The Highlands

The Highlands offers a unique experience on the Ngorogoro Crater – it is just 45 minutes from the Crater entrance but is wild and remote and set in an area so beautiful it will take your breath away. Here you can walk, visit Empakaai and have an authentic cultural experience. The domed suites are modern and cosy with wood burning stoves and maximised views. The camp is unique in design – as it’s the only one of its kind in all of East Africa!

Views from The Highlands are beautiful, taking in both the sunrise and the sunset, and the sweeping landscape of the surrounding area, for which the lodge is named. When the clouds clear, it is possible to see the Gol Mountains to the north west, the vast plains of the Serengeti, and the nearby Empakaai and Olmoti Craters. There are occasional sightings of buffalo, zebra, porcupine and even elephant from camp.

The camp is made up of a series of domed tents, which are said to be inspired by the houses in Maasai bomas, but appear quite futuristic from the outside. Three communal tents – a lounge area, bar and dining room – are set at different heights and linked by wooden walkways. These are similar in structure, with high quilted ‘ceilings’ housing vents and fans and huge clear sections that serve as floor-to-ceiling windows. The focal point of the lounge, the largest dome, is a wood-burning stove, and this is complemented by a curved wooden sofa. Another wood burner heats the wood-panelled bar tent, where there’s a selection of stylish seating and lighting. Fur and sheepskin throws, and checked cushions give a luxuriously cosy and homely feel. The dining tent, similarly panelled and heated, has a number of heavy wooden tables where meals are generally taken communally, but private tables can be arranged. There is a lovely veranda where breakfast and lunch can be served in warm weather.

The Highlands has 8 raised bedroom dome tents, rather igloo-like in style, and dotted down the hillside among the trees. Along with three standard tents, there are three with mezzanine floors, one family suite and one honeymoon suite. Each has its own deck encircling the dome, offering private views and excellent opportunities to observe the birdlife.

All the bedrooms have incredibly comfortable king-size beds, wicker chairs by a wood burner, and cow-hide rugs on the floors. Each has a large vinyl window, offering night-time views of the stars and storms from the comfort of the bed. Luxurious soft furnishings, dramatic black-and-white Maasai portraiture on the walls and modern lighting create an extremely stylish aesthetic in an already striking structure.

The wood-panelled en-suite bathrooms are quite unusual for a safari camp! Kitted out with double sinks, a separate flushing toilet and a vast double shower, they have 24-hour hot water – though this can sometimes take a few minutes to arrive. Plenty of shelving is provided, as well as a safe, laundry basket, toiletries and robes in a Maasai-style material – but no hairdryer; the power supply is not sufficiently strong at present.

*For a full list of available activities, the best time of the year to visit, and any other relevant enquiries, please contact a Sister Hippo Travel Consultant!