b0nnie29

I am planning a Trip to Tanzania in September. I think I've got my itinerary and accommodations narrowed down, except for Ngorongoro. I wanted to spend one night on the crater rim and that appeared the only choice was Sopa or Serena since I didn't want to go for the pricier Crater Lodge. Neither looked very appealing so I was thinking of spending one night at Plantation Lodge and one night at either Sopa or Serena. Does anyone have any advice?

tanya_1976

Is Lemala Ngorongoro booked out for your dates? Its on the same side as Sopa and shares the same descent road. I am booked there for 2 nights in September and thought it was the perfect solution to avoiding the opulent and expensive NCL and the more touristy (IMO) Sopa/Serena- apart from the stellar access road.

Much cheaper than NCL but pricier than Sopa/Serena:

http://www.lemalacamp.com/images/Lem...(Nov%2010).pdf


It shows mixed availability for the month of September:

http://www.lemalacamp.com/eResWebView.htm

b0nnie29

Thanks - I hadn't checked into Lemala.

cary999

I was at N. Sopa in Feb for two nights. It is very nice -lodge-. That is, it is big compared to a safari -camp-, what, 120 guests? But it does have the quickest access into the Crater which was very important to us to get down before sunrise (photography and crowds). Maybe Lemala is just as good access? So, depends an what you want. The size of Sopa did not bother us, but, if you like intimate dinning, it is not the dinning room for you (very large).

regards - tom

b0nnie29

Thanks Tom. My 2 priorities would be quick access into and a great view of the crater. I rather stay at a less "touristy" place, but if the access and views were great, the accommodation and food were good, I could manage the size and all the people for 1 night. And this is the only place on my itinerary that would be so big; the rest of my itinerary is mainly mobile or permanent tented camps.

I did look at Lemala; it doesn't appear to have views of the crater itself.

andybiggs

I abandoned staying in lodges at the crater about 5 years ago, as I had very mixed reviews from my own travelers with the service, food and overall experience. This includes all lodges at the crater (NCL, Serena and Sopa). I now used private luxury tents at the crater and couldn't be happier!

Food for thought.

Elizabeth_S

We spent 4 nights at the Plantation Lodge last year and loved it - in the end I chose it over Sopa or Serena because I preferred the small inn experience. We did trade off the view of the crater but feel it was the right choice for us. The drive to the Crater (and to the Sopa road) was really easy and not a barrier - in fact the drive around the crater to the Sopa road was one of the best game drives we had as we spent about a half an hour with a pride of lions about 4 metres from the vehicle.

tanya_1976

Its the same access road- some maps/sites call it the Lemala road and some the Sopa

cary999

Andy - the private tents at NC, are they set up especially for you or are they there for period of time for hire? If not especially for you, then please what is the name of the owner/contact?

regards - tom

ShayTay

The lodges off the rim such as Plantation and Farmhouse are nicer than the Sopa, but with the limit of a half day in the Crater, you're almost forced to stay on the Rim to maximize your time there. Staying off the rim means that you lose at least an hour in the Crater of the six you're alloted.

andybiggs

Tom, I may get lambasted here, but as always I use Thomson Safaris and their semi permanent camps there. Their camp is the closest accommodations on the road down into the crater, which means we are down quickly and efficiently at first light (6am is the earliest entrance time). Keep in mind that A&K also has a camp nearby, however I haven't seen it before. Not to be confusing, but the A&K camp is at the Lemala camp site (not Lemala the company). Thomson Safaris uses the Tembo A & B sites.

LyndaS

I have stayed at the Sopa, the Serena and Lemala. Out of the lodges, I enjoyed the Sopa more - Tom is right though, the dining room is big. But I thought the views were better than the Serena, the food was better, the overall atmosphere was better & best yet, the road is better. Way better! As mentioned by everyone else, Lemala uses the same road as the Sopa which is much more gentle than the Serena ascent or descent road. (pretty scary stuff)

I enjoyed Lemala, it is really nice, but our time there was so short I just felt as though we did not justify the price. We arrived at the camp a bit late, around 7pm, had a short time to clean up & freshen up for dinner, then pretty well went to sleep after that. We got up fairly early in the morning, I think around 6, had breakfast & then off to the crater for the morning. We drove to Ngorongoro Farm House for lunch and then Lake Manyara in the afternoon, and did not return to the camp. We paid much more for the camp than the lodge and decided that unless you were spending two days there, it just wasn't worth it.

cary999

Thanks Andy.
LyndaS, good point when you are spending just one short night at a lodge/camp, all you need is a bite to eat, nice shower and comfy bed.

regards - tom

TigerPhotog

Bonnie29,
Book the Sopa...save money, enjoy the Crater...

