With the best views of any of the lodges on the Crater rim and a good price too, the Sopa is great choice for location. Although it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing lodge it serves a purpose and does it very well. It pretty much has its own access road to the crater floor and being on the eastern side of the rim it is far away from the other lodges. It is a good value options for a one or two night stay but if you are looking for something with a little more character and charm with the sacrifice of crater view, then look at Plantation Lodge in the Ngorongoro highlands, or if you want opulence then the Manor or the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge - The Facts
The Ngorongoro Sopa is located on the Eastern side of the
Ngorongoro Crater, on the rim. The lodge is an hour and a half’s drive from Manyara airstrip and 3 and half hours from Arusha.
The Ngorongoro Sopa is an elderly and once lavishly decorated establishment. With the best views of any of the lodges on the Crater rim and a good price too, the Sopa is a good bet for the more budget traveller or clients who just want to use the hotel as a base to explore the Crater and surrounding highlands, but fits in well with any
Tanzania safari.
The Ngorongoro
Sopa Lodge is based around an impressive glass-fronted central atrium that overlooks the swimming pool (although few are prepared to brave the highland chill and actually swim in it). To the left and right are located the lounge and the restaurant, vast, yet inviting, rooms focused around raging fires, which, after a chilly evening drive can be the perfect way to relax.
The restaurant has a good reputation and excellent atmosphere when the central open fires are burning. Guests make the most of the necessity of retiring from their
Ngorongoro Safari early when the crater closes by enjoying long and leisurely meals. The views are excellent and the element of kitsch can be fun.
Each of the 92 rooms is well presented, spacious and warm, and they all have a glass-fronted veranda from which to enjoy crater views. They also have the added attraction of both bathtubs and showers.
The Ngorongoro Crater only permits day time game drive activities. Short walks around the lodge can be arranged when there.
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