Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Rhino Lodge is ideally located on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater rim. The Lodge was originally the home of Ngorongoro’s first conservator, and its developers have maintained the house’s original rustic, low-impact style and natural setting. Rhino Lodge offers a perfect base from which to explore the Ngorongoro crater and its surroundings. Game drives into the crater, and, for the more adventurous, walking safaris in the forest reserve and visits to nearby Maasai villages, can all be arranged from the lodge. And, on return after a long day, 24 comfortable en suite rooms with forest views, a cozy living space, friendly local staff and generous African-inspired meals offer guests a warm welcome home.
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Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge has been celebrated for its stunning location near the crater, offering scenic vistas that captivate guests. The service at the lodge is often highlighted, with staff members providing a warm and attentive experience, including the cozy touch of lighting log burners. While the lodge's amenities charm with their rustic appeal and cleanliness, some visitors suggest they could benefit from modernization.
The lodge's value is recognized in its proximity to key attractions, though there's room to elevate the luxury and dining options. Rooms are noted for their comfort and views, but some guests believe they require updates.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Rustic
Rooms
Cozy
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Cozy
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This was our third visit to the Ngorongoro Crater and our first visit to Rhino Lodge. We visited Rhino Lodge in February 2020 with a group of 10 travelers. We spent two nights bracketing a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater. The accommodations were clean and comfortable, but nothing remarkable. The meals were of marginal quality and were all buffets. The vegetarians in our group had to ask the chef to prepare a meatless protein as none were available on the dinner buffet. The breakfast buffet included eggs cooked-to-order and a good selection of fresh fruits and side dishes like sausages, beans, and potatoes. There are a number of lodging choices available near Ngorongoro Crater and I would compare pricing of Rhino Lodge with the others before making your choice. Also, it takes about 45 minutes to drive from Rhino Lodge to the entry gate when visiting the Crater.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Â No particular suggestions but it is worth having them prepare a fire in your fireplace
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here in early June 2021 with my husband, 16yr old daughter and 12 yr old son. The property itself isn't right on the crater rim, but that is what makes it more affordable!! It doesn't detract from it's beauty though. It's set in lush grasses, surrounded by forest and we saw water buffalo milling about the area. There are quaint stone walls surrounding the property too.
The rooms are well furnished, we had a king sized bed and bunk beds (the kids loved). We especially liked the little wood stove to take the chill off. FYI it does get pretty cool in the crater area! We packed an extra layer just for this part of the trip and were glad we had. The room had a cute veranda overlooking a grassy area too. Lots of hot water which was really nice with the chilly temps) and they provided toiletries as well.
The dining area was beautiful, with a large double sided fireplace and lots of glass windows. The food was really good!! 4 course dinners, yummy soups with a salad we really enjoyed. Breakfast was buffet style with beef bacon, sausage, eggs cooked to order, breads and fruit. Packed lunch boxes with boiled eggs, chicken, bread, fruit, sweet bread, juice and water. They were very helpful and accommodating for my husband's gluten allergy too. Staff was very friendly and we especially liked the wait staff in the dinning room!
This is a great property for easy access to the crater at a better price point than lodging directly on the crater rim!! You won't sacrifice much because you'll be in the park from just past dawn to almost dusk anyway!
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Date of stay: June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Willem Du Toit, General Manager at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Jun 22, 2021
Dear happyheartwoman Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your stay at Rhino Lodge It not only makes me extremely happy to read that you had a memorable stay with us, but it also makes me very proud of the Rhino family, as we love looking after all our guests, no matter if we have 1 or 60 guests! Glad to hear you came 'prepared' with a warmer jacket, and that the fireplaces in both your rooms and the Restaurant assisted in a cozy ambiance. It can get chilly up here as you have mentioned, and fortunately, we have the fireplaces, warm showers and hearty meals ready to make you feel right at home :) We looking forward to having you and perhaps some friends visiting us again soon! Karibu sana!!
