When you get the opportunity to travel to Tanzania, predominantly north Tanzania, you will likely pass by the town of Karatu, as it is located between Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Lake Eyasi, and Serengeti. It’s the last city before entering Ngorongoro.
Karatu town is a mix of old and new African small village towns.
You will likely get to see new safari vehicles passing by, old safari vehicles being used by locals after retiring from the safari industry, taking people to the neighborhood of Karatu like Mbulu, Mang’ola, Hanang, Ngorongoro, and many other places around,
Tuk-tuk riding, Maasai herders, and many ox-carts all together in this small town.
The weather of Karatu ranges between a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius during the winter time, from May through September, and a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius in the summer, especially from December until February.
The primary activity for most residents of Karatu is agriculture, favorable by the right amount of rainfall each season; farmers grow maize, beans, onions, flowers, bananas, coffee, avocados, and many other food crops. There are also large plantations of wheat in Karatu.
Karatu being the safari junction as we call it, there are several hotels around, including our favorite, Karatu Tented Lodge, located near Rhotia village.
Many activities can be done here, including a visit to the local communities on foot or a bicycle, get to drink local coffee with locals in Karatu town, a local market walk, searching for elephants in the Ngorongoro highland forest, and a visit to the elephant’s caves, or use Karatu as a base for day trips to Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Lake Eyasi.
