Ngorongoro Kuhama Camp — Hotel in Arusha

We arrived at dusk. Waiting for us were the hot towels and juice. Also the campfire was going. We were the only guests here, due to the unwarranted Ebola worries 4,000 miles away! We were treated like kings and queens.||||Because this is just outside the crater, a ranger was there - with a gun, just in case. And wouldn't you know, during dinner, Cape Buffalo entered the camp and began fighting. The ranger kept a close watch to make sure we were never in danger.||||Having drinks by the campfire was lovely way to end the day. Dinner and all our meals were excellent. The bucket showers were unique, but you want for nothing. The water is perfect temperature and ample. So while it's called an adventure, it was still a regular shower.||||The chemical toilets are fine too - no odors - and in an area of your tent that was private. A minor complaint is that there is a sheet dividing the bath area from the beds, but as a family you'd like this to be a bit more private.||||During the night I awoke to a "ripping" sound. As I fully awakened I realized it was an animal outside eating the grass by our tent. It was another Cape Buffalo and as he walked around every so often he leaned on or rubbed against our tent - which shook a little. But it is very sturdy and ultimately everything was fine. ||||Remember you truly are out where the action is - and it was a great reminder. We were always safe.||||We were warned about how cold it would be - it was chilly but they also provided hot water bottles under the covers to pre-warm the beds - we were very comfortable all night - never cold.||||The next morning we learned hyenas were in the area too.||||Wish there was a way to observe these animals at night - but you are totally zipped in. If you need anything you blow a whistle - don't leave alone at night.||||Also wish I could have observed the stars - which the southern hemisphere is known for - but again I recognize the...

My boyfriend and I stayed here one night during an 8-day trip to Tanzania, and it was the only place we stayed where we weren't completely thrilled. The setting is lovely, and the rooms are charming. We LOVE Tanzanian food and had excellent food at all our other lodges and camps, but the fish here was almost inedibly tough, and poorly flavored. During dinner, some Maasai came to put on a dance and music show. It was enjoyable for about 5 minutes, but lasted much longer than that, so it was impossible to have the kind of relaxing dinner we wanted, just listening to the sounds of the forest and talking. (And of course we were asked to contribute money to the Maasai, which was fine but felt obligatory.) We wanted to order a bottle of wine, but had little cash on us, so we confirmed first with the manager that we could pay with credit card. Then in the morning when we paid our bill, the credit card machine was not working -- and the manager finally conceded that they had been having trouble for the last week. We reminded her that we had asked about this and had ordered the wine only because she had assured us credit cards would be fine, but she basically shrugged her shoulders and said we'd have to pay cash. We had extremely limited cash with us and had to use what little we had. We offered to leave a credit card number or impression with her, and she could charge our card once her machine was working again, but she refused. (We were able to do this at another camp, so we know it is possible.) I wish she could have worked with us or at least acknowledge her mistake. Also there was no hot water in our room. Someone was sent to fix it, but it was not fixed, and we had to take cold showers. At that point, we felt that we should have been comped the wine, or at least given some token accommodation! We would probably not return to this place, despite its...

My wife and I spent the last night of our five night safari at the kirurumu Ngorongoro tented camp, having previously stayed at the Lake Manyara and Serengeti sister camps. it is in a great location very close to the exit from the Ngorongoro crater just on the rim, however it doesn't boast any views across the crater and is instead nestled in the forest. When we arrived they were still in the process of setting up camp and only had three tents erected and we were their first guests of the season. The first thing we have to say is that it was COLD! We had been warned it was cooler at the crater but we weren't prepared for rain, damp tents, staff wearing wellies and woolly hats! My wife ended up wearing about five layers to eat dinner and my trainers were soaked through from walking the ten yards from our tent to the dining tent. Saying this, the staff did their utmost to make us comfy, with complimentary tea and coffee, two duvets and hot water bottles in our bed. I would just suggest other travellers be more prepared. Other than that the food was good, drink reasonable - 4USD for a local beer, staff nice and left us to our...