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Staff is very nice as is the general manager who works sun up to sun down to ensure the place is running smoothly. Others have complained about it being cold but we found they provided adequate blankets. When you are at dinner they heat the wood stoves in each room which provide some additional warmth, and lastly they have hot water bottles in each room that they gladly fill with hot water. We put these near the foot of our bed and found we were very comfortable overnight - almost too hot!
Dinner and breakfast options were very good, 10/10. The lodge dining area is very cozy and inviting with multiple small fireplaces and communal seating as well as dining tables.
One area of improvement would be the bathrooms - we were in room 3 and the bathroom needed some remodeling. In addition the shower was giving either hot water or cold water, but would not adequately mix it to create warm water. So we ended up taking a shower very quickly in very hot water. If we had stayed more than one night I would have brought this to the attention of the managers but we were rather dusty and just wanted to get the shower done with. The bathroom in general needs some remodeling, and amenities are lacking.
Other than that we enjoyed our stay at this lodge!
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Willem Du Toit, General Manager at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Aug 21, 2022
Dear nnk815 Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you had a memorable stay with us. It was only but our pleasure to host you and your nearest. We strive to serve, and I am delighted to hear you enjoyed our culinary options, thank you. I do wish you would have mentioned the issue experienced with the shower, as I am sure we would have been able to sort it out for you. My sincere apologies. We do take your comments on the bathroom to heart and assure you that it is one of our phased projects to enhance the guests' room bathrooms, and amenities accordingly. Looking forward to hosting you again wild wishes
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We had been staying at luxury tented camps, but our safari operator booked us at this Rhino Lodge one night. It was great. It's not the Waldorf Astoria, but for a budget safari, we were trilled. The food was absolutely excellent. I'd compare it to the Waldorf food, seriously. The lodge and restaurant area was very warm and attractive, with a fireplace. It's at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, so it's cool in the evenings. Each guest room was nice. The bathroom was a little dated, but everything worked and it was clean, and I wasn't complaining. Each room had it's own little pot belly stove, that the staff light a fire in to warm things up for the evening. It was really nice. Would have liked to stay longer, but it was Serengeti the next night.
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Date of stay: September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Willem Du Toit, General Manager at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Sep 24, 2021
Dear MantuaMark Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your stay at Rhino Lodge. Delighted to hear that you enjoyed our hospitality, and thank you for the compliments on our dishes served. We are blessed with passionate staff and Chefs that go out of their way to make your culinary experience and stay with us memorable. Make sure to book at least a two nights stay with us on your next visit. Karibu Sana! Looking forward to welcoming you back. wild wishes
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We are a family of 3 (father and 2 adult daughters) and were quite pleased with our stay at Rhino Lodge. We stayed for 2 nights, and were in 1 triple room, which was 3 twin beds. The space was quite tight, but as we weren't in the room much this posed little issue. The meals served were very nice, and the deck off the dining hall was a great place to get a close up experience of buffalo and gazelle in the early morning and evening! We can't emphasize enough how much we enjoyed this--one evening, we were having a glass of wine on the balcony and 3 buffalo wandered over and laid down immediately next to the balcony, less than 2 meters away! Earlier that afternoon, we had returned to find a baby gazelle nursing from its mother on the front lawn right as our safari car pulled up. Incredible close up animal experience.
It's certainly more of a "budget" stay, so you share hot water (our neighbors in the room next to us used all the hot water one morning, leaving us with cold showers) and the rooms are sparse, with limited WiFi only available in the dining hall, but our stay was quite pleasant and great for close proximity to the crater to get off to an early start for morning game drives!
