The management of Melia collection have announced that Ngorongoro Lodge, a new lodge under the Melia collection portfolio will start welcoming guests on 1st July 2023.

It is located in the largest volcanic caldera in the world, with views of the Ngorongoro Crater.

This will make it the fourth Melia collection property in Tanzania after Melia Zanzibar, Melia Serengeti Lodge and Gran Melia Arusha which have already been operational for a couple of years.

Located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the luxury lodge which is perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater comprises of 56 rooms, all with great views to the crater below. It is worth noting that the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest caldera in the world. 34 of the rooms at the lodge are standard category, together with 24 suites and 1 villa.  The lodge will also offer a wide leisure experience with two restaurants, one grill zone, an outdoor infinity pool, spa and much more.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area which hosts Melia Ngorongoro Lodge is home to an ecosystem that is unlike any other in Tanzania. Designed with the utmost respect for the environment, this lodge allows you to sleep accompanied by the sounds of nature, wake up admiring the Ngorongoro Crater, and enjoy a truly extraordinary safari experience.

The 600-metre-deep crater is home to more than 25,000 animals and boasts of over 2.5 million years of history. These are just but some of the treasures awaiting you in this “Garden of Eden”. Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection is fully integrated with the local biodiversity, home to the Maasai, one of the largest tribes in the country. While staying here, you can relax in the infinity pool and exclusive spa, and savour dining experiences with strong local roots.

The lodge boasts of a unique location, among the few lodges that overlook the crater rim. The Ngorongoro Crater, is a breath-taking 8.000-meter square natural oasis due to its stunning biodiversity, with more than 20,000 herbivorous mammals and a big concentration of major predators on earth, all of which play a fundamental role in maintaining the ecological balance.

Melia Ngorongoro Lodge is part of a select collection of lodges in the so-called “Crater highlands” area in the Arusha region in northern Tanzania. It is a 180 kilometers drive from the city of Arusha and a 220 kilometers drive from the Kilimanjaro International Airport. The distance from Manyara airport to Melia Ngorongoro Lodge is 41 kilometers.

It is also possible to drive from the lodge to Serengeti when on one of our Tanzania safaris, on a drive that takes 4 to 5 hours.

When fully operational, the room configuration at Melia Lodge Ngorongoro will be as below:

The Forest Premier Room- 22

Inter Connected, The Forest Premier Room- 11

The RING premier room- 12

Enkanji junior Suite- 17

Emuny Suite with terrace- 1

Sidai Suite- 1

Superior Suite with terrace- 1

Superior Suite with terrace (2 bedrooms)- 1

Grand Suite with private pool- 1

Grand Suite with private pool (2 bedrooms) – 1

Ngorongoro House with private pool – 1

Every unit has a private bathroom and shower, air conditioning, a flat-screen TV and a minibar.

Between the months of May and July 2021, The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife through the Kenya Wildlife Service embarked on a wildlife census. Under the “Count to Conserve” banner, the exercise resulted in a wildlife census report which was released on 31^st August 2021.

The great news is that the national Elephant population has increased from 32,214 elephants in 2014 to the current population of 36,169 in 2021. This represents a 12% population increase over seven years, which is testament to the productive anti-poaching efforts by government and conservation partners.

Even more encouraging from the report was the fact that the country’s total Rhino population has increased from 1,258 rhinos at the end of 2017 to 1,739 rhinos by mid-2021.

Specifically, Southern white rhinos increased from 510 to 840, and Eastern black rhinos (the only black rhino subspecies found in Kenya) increased from 745 to 897. However, the number of the world’s only remaining Northern white rhinos that live in Kenya, has decreased from THREE to TWO, following the death of Sudan in 2018. This has left only Najin and Fatu who can be visited during one of our safaris to the Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy.

The increase in Rhino numbers is an important achievement, especially when rhinos remain under huge threat from poaching and habitat loss due to encroachment of their space by humans.

It was also reported that for the first time in 22 years, there was no Rhino which was recorded to have died in Kenya due to poaching. This was the first time since 1999, an incredible and significant milestone, considering that it was at a period when African wildlife had come under more threat because of the Covid 19 pandemic which caused the disappearance of virtually all income from tourism.

We applaud the government through the Kenya Wildlife Service and other Rhino conservators like the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and all wildlife rangers for their concerted efforts to safeguard Rhinos during that tough period, highly contributing to the recent increase in population.