Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is built into the western rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, its river-stone walls so cloaked in indigenous vines that it almost disappears into the rim. Every room has a rock-enclosed balcony looking straight down into the crater, and a fire is kept burning at the heart of the lodge. Tours stay here so you can wake to early tea and be on the steep, winding road down to the crater floor for a full day's game drive.