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Willem Du Toit, General Manager at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Feb 21, 2023
Dear Michelle R Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your stay at Rhino Lodge. It is a pleasure to hear that you had a pleasant and memorable stay with us. It is indeed a blessing to be surrounded by wildlife, grazing peacefully on the property. So sorry to hear that you had a cold shower. I take your input seriously, and we will work on improving the amount of hot water supply, as well as our Wifi :) Wishing you a lovely rest of your safari, and looking forward to hosting you and your nearest again. Karibu Sana
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After a fabulous day looking at all the animals the Rhino lodge was a pleasant place to stay. As the evening was a little chilly they lit a pot belly fire in our room which was very cosy. Staff were friendly and attentive and the food was great. Would stay there again.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We can say Rhino Lodge was the best lodge we stayed in during our one week Safari tour among Tanzania. The location is beautiful, In the middle of the forest with animals coming close to eat the grass around. The food is fantastic and there is a nice selection of local and imported wines. We had the pleasure to meet the owner who suggested us a nice red wine from Tanzania, all the stuff is very professional and nice. There is also the chance to buy some local souvenir made by Masai people and support a child foundation. Nights can get cold but there is plenty of blankets in the room, all rooms are equipped with heaters but we didn’t need it
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Willem Du Toit, General Manager at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Aug 21, 2022
Hi Paola Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your stay with us. It is such an honor for me to hear that you rate us as the best Lodge you stayed at, on your visit to this beautiful country, thank you! Indeed we are blessed to be situated in the middle of an evergreen forest and be surrounded by wildlife that enjoys grazing peacefully around the property... It really was only a pleasure to meet you, and I am glad you enjoyed my suggestion of some local wines. On behalf of the Rhino team, we look forward to the chance of hosting you again. Karibu sana!
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We stayed in a twin bed room with balcony view. The room has 2 chairs & table, fireplace and ensuite. There are extra wool blanket which we did not use as the bedding is warm and comfy. Good hot showers for 24hours Both dinner & beakfast are served in the restaurant with fine dining ambience. Meals are buffet style with a good spread of items. Food is fabulously good. Their coffee is one of the best coffee i had so far in Tanzania safari. I celebrated my 60th year birthday here. Chef Samuel and his staff presented a delicious cake with Hakuna Matata Bhwana song then followed by Happy birthday. Many thanks to Chef Samuel and his team for giving me an unforgetable birthday celebration. Asante!
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tania Steyn, Marketing at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
Responded Dec 4, 2022
Dear Wun, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback here. We are so happy to hear that you had a wonderful birthday at Rhino Lodge! May your 6oth year be filled with lots of adventures and happy moments. We hope to see you back in Tanzania again and appreciate your support. KInd Regards, Tania and the Rhino Lodge team.
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I stayed here for one night while exploring Ngorongoro crater area along with Manyara. Beds were comfy. Dinner and breakfast were pretty good. The lunch box had chicken leg piece and vegetable sandwich along with a fruit. Staff were friendly. The credit card machine worked. Souvenirs are cash only though. Initially had some trouble with wifi though it worked after switching to the other network. Also, you can only charge your phone/batteries from 5 to 9 pm and similar timings in the morning. They were able to provide early breakfast at 5:30 am. Overall good experience. Saw some wildlife around.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Big rooms and hot water. Very nice veranda overlooking the jungle! Nice buffet - diffrent flavours; Be aware you cannot charge any electrical device (Cameras, Phones, ect) after 9pm. Wifi only available at the restaurant.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sefton Park, Australia82 contributions27 helpful votes
My experience from the lodge was a safari that started soon after breakfast.
It takes about 30 mins to get to the crater and another 20 to get from the top to the bottom.
Walks are not really an option in the crater, beyond the toilet area that’s deep inside near a watering hole where there’s a food truck (ice creams and soft drinks) and some good opportunities.
The lodge may arrange safaris (actually I’m sure they do) but we arrived as part of an extended safari and used our own car and driver.
If you’re there for 1 day, arriving at 10am and leaving the following day, I’d recommend contacting the lodge by their web page directly to pre arrange a tour and packed lunches so you can avoid wasting any time.
The bar is a great place to relax after your trip and a good place to upload your photos to family and friends.
Morning very often fog and temperature between 10 - 15C
Afternoon between 15- 20C
Evening between 9 - 13C
It is almost like this....suggest a sweater and windjacket.
Hello, we had to pay about 170 US-Dollar per night and per person. On the website the prices start at 145 US-Dollars.
You have to pay a park-fee per (60US-Dollar per person and day) and a crater fee (300 US-Dollar per car and day).
There are more places to choose from in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
ngorongoro rhino hotel ngorongoro conservation area
LOCATION
TanzaniaArusha RegionNgorongoro Conservation Area
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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