Lynda, I always do full day rounds in the crater (no 6 hr limit)...

KathBC

Stayed at the Sopa for 2 nights in June and altho the rooms had heaters and it was freezing outside they wouldn't turn them on. Yes there were hot water bottles in the bed and I slept in my polar fleece and socks, but still froze!

The views of the crater are spectacular from the Sopa tho and we were down and game viewing in no time.

sandi

Sopa or Lemala have views into the crater, but mainly because they're on the east side, so too you have the western sunset. However, you can have crater views from Sopa and even NCL, just not the sunsets.

If at Plantation or Farmhouse, both in Karatu, and planning on doing the morning crater tour, besides the extra drive time to get into the NCA, you pay "another" park fee $50/person (you left night prior, so pay again to re-enter)... why best to stay on the rim.

It's cold on the rim and while Lemala provides working heaters in the tents, the lodges at least have solid walls and hot water bottles under bed linens.

My choices would be Sopa or Lemala.

atravelynn

Private luxury tents at the crater or anywhere else would be ideal, if you can afford it.

<i>My 2 priorities would be quick access into and a great view of the crater. I rather stay at a less "touristy" place.</i>

Quick access = Sopa or Lemala

Interesting comment on the Thomson campsite--on the general road, but closest to the crater.

Less touristy (out of Sopa, Serena, and Lemala) = Lemala is not a lodge like the larger, busier Sopa, but more expensive than Sopa.

Also, the crater gets cold at night and early mornings and a camp such as Lemala would be colder than a lodge like Sopa. I see that has been mentioned also.

I've been happy at Sopa at the crater for the budget I travel on.

atravelynn

http://www.africatravelresource.com/...ongoro/crater/

Above link shows rates of
Sopa = $335
Serena = $380
Lemala = $420

tanya_1976

<<Sopa or Lemala have views into the crater>>

Sandi is this correct that Lemala has a view into the crater?

From whatever I have read and asked input on, the camp itself has view of the highlands to the west of the crater but not into the crater. Do you mean that one could do walks from the Lemala camp that can lead to a view into the crater?

http://www.expertafrica.com/lodge/Le...Ngorongoro.htm

"Lemala Camp's location is very peaceful with plenty of birdlife, and buffalo and elephant are known to wander through the camp at night. Although the camp doesn't have direct views over the crater itself, it does have lovely views over the rolling hills and forests in the opposite direction to the crater."



http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...tion_Area.html

"The camp itself is beautiful, situated with a view not into the crater, but off toward the highlands to the northwest."

Regards

Kavey

On our 2008 trip, we stayed 2 nights at Sopa and were perfectly pleased, even though we're VERY much small camp people and not into lodges or large numbers.

However, for us, the priority was the quicker access into the crater and being on the quieter side of the rim.

In fact, when we arrived, I recognised the camp, and believe it must be where I stayed on a family visit to Tanzania in the 1980s, as the central area flanked by two wings of accommodation was so familiar! Maybe, maybe not, the memories are hazy as I was extremely poorly and never got down into the crater that time, not even once.

For our 2008 trip, we found the sopa much better than we'd feared, given that everyone had talked about the compromise in quality we'd be making by choosing it over Serena and of course the much more expensive crater lodge.

However, the rooms were comfortable and spacious. Not luxurious but fine. Dinner was actually pretty decent. Staff were very helpful and friendly. So it all worked out well for us and I'd stay there again without hesitation.

Note, not all rooms have a crater view in practice because some of the trees behind have grown very tall. When you book, ask for a room with unobstructed view into the crater, if that's important to you. Also, note that as it's a big place, some rooms are, of course, a fair distance further from the central spaces.

That said, if the price difference between Sopa and Lemala is only $80 (I assume per person) I would pay the extra to stay there if two nights or more.

Another to throw into the pot - Gibbs Farm, where we stayed the night before, was delightful. Food was very average but accommodation and setting was just delightful, we loved the newly built chalet room we had amidst tropical gardens.