daily (though there are grazing restrictions in order to protect the wildlife), adding one more element to this area’s already unique and fascinating eco-system.

2008 Lemala Ngorongoro rates from $480/tent; Lemala Serengeti rates from $460/tent. Rates include all beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) served at dinner though all meals and game drives come at an additional cost. Both camps close for the months of April, May and November. To book either call 255-27-254-8966 or email res@lemalacamp.com.