Considering an African adventure? Asilia‘s now open Highlands Camp in the Ngorongo Conservation Area offers unique, domed tented accommodations loaded with amenities. With several different types of activities and Safaris that employ environmentally conscious practices, the new destination combines high-style with low impact.
Asilia Africa provides some of the best wilderness experiences in Africa. They have 20 camps positioned within iconic natural habitats in Kenya and Tanzania and expert guides to give you an unparalleled and honest safari experience. The aim of their beautiful camps is to effectively protect wildlife while providing opportunities for local people to prosper.
Note: Since this post, the resort has opened, so we have updated it to replace the cgi renderings with actual photos.
The Highlands Ngorongoro
The Highlands strikes the perfect balance of a wilderness escape and a high-end tented sanctuary with all the creature comforts.
Eight elegant domed suites offer king-sized beds with floor-to-canvas-ceiling bay windows opening out to the spectacular views, en-suite bathrooms with hot running water, showers and flushing toilets, and wood-burning stoves for the cold winter evenings.
Inspiration for the canvas-and-glass domed suites was drawn from the traditional Maasai bomas that dot the landscape.
At the heart of the camp is an authentic indoor fireplace and lounge designed to emulate the traditional East African campfire experience.
Delve into the library or enjoy a drink from the extensive Highlands Bar and unwind in comfort and style at the end of each rewarding day.
The main dining room:
The Highlands Camp is set in a perfectly private location at the edge of the mountain forest that hugs the Olmoti Volcano, to the north of the famous Ngorongoro Crater, which is easily accessible from camp.
The crater is actually an enclosed caldera with a thriving ecosystem within the greater Serengeti and home to some of the richest wildlife viewing in Africa, with the Big Five and an extraordinary concentration of predators all found in the area.
The northern flank of the Olmoti volcano offers good wildlife viewing with possibilities including buffalo, zebra, porcupine, hartebeest, bushbuck, hyena, leopard and elephant (at certain times of the year).
Nearby Empakaai Crater is a smaller but similarly impressive crater famous for the thousands of pink flamingo that line the shores of the soda lake on the crater floor.
As well as the spectacular wildlife viewing, the NCA is also renowned for its extraordinary flora and fauna. The region is a botanist’s dream, showcasing a landscape of mountain forests, open grass plains and swampy marshland, each with a splendid variety of vegetation and fern species.
Small Ecological Footprint
The Highlands uses state-of-the-art technology to minimize their ecological footprint.
This includes a full solar plant, a biogas digester that produces the methane used for cooking, rainwater collection off all tents and a reverse-osmosis plant for producing pure drinking water, thus cutting down on plastic bottles. In addition, their supply runs are minimized to once a month to reduce their carbon emissions. Grey water is recycled for washing vehicles. Unavoidable carbon emissions are offset through Carbon Tanzania. Asilia is the second-largest contributor to this scheme in the country.
Safaris
In addition to several activities which range from climbing mountains to diving and snorkeling, they offer several types of Safaris. Birding, Big Cat, The Big 5, Migration and Photography Safaris – as well as private guided tours – are available. Choose from Romantic, Adventure, Classic or Family Safaris that you can plan online.
A typical Day on Safari
05:30–06:00 Wake-up call with hot tea & coffee
06:30–07:00 Following breakfast, depart for a morning game drive or walk, or take a picnic breakfast with you and leave slightly earlier
09:30–11:30 Arrive back in camp after game viewing, followed by breakfast (if you wish!)
12:30 Lunch
13:30–16:00 Siesta time: read a book or just relax
16:00 Afternoon tea
16:30 Depart for afternoon/evening game drive or walk with sundowner cocktails
18:30 Arrive back in camp
19:30 Drinks at the bar followed by dinner under the stars
For the Family, too
Their family unit accommodates families with children aged five and older. The Highlands offers a wide range of exciting activities kids can take part in, including iconic game drives into Ngorongoro Crater and fascinating visits to the local Maasai community. Children aged 16 and older can visit the Olmoti and Empakaai craters.
Accommodation & Amenities
• 8 high-style glass-and-canvas domed suites
• En-suite bathrooms with hot running water, showers and flushing toilets
• Distance between tents: 15–20 meters
• In-room lockable box
• Complimentary laundry service
• Solar & generator power
• In-room power
• In-room wood-burning stoves
Standard price per person per night:
$350 – $835 (subject to change)
