Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Karatu
Plantation Lodge
LODGE $$$
( 0784-260799;
www.plantation-lodge.com
;
s/d half board US$255/380, ste
US$550-990; ) A place that makes you feel special, this relaxing lodge fills a
renovated colonial farmstead and the decor is unpretentiously gorgeous down to the last
detail. The uniquely decorated rooms spaced around the gardens have large verandas and
crackling fireplaces to enhance the highland ambience. The bar adds some stylish touches
yet retains harmony with the overall genteel air. Excellent home-grown food too. It's west
of Karatu and about 2.5km north of the highway and signposted so poorly you'd think they
don't want you to come.
Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge
TENTED LODGE $$$
( 0784-446579;
www.rhotiavalley.com
; s/d half board US$160/280; ) Right up
against the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, this refreshingly unpretentious hilltop lodge
has 15 large tents (two are family sized) with either forest or valley views, the latter offer-
ing a peek at Lake Manyara and, should you be lucky, hints of Mt Meru and Mt Kiliman-
jaro. Good meals, with veggies and herbs from their garden, are served under the big thatch
roof. Cultural tours and nature walks are available, including a downhill day trip from the
crater rim back to the lodge. Rates include a 20% donation to the school-orphanage the
owners (two Dutch doctors who live on-site) opened nearby. It's situated 10km northeast
of Karatu; well signposted off the highway.
Gibb's Farm
LODGE $$$
( 027-253 4397;
www.gibbsfarm.net
;
s/d/tr half board US$234/330/459, cottage half
board s/d/tr US$514/734/1012; ) The longstanding Gibb's Farm, filling a 1920s
farmstead, has a rustic highland ambience, a wonderful setting with wide views over the
nearby coffee plantations, a spa and beautiful, well-appointed themed cottages (a few
standard rooms too) set around the gardens. The lodge gets consistently good reviews, as
does the cuisine, which is made with home-grown organic produce. It's about 5km north of
the main road and signposted.
Ngorongoro Farm House
LODGE $$$
( 0784-207727;
www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com
;
s/d/tr full board US$220/300/
410; ) This atmospheric place, 4km from Lodoare gate, is set in the grounds of
a 500-acre working farm that provides coffee, wheat and vegetables for this and the com-
