Pakulala Safari Camp - Ngorongoro

Giving this place 5 stars, with the reminder that it is a camp. But we loved our time here - the staff were friendly and inviting, had a fantastic chat with the Maasai that secure the camp, the fire had a great view, the atmosphere was great, and the beds very comfortable with a hot water bottle in the cold. A point to improve would be to have a power point to charge devices in the tent, and perhaps a way to organise the shower without having to leave the tent. Overall, we would recommend this and were blown away by how much we enjoyed our stay

This camp is without a doubt one of the most picturesque locations to stay on the Ngorongoro Crater rim. We had a beautiful welcome by the staff with song and tea. The tents are well equipped with everything you need, keeping the footprint minimal - you have a proper toilet and able to have a hot bucket shower that you book in with the team for. The common area/dining is stunning and a great place to hang out after you safari in the crater. Keep in mind it IS cold at night, we had hot water bottles provided at bedtime but its still quite chilly and this was before the cold season had really begun. The ability to charge devices is only in the main area, and this is the only place wifi/signal works as well. We were kept well fed with plenty to eat but the packed lunches were fairly average. Portion sizes for breakfast and dinner were quite large and definitely felt like we couldn't waste any food even though not everything was particularly well cooked. The staff are the highlight of the camp, they were incredibly kind and provided amazing service. They went above and beyond to make our stay as comfortable as possible, making me a thermos of hot lemon/ginger and honey one night that I wasn't feeling well.

We spent a night at Pakulala because we planned to go to Ngorogoro in the morning. The staff is very friendly. It was amazing. Such a special experience. When we entered the camping, there was a herd buffelo's in front of the entrance. And in the night, elephants and buffalo's were walking right next and in front of our tent. A masai warrior was making sure we kept safe. What an amazing experience.

We spent the last night of our Safari here and it was perfect. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The view of the crater is amazing whilst sitting around the open fire and from the dining area. Good food and an impressive drink selection. The tents are really nice. It was the perfect finish to our safari. One small thing is we love to dine together with our guide ( if he feels like it!). Thank you.

The views of the Ngorongoro Crater from this campsite were outstanding! The staff, especially Margaret, the Manager, were warm, friendly and very accommodating. Our son got sick, and Margaret was very concerned about him offering tea and bananas to help settle his stomach. Our tent was large, and the furnishings were comfortable. The tent included its own bathroom with a flush toilet, a pitcher of water and basin to wash up in, which was fun! The staff provided a wonderful, hot bucket shower that was very refreshing after a hot day on the Serengeti. The staff kept our safety in mind by walking us from the dining tent to our own tent in the dark to protect us from any stray animals. They were up before dawn to make sure we had a cup of coffee before we hit the road. We highly recommend staying at Pakulala Safari Camp.

We were met by song and refreshment, introduced to our tents, and repaired to the chairs around an open fire. The Ngorongoro Crater, in all its splendor, spread out below us.The view from this camp is simply stunning. The staff, so ably led by the charismatic Margareth, were so welcoming, and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. My 8 year old granddaughter was so impressed by the pancakes served at breakfast, she asked to meet the cook to thank him. On our departure 2 days later, the recipe, handwritten, was given to little Mabel with lots love. The photos, show Mabel singing and joining the reception committee as new visitors arrive, plus just a tiny sample of the incredible wildlife, and views, in the Crater. Thank you Margareth, you were the perfect host.

What a view, unbelievable! A wunderful place to stay, everything was perfekt and we felt very welcome. The tents were comfortable, during the night we heard elefants walking through the camp. Great staff, we would come back again.

Friendly staffs. Capable manager. Shower that works, beautiful view. There is a hot water thermos that you can put under your blanket because it is cold at night. Only gripe was charging only done in the dining area.

This place has two advantages, the view and the proximity to the descent road. The view is unquestionably spectacular, encompassing Ngorongoro Crater. The sky is rimmed with a rosy-pink girdle as the sun sets, and you can sit around the fire and take in the beautiful scope of the crater. The other advantage is that this camp is only 20 minutes or so from one of the two roads that descends into Ngorongoro. The gate opens at 6AM and the camp will start breakfast as early as 530AM, so you can grab a cup of coffee and some toast, be on your way, and be part of the early knot of vehicles descending into the park with the best chance to see some of the shyer animals or predators on a kill. BUT. The view is, what?, an hour or hour-and-a-half in the evening and not all that different than the view you can get from the oversight near the park entrance. The proximity to the descent road is a true advantage, but if you’re really interested in being at the gate at 6AM and want to eat anything substantial, you’ll still have to make special arrangements for an early breakfast. And the big trade-off is the cold. It is legitimately “cold,” not “chilly,” here. The altitude at camp is ~2400m (7800+’). Both nights we were there, it was very clear in late afternoon and evening, but in the night after it cools, the fog is thick. Fog for the camp equals clouds for the crater floor, which is 200m (700’) or so below. Sitting around the fire looking at the view? Everyone is under thick blankets. Dinner is served in an open-faced tent, which is unheated. My watch thermometer reported 13C (55F) at dinner. It was not colder at dawn, but 100% humidity (i.e., fog) at that temperature is, perhaps not “raw,” but legimitely cold. I wore long pants and 3 layers of long-sleeve shirt and still wrapped the blanket around me at the dining table. To be fair: the temperature is surprisingly low on the crater floor, too. I took off my outermost layer only at 930AM and my second layer at 1130AM. To help with the cold, they put water bottles in the beds. That’s fine, but the beds are singles individually made, so you can’t share body heat with your spouse. The individual tents also feature a “bush shower” fed from a 20-liter reservoir. The water flow through the shower was so poor that this was only a trickle insufficient to rinse off. It would have been better to just get a washcloth and a bucket of hot water. The staff was among the friendliest and most cheerful of any place we stayed, but they were overworked. Meals are served communally and cooked in a small kitchen. You are asked if you have any allergies, but otherwise there is no option. It seemed to us that they had two main courses: beef lasagna and fish. One night you get one, the next night you get the other. You get your food in 3 courses: soup (good!), main, and dessert. Which is fine, but you have to wait your turn for the one or two servers among 20+ other guests. Except for the staff, this was significantly less