Karatu Simba Lodge sits in the farming country of the Karatu district, near the village of Rhotia and right alongside the Ngorongoro Forest. The fields around the lodge change colour with the seasons, from barley and wheat to sunflowers and pigeon peas. After dark, forest elephants sometimes come down to raid the crops.
The highlands are cooler and greener than the savannah, and the Ngorongoro Crater gate is only about 30 minutes away. Set off early for the crater floor, and you can be back in time for a sunset swim in the infinity pool.
Meals are served in a restaurant shaped like a Maasai shield. The coffee is grown a few miles away, bread and pastries are baked every day, and the eggs come from local farms. You can pack lunch for crater days, and a vegetarian main is served every night.
Evenings begin around the campfire, lit every night at sundown, with a drink from the fire-lit lounge and bar. It is the perfect spot to recount the day’s sightings under a sky full of stars.
ACCOMMODATION
Twin, double and triple cottages are set apart in landscaped gardens. Each is warmly furnished with handmade African hardwood pieces, with mosquito nets over the beds and an en-suite bathroom with a shower. Every cottage has its own deck facing the forest, the fields and the far hills, ideal for watching the light fade over the farmland. The whole lodge runs on solar power, which also heats the water.
Karatu Simba Lodge lies in the Rhotia Valley, among the farms of the Karatu highlands and beside the Ngorongoro Forest. The Ngorongoro Crater gate is about 30 minutes away, as are Lake Manyara National Park and its airstrip. Tarangire is about an hour’s drive and Arusha around two and a half hours. At this altitude the evenings are cool, especially from June to August, so pack a warm layer. On Sundays, a small market sets up at the Rhotia junction.
Speak to a specialist for availability and pricing.
