Name: Crater Forest Tented Camp
Address: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Karatu Arusha Region, Karatu, Karatu, Karatu, 0000, Tanzania
Rating: 7

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

Patio

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Shower

Linens

Mosquito net

Toiletries

Rooms

Safe-deposit box

Services and amenities

Restaurant (buffet style)

Packed Lunches

Meals

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Bike rental

Hiking

Sun Deck

Recreation

Offsite parking reservations required

Parking

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

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Crater Forest Tented Camp

Karatu

At first we were skeptical of the arguments we read, but Doe Lodge was fantastic! The food was excellent! The staff was also very friendly and tried to fulfill every wish. However, the access is very long and bumpy.

Great lodge in the crater forest

Had a lovely and peaceful stay in the Crater Forest Camp. We were staying in small wooden huts with an excellent view towards the forests of the Ngnorongoro Conservation Area. We were able to spot elephants roaming the forest from our terrace!! Fantastic and very friendly staff and nice food. I just wish the bathroom in the huts would be separated by a door, not just with a curtain. 
To reach the camp, our driver had to navigate through a huge coffee farm on what he called "African Massage Road". The road was a challenge, so I would not want to visit the camp during rain season. Presumably some local children had some fun changing the direction of the road signs. Our guide still managed to deliver us safely without any problem.

Quiet Tented Camp off the beaten track

I  wanted to like this place.  The staff was friendly.  The view incredible.  The food delicious.  After 8 days of safari, the road to this place was brutal.  What should have been 15 minutes was interminable.  As one of the comic highlights of our entire Africa trip, my friend  could not operate the hot water properly.  The offered solution was to bring her a bucket of water.  She was not amused.  I could not stop laughing.  

We came in late and left early.  We were not there to enjoy the scenery, only for the bed.  If  I could go in once and just relax, I may have enjoyed it more. However, going down that road for a place to sleep is not on my "do again" list.

a comedy of errors

Wow I loved our stay at this place! The tents were not the usual camping tents, they were more like glamping tents. And the views from ours was amazing! Sunset was right in front of our porch. The beds were comfortable with clean sheets and pillows. The shower and toilet were clean and fullly functioning. They even lit our little pot at night for warmth.

The staff was incredible. We had some time to sit in front of the bonfire, drink, and relax and they were very attentive making sure that we got what we needed.

Dinner was delicious. We loved everything and appreciated that the chef considered that we were lactose intolerant. 

No wifi in the rooms, only in the dining area/reception. I didn't use the plugs, but I believe there were some in the tent.

The 10km drive from the main road to the lodge was pretty rough. You pass though a coffee plantation on the way. They even jokingly call it an African massage, but once you get through it, you get to stay at this lovely place.

peaceful place in nature

We spent only one night in the crater forest and what's most impressive is the bumpy path to reach it: climbs, descents, sudden curves...all on a long, unobstructed road!! Once we get there, the breathtaking view is able to surprise everyone, like the availability of staff and the beauty of the tents.

It's literally unattainable!

If you are looking for a delightful, rustic, remote but very nice location, this is it.  Yes, there is a long bumpy road trip to the remote location (10K); however, it travels through a lovely area and you feel like you are going somewhere very special.  One of the absolutely best parts of this remote location is that there is amazing internet in the main lodge (best coverage in all that we had in Tanzania).  The food is nice but not many choices.  The rooms are comfortable, clean and have hot water.  We loved it and you will too if you are looking for a quiet removed cool tented lodge.

Wonderful Remote Experience!

Beautiful location in the middle of the coffee plantations and in the forest. It has very comfortable lodges, exceptional staff. Very good dinner and breakfast... and finally wakes up with the elephants of the nearby Ngorongoro Park.

Breakfast with elephants

Camps of tents very isolated in the middle of nature in a coffee plantation reachable by a poor track in 30 minutes from the road that goes to Gorogoro welcome very nice very simple food.Cold temperature no heating in tents.The main problem is the quality/price ratio very clearly unfavorable and abnormal

Basic tent camps at the price of a palace

Nice tented camp located on a hill close to the Ngorongoro Crater, surrounded by coffee plantations and maize fields. Rooms, inside individual tents, are spacious and offer a terrace with a view of a lush green hill. There are private showers and flush toilets in every room. They're not very well-lit at night however, so bring flashlights. There is unlimited wifi available in common areas (dining tent, reception, and lounge). You can also charge your devices at the reception. The staff, including the security guards, are very friendly. One security guard called Lazaro took us for a long afternoon walk in the surrounding area; he introduced us to the local plants and fruits and told us about his own life as a Maasai.

Dinner is served at your table; it is not a buffet, unlike most safari camps and lodges. We had beef goulash with rice, cabbage and seasonal veg; bread and pumpkin soup; Russian salad; and lemon cake with chocolate syrup. Everything tasted really great and the portions were perfectly sized. Breakfast is also not a buffet. We had a fruit platter, 1 toast, 1 crepe, and a choice of eggs. Lunchboxes are provided for those going on safari.

Overall a nice place for a stop on safari. The selling point is the cute environment and wonderful view, as well as its proximity to Ngorongoro Crater.

Only downsides: 1. It can be dark in the tent at night. 2. Wifi not available in our individual tents, only in common areas. 3. Located far from the main road and quite difficult to find.



Nice stop on safari

We were warmly received. The food was excellent, the people were very friendly and everything was very familiar. Since the temperatures were at 10 degrees at night, a fire was even set in the tents. I was allowed to celebrate my birthday there and received a homemade marble cake, it was delicious!

Crater Forest Tented Camp

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