Best time to visit
When the light is right
Northern Tanzania has two rainy seasons: the long rains, the Masika, usually from mid-March into May, and the short rains, the Vuli, usually from late October into November.
East Africa · Ngorongoro & the Northern Parks
Tanzania
Tanzania with Exclusive Villa Collection: northern safari country from the Ngorongoro Crater to Lake Manyara and Lake Eyasi, with Gibb’s Farm on the Crater’s forested outer slopes above Karatu.
Now in Tanzania
From Choose a departure city Approx. flying time, non-stop equivalent
East Africa · Ngorongoro & the Northern Parks
Tanzania
Tanzania, for Exclusive Villa Collection, begins in the north, on the classic safari route that runs from Arusha past Tarangire and Lake Manyara, over the Ngorongoro highlands and on to the Serengeti. The Ngorongoro Crater is its great set piece: the largest complete caldera in the world, some 610 metres (2,000 feet) deep, with around 25,000 large animals on a floor of 260 square kilometres and one of the densest lion populations anywhere in Tanzania.
We open the country with Gibb’s Farm, a historic farm lodge and coffee plantation on the Crater’s forested outer slopes above Karatu, with views across the Great Rift Valley, and Lake Manyara and Lake Eyasi each within a day.
Why visit
A reason to make the journey.
- The Crater and its highlands The Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, holds some 25,000 large animals, among them black rhino, buffalo, hippo, wildebeest, zebra and lion.
- A farm on the safari route Gibb’s Farm, a coffee plantation since the 1920s, gives a northern safari a restoring pause between Tarangire and the Serengeti.
- Lakes and living cultures Lake Manyara for more than 350 bird species and wet-season flamingos, and Lake Eyasi for a day with the Hadzabe.
Featured properties
Stays we would choose here
Houses we know by name, the ones we would open for this landscape.
Karatu · Northern Tanzania · Seventeen cottages and two farm houses
Gibb’s Farm
A historic farm lodge on the forested outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater, above Karatu in northern Tanzania: seventeen cottages, two farm houses, and a coffee plantation since the 1920s.
Seychelles and Tanzania, November to April · Svalbard and the Arctic Circle, June to September
Aqua Lares
Aqua Expeditions' 77 metre icebreaker superyacht: 15 cabins for 30 guests, Seychelles and Tanzania from November to April, Svalbard and the Arctic from June to September, with cooking by Michelin-starred chef Karime López.
When and how
Light, season, and the arrival
Each season keeps its own calendar. We plan the transfer around it.
Seasonality
When to go
Plan dates around the long and short rains. Just after the rains the land is green and the animals well fed, and Lake Manyara’s flamingos gather in the wet season.
Airport / logistics
Arriving without hurry
International arrival is into Kilimanjaro International Airport, then 45 minutes by road to Arusha. From Arusha, a short flight to Lake Manyara Airport or a scenic drive reaches Karatu and Gibb’s Farm, on the main safari route toward the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
Luxury experiences
Hours we would keep
- A full day on the Crater floor An early start in a closed safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, and a picnic lunch among the Crater’s wildlife.
- Walking the forest A two-hour hike to a waterfall and the elephant caves, or a guided wilderness walk from Gibb’s Farm to the Crater rim.
- Farm to table at Gibb’s Farm The day’s harvest at lunch and dinner, afternoon tea in the garden and sundowners over the Rift Valley.
Ways of traveling
Open the collection
Begin with the collection that holds these houses and shores.
From the Journal
A story from this landscape
Where we write about this place: the seasons, the houses and how the days are best arranged.
Related destinations
Other destinations we return to
Landscapes that sit well beside this one.
Destination
Kenya
Kenya with Exclusive Villa Collection: Olderkesi conservancy safari in the Maasai Mara with Cottar’s, and Sirai House, a private home on Laikipia’s Borana.
Destination
Botswana
Okavango Delta floodplains, private concessions bordering Moremi, and Exclusive Villa Collection’s Botswana stay through andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.
Destination
South Africa
Two private reserves, Tswalu in the red dunes of the Kalahari and Samara in the mountains of the Great Karoo, both malaria free.
Plan My Trip
Begin with a conversation.
Tell us the season, the company, and the feeling you want to keep. We will write back with a considered path, not a link to a search.
Write to an advisor