Xavier Marie and Julie Brisson opened Laba Ngorongoro Lodge in 2026, high on the southern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, in montane forest at around 2,200 metres. They rebuilt the old Rhino Lodge site from the ground up, keeping the one thing that made it worth having: a position close to the main park gate.
An early descent brings guests onto the floor before the heavier flow of vehicles arrives from lodges further out.
That head start matters. The caldera holds one of the densest concentrations of large mammals in Africa, black rhino and elephant among them, and lion and leopard besides. An early descent brings guests onto the floor before the heavier flow of vehicles arrives from lodges further out. Higher up, buffalo, waterbuck and zebra graze below the suite terraces, drawn by the forest itself and by nothing the lodge has laid on.
The history here is not hidden away. Marie and Brisson preserved the original 1950s stone house of Henry Fosbrooke, the first conservator of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It now serves as reception and bar-lounge, a low-walled reminder of how the reserve came to be protected in the first place.
The mood is warm and cocooning rather than tented, made for the crisp, mist-heavy air of the highlands.
Brisson’s hand as a designer shows throughout. The rooms hold contemporary African art and handcrafted local furnishings in earthy volcanic tones, and large glass windows bring the forest to eye level. Timber shingles, hand-hewn stone and steel frame the buildings. The mood is warm and cocooning rather than tented, made for the crisp, mist-heavy air of the highlands.
The crater game drive is the signature outing, run in rebuilt vintage-style vehicles. Descents are governed by permit windows and vehicle limits, so timing is everything, and the lodge’s place beside the gate turns that constraint into an advantage. In the peak months, full-day drives suit the rhythm best, with a picnic lunch packed into vintage safari boxes. Beyond the crater, the surrounding conservation area opens up considerable range.
Guided walks and walking safaris run in the forest reserve, accompanied by professional guides and armed rangers. Walking is not permitted on the crater floor, so guided walks stay in the surrounding forest. Full-day hikes reach the remote Empakai Crater, prized for its birding, and the nearby Olmoti volcano. Day trips run further out still, to Olduvai Gorge and the wind-driven black dunes known as the Shifting Sands, and to Lake Manyara with its tree-climbing lions and flamingo flocks.
Walking is not permitted on the crater floor, so guided walks stay in the surrounding forest.
Evenings settle into a highland rhythm. Guests return from cold drives to underfloor-heated bathroom stones and indoor fireplaces, to warm towels and hot drinks and bowls of fresh popcorn by the fire, a small ritual carried over from the old lodge. Dinner is organic and farm-to-table, Tanzanian flavours set alongside refined international cooking, with rotisserie meats and a daily pastry display made by an in-house French pastry chef. Cocktails come first, in Fosbrooke’s restored stone house, before dinner in the glass-fronted hall that faces the forest.
Children from three are welcomed, with interleading suites for families and daybeds that convert for the younger ones. Mornings begin quietly. Mist lifts off the forest below the terraces, an early espresso arrives, colobus monkeys move through the canopy and birds call from the trees. It is the forest around the lodge, as much as the crater below it, that gives the days here their shape.
01
accommodation
18 Deluxe Rooms and 2 Deluxe/Family Suites, each around 50 square metres, arranged as private sanctuaries. A bedroom in double or twin layout gives onto a separate living area, a dressing room and an en-suite with soaking tub and walk-in shower, and a partly covered terrace faces the forest. Comfort runs to air conditioning, underfloor bathroom heating, minibar, espresso machine and Healing Earth bath products.
02
activities
Private game drives descend into the Ngorongoro Crater in hybrid-propulsion vehicles, run twice daily or as full-day outings. Guided walks operate in the forest reserve with armed rangers, not on the crater floor. Further afield: hikes to Empakai Crater and Olmoti, day trips to Olduvai Gorge, the Shifting Sands and Lake Manyara, visits to Maasai and Hadzabe communities, and hot-air ballooning.
03
conservation
The Laba Laba collection commits 30 percent of company profits to conservation and humanitarian programmes across Tanzania. Laba Ngorongoro Lodge prioritises local employment of Maasai and Iraqw community members and sources food, décor and woven crafts from regional farms and artisan cooperatives.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
01
Ngorongoro Crater
02
Ngorongoro Crater
03
Ngorongoro Crater
04
Ngorongoro Crater
05
Ngorongoro Crater
06
Ngorongoro Crater
07
Ngorongoro Crater
08
Ngorongoro Crater
09
Ngorongoro Crater
10
Ngorongoro Crater
Fly from Arusha to Lake Manyara airstrip, about twenty-five minutes on the scheduled service, and the road transfer climbs the Rift escarpment and runs up through Karatu to the lodge in around an hour. We can also arrange a private charter into the same airstrip, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, when the schedules fight your dates; light aircraft take soft bags only, about fifteen kilograms per person.
By road the lodge sits a little over three hours from Arusha and around four from Kilimanjaro International, a climb from plains to highland farm country that works as an introduction rather than a chore.
On the crater's clock, which is strict. The conservation area gate opens at six in the morning, vehicles may descend to the crater floor between six and four in the afternoon, and everyone must be off the floor by six in the evening. The morning hours are the prize, when the light is low, the mist is lifting and the predators are still moving, which is why staying beside the gate rather than an hour down the road changes the whole day.
Expect real cold at the start: the rim sits high and dawn there often means single figures and mist before the floor warms below. Entry to the conservation area is charged per person, and each descent carries a separate per-vehicle crater fee; we build both into your quote from the start.
Usually, yes, but the picture is worth understanding. At around 2,200 metres the lodge itself stands above the 1,800-metre line at which the CDC and the UK's official travel health advice both say Tanzanian malaria risk stops, so the highland nights carry little risk. The rest of the journey does not share that protection: the crater floor, Karatu and everywhere you travel through sit lower, so tablets are usually recommended for the itinerary as a whole.
Never treat the trip as malaria-free. Confirm the current advice with a travel clinic or your doctor before you fly, and keep up the usual bite precautions after dark.
Warm things, whatever the season. At 2,200 metres the evenings are cold, dawn on the rim can sit near freezing, and mist is part of the scenery, while the crater floor below warms to a mild afternoon. The gap between a 6am descent and a midday picnic is the packing problem to solve.
Layers answer it: a fleece and a windproof over safari clothes for the morning, shed as the day warms, with a warm layer again for dinner. Neutral colours for the drives, sturdy shoes for the forest walks, and sunglasses and sunscreen for the equatorial sun that follows the cold.
Two nights is the sensible minimum: arrive, sleep, take the crater at full stretch from first light, and leave the following morning. A third night turns the stay from a crater transaction into a highlands visit, with a full-day hike to the Empakai Crater or the Olmoti volcano, or a day out to Olduvai Gorge and the Shifting Sands.
The lodge rewards the extra night more than most crater bases because the forest itself carries the quiet hours. Tell us what else the itinerary holds and we will balance it.
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
