• The Ngorongoro Crater is known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."ngorongoro crater image by Jessica Bethke from Fotolia.com
  
  The Ngorongoro Crater is a wildlife conservation area on the eastern edge of Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania. It covers more than 3,000 square miles of pristine African wilderness and provides a haven for multiple species of wildlife. It is a haven for tourists wishing to see the African "Big Five" of lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo. A number of safari lodges around the crater conservation area provide accommodations.
  
  

Serena Safari Lodge

• A contender as one of the best hotels in the world, the Serena Safari Lodge clings to the side of the Ngorongoro Crater. The lodge design takes its inspiration from the nearby Olduvai Gorge, "The Cradle of Mankind," with arches, stone passages and timbered decks. Accommodation is provided in 75 rock-built rooms with private balconies overlooking the crater. Hotel facilities include a large dining room, WiFi Internet access, business center, gift shop, viewing terraces and daily game-watching drives into the crater.
  
  Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
  
  Ngorongoro Conservation Area,
  
  255-272-545-555
  
  255-272-545-368
  
  serenahotels.com/serenangorongoro
  
  

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

• The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge perches on the edge of the crater after which it was named. It has a design inspired by the traditional Maasai mud-and-stick "mayatta" (homesteads). The lodge consists of three adjacent camps with 30 suites, all constructed on stilts. Set in crescents, the suites offer spectacular views of the crater below. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with chandelier-lit bathtubs and showers. Butler service is available. Hotel facilities include a restaurant, gift-shop and viewing decks. Game-watching drives are available daily into the crater.
  
  Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
  
  Ngorongoro Conservation Area
  
  27-11-809-4314
  
  ngorongorocrater.com/
  
  

Octagon Safari Lodge

• The Octagon Safari Lodge is located only a 20-minute drive from the gate of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It has a colorful garden and offers a central base for visitors exploring the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangira National Park. Accommodation is provided in 12 chalets and two stone cottages. Chalets are arranged as twin-rooms or double rooms, and come equipped with en-suite bathrooms and private verandahs. Hotel facilities include Internet service, large restaurant and a terrace where guests can drink "sundowners" as night falls. Game drives, walking safaris, cultural tours and mountain biking can be arranged by the hotel.
  
  The Octagon Safari Lodge
  
  P.O. Box 129 Karatu
  
  255-27-253-4525
  
  255-784-650-324
  
  octagonlodge.com