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Crater Lodge is in a class of its own. Perched on the rim of the crater it is Tanzania's most opulent lodge. It is a place of paneled walls, roaring fires, chandeliers and liveried staff. For a night or two's stay it is an experience not to be missed.

There are three separate camps in Crater Lodge; North Camp, with 12 rooms, South Camp with 12 rooms and Tree Camp with six rooms. The camps are quite separate and each have their own main lodges and adjacent rooms. In each lodge you will find a sumptuous living room with roaring fire, velvet sofas, rich rugs and antique tables laden with sherry decanters, crystal, bronze statues and old books. Across the paneled hall is a dining room, positively sparkling with starched white tablecloths, gleaming silver and menus full of three-course meals. Each room has a large central chandelier made by the Maasai.

Set on the lip of the crater, all the rooms are large and richly furnished. A paneled hall leads first into a bedroom and living room. Leather armchairs stand in front of the open log fire, king size velvet beds stand under elaborate headboards and raw silk curtains hang from the vast windows. There are baths and showers in the bathroom and outside a large veranda has stunning views of the crater.

At night, zebra often come up to the lodge to graze and thus you are surrounded by wildlife from sunrise to sunset. Whilst staying at the crater please be very cautious of the buffalo which sometimes graze around the lodge, they are wild and so can sometimes be dangerous.

OUR RATING: Opulent