Summit collection · Ngorongoro Crater
Gibb's Farm
A working organic coffee estate in the highlands below the Ngorongoro rim
- Collection
- Summit · Luxury
- Destination
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Area
- Karatu, Ngorongoro Highlands
- Style
- Farm estate lodge
- Best months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
About Gibb's Farm
Gibb's Farm is a different kind of safari stop. Rather than bare plains, you arrive among gardens, stone cottages and rows of vegetables, with the highlands of the Ngorongoro area rising behind. It is a place to unwind between game drives, with the unhurried feel of a country estate and the smell of coffee never far away.
The farm still grows its own coffee and produce, and that shapes everything from the walk through the grounds to what lands on the table. Photographs show farm workers tending neat vegetable rows and pergola walkways lined with yellow-flowering hedges. It is easy to spend a morning simply wandering the gardens before heading out again.
Cottages are cosy and characterful, with beamed ceilings and stone details, and the lodge has a spa for tired legs. With its position below the crater rim, it works well as a restful base before or after Ngorongoro, and it appears on many of our northern circuit itineraries for good reason.
- Working organic farm growing its own coffee and vegetables
- Twin-gabled cottages wrapped in bougainvillea and garden steps
- Beamed-ceiling suites with stone feature walls
- Stone fireplace lounge with candlelight in the evenings
- Colonnaded pergola walks lined with yellow flowering hedges
- On-site spa in the Ngorongoro highlands
Setting
Gibb's Farm lies near Karatu in the highlands below the Ngorongoro crater rim, in cooler, greener country than the plains further west. The estate is laid out as gardens, vegetable plots and coffee, with cottages scattered along paths and steps. Mornings and evenings can be fresh at altitude, so a light jumper is welcome. The crater itself is reached by a game drive from the estate.
Rooms and tents
Guests stay in individual cottages, and photographs show twin-gabled buildings with garden steps and bougainvillea outside. Inside, expect beamed ceilings, stone feature walls and sitting areas that look onto the garden, with some rooms opening from a lounge with a stone fireplace. The feel is homely and refined rather than flashy. Ask us which cottage category suits your party and the time of year.
Dining
Food is a main reason to stay. The kitchen has a strong reputation in Tanzania, in large part because so much of what it cooks is grown on the estate itself. Expect fresh, seasonal produce from the vegetable gardens and local coffee served as it should be. Ask us about dietary needs ahead of time, as the team is usually happy to plan around them.
Things to do from here
- Walks through the organic gardens and coffee fields
- Game drive into the Ngorongoro Crater
- Spa treatments after long travel days
- Visits to Lake Magadi and Olduvai Gorge, arranged by Lemala
- Garden strolls along the pergola walks
When to stay
The Ngorongoro area is generally rewarding in January to March and again from June to October, when the weather is drier and roads are easier. The highlands are cooler than the plains year-round and can be misty. The long rains usually run from March to May and the short rains in November and December, when the gardens are at their greenest and the lodge is typically quieter.
Good to know
- The estate sits at altitude, so evenings are cooler than on the plains. Pack a warm layer.
- Crater visits are made on a separate game drive from the lodge, and Lemala arranges the logistics.
- Ask us to confirm which activities on the estate are available when you stay, as farm life follows the season.
- Ask us about child and family arrangements before booking, as policies and room options can differ by cottage.
Gallery
Inside Gibb's Farm
On these itineraries
Trips that include Gibb's Farm
7 days
Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire in Seven Days
Baobab elephants, a pair of Serengeti days and a full morning-to-evening descent into the crater.
5 days
Fly-In Serengeti Escape: Five Days, No Long Drive
Be on the plains by lunchtime, then finish with the crater and Lake Manyara.
8 days
Bush Honeymoon for Two
Eight private days across Tarangire, the crater highlands and the Serengeti, planned around the two of you.
7 days
Signature Circuit with Balloon and Night Drive
Tarangire after dark, a Manyara canoe, the crater floor and a Serengeti sunrise balloon, in one week.
9 days
Ndutu Calving Season: A Southern Photographic Safari
Newborn wildebeest, hunting cheetahs and a day in the crater, timed for the plains' most dramatic weeks.
12 days
Twelve Days: Kilimanjaro Hike, Maasai Villages and the Northern Parks
Boots on the Shira Plateau, conversations in Maasai communities, then four of Tanzania's great parks without a rushed overnight in sight.
8 days
Eight Days at the Mara River Crossings
Tarangire and Ngorongoro to warm up, then two full days at the river waiting for a million hooves to decide.
12 days
Unhurried Tanzania: Twelve Days at a Gentle Pace
Longer stays, easy walks and a flight home from the Serengeti, for celebrations and multi-generation groups.
9 days
Bush-to-Beach Honeymoon with Nungwi
Five days of game viewing, then four unhurried nights on Zanzibar's northern tip.
10 days
10-Day Great Migration Safari: Three Days at the Mara River
Elephants, a crater descent and Olduvai first, then three unhurried days waiting on the river banks.
More partner stays
Other stays in Ngorongoro Crater
- Ridge
Ngorongoro Crater · Karatu, Ngorongoro Highlands
Kitela Lodge
Former coffee estate lodge
- Pool
- Scenic views
- Restaurant
- Summit
Ngorongoro Crater · Ngorongoro Conservation Area, eastern rim
Lemala Osonjoi
Crater-rim lodge
- 20 suites with wood stoves
- Heated indoor pool
- Spa suite
- Trail
Ngorongoro Crater · Karatu, Ngorongoro Highlands
Ngorongoro Farm House
Coffee farm lodge
- Restaurant
- Gardens
- WiFi
Stay at Gibb's Farm
Tell us your dates, group and budget, and we will build the trip around this stay.