The Highlands has redefined the Ngorongoro Crater experience, offering an array of activities afforded by the camp’s exclusive location and a combination of comfort and contemporary style.

The award-winning camp with its eight domed canvas and glass suites is situated on the edge of a forest that skirts Olmoti Volcano. The surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Open: Year round

Closest airstrip: Lake Manyara, 3-hour drive from camp

Families: children aged five and older

Accommodation & Amenities

The camp feels remote, but is within easy reach of Ngorongoro, where guests can go on day-long game drives to spot lions, elephants and giraffes, with a midday picnic break under a shady tree. From camp, hike up to the top of Olmoti for staggering views, or take a half-day trip to the soda lake in Empakaai Crater, where thousands of pink flamingos congregate. Guests can also interact with the local community, learning about Maasai culture and walk the cattle back to the boma at the end of the day. At night, gather around a crackling fire with a glass of wine or whiskey before sitting down to a delicious three-course dinner.

Rooms

The eight domed suites at The Highlands are made of canvas and glass and are surrounded by lush vegetation with views across the surrounding hills. There is one family tent with room for kids and one special honeymoon tent with a hot tub. Each suite has a king-sized bed facing floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck that curves around the tent. En suite bathrooms have hot running water, showers and flushing toilets. At night, wood-burning stoves keep guests cosy and warm.

Location of The Highlands

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with good reason: it is a stunning landscape of mountainous forests, grassy plains and swampy marshlands. The Highlands perches at the edge of a forest that encircles Olmoti Volcano. It is the highest property in the area, affording sublime, panoramic vistas. Both sunrise and sunset are visible from camp.

The famous Ngorongoro Crater lies 40 km to the south. The crater, the largest inactive, intact and unflooded caldera in the world, was formed when a volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself 2 to 3 million years ago. It is now one of the best places in Africa for wildlife viewing, with the Big 5 and an extraordinary concentration of predators in the area.

On the northern flank of Olmoti Volcano, we might see buffalo, zebras, hartebeests, bushbucks, leopards and elephants (at certain times of the year), as well as nocturnal animals such as hyenas and porcupines. Empakaai Crater is known for the thousands of flamingos that gather along the shores of its soda lake (a highly alkaline lake).

Redefining the Ngorongoro experience

Set on the lush slopes of Olmoti Volcano, The Highlands has sweeping views right across to the Serengeti. The eight tents are canvas and perspex domes – a design inspired by traditional Maasai bomas. At the heart of the camp is our library with its indoor fireplace that replaces the typical safari campfire. We gather here each evening to share stories of the day’s wildlife experiences over pre-dinner drinks.

A typical day on safari at The Highlands

We head out on game drives or walks first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon when temperatures are cooler. Exact times differ slightly with the seasons, but we aim to get you out and about when the animals are at their most active. If you have booked a private vehicle, discuss your own schedule with your guide.

Start the day with an early-morning wake-up call and a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy breakfast before you depart for a game drive or walk, or opt to take a picnic with you. By mid-morning, you’ll be back at camp with time to relax and freshen up before lunch.

It’s siesta time for most of the afternoon. Take the opportunity to relax with a book, visit our library or have a nap. Then it’s on to afternoon tea before you depart for a game drive with sundowners. Round off another perfect day in the bush with drinks by the campfire and dinner with good company.