African Safari Camps
An African safari is one of those unique experiences that
every traveler should have. Being surrounded by some of the most enthralling
animals and unspoiled landscapes on earth, only a few meters from gazelles
frolicking across the Lower Zambezi or leopards soaking up the sun in the
trees, is an experience that cannot be compared to living in a city. And with a
host of new safari camps across Africa, there's no better time to venture into
the wild than now…
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Duke’s Camp
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Thirty years ago, Jack's Camp established itself on the
safari scene, pioneering luxury canvas safaris in the Makgadikgadi Pans of
Botswana. Three decades later, Duke's sister camp opened in the northern
Okavango Delta. It is named in honor of Sarefo "Duke" Sarefo, 80, the
official guardian of the earth. The camp is located in the Moremi Game Reserve
which is home to hundreds of herds of elephants, wild dogs, lions, and leopards
that sometimes bask in the trees. On the clear water of the delta, which weaves
its way through the camp, sapphire-backed Malachite kingfishers pose beside
water lilies. They can be spotted from the camp's mokoro canoes; from the sun
deck and plunge pool; eight quirky-style tents (four more are in the planning),
with large terraces for viewing the delta. Inside the tents, wooden four-poster
beds with scalloped canopies are topped with cozy feather duvets and pinstripe
linens. Paisley fabric is draped from the ceiling, and vibrant floral throw
pillows are scattered across armchairs. The bathrooms date back to the 1920s,
with brass fittings and mahogany dressing tables. There's a theatrical vibe in
the communal Bedouin-style dining room, where velvet sofas, Persian rugs, and
silky ottomans surround a low table often topped with silver teapots and
muffins. Sunlight floods in during the day; in the evening, it transforms into
a cozy dining room and bars lit by lanterns.
Website: naturalselection.travel/dukes-camp
Price: The cost of a full board stay starts at about £645 (PKR 177139.62) per person per night
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Tembo Plains Camp
Mana Pools, Zimbabwe
It wasn't always so easy to sit and watch a relaxed bull
elephant pull grass from the ground at the edge of the Zambezi before gently
shaking it into the river. But Tembo Plains Camp, on the Sapi Reserve east of
Mana Pools, is the result of a remarkable relocation project by
conservationists Derek and Beverly Joubert and their Great Plains Foundation.
After noticing the overpopulation of wildlife in the Savé Valley Conservancy in
southern Zimbabwe, the Jouberts launched Project Rewild Zambezi, an ongoing
plan to relocate more than 3,000 animals 600 miles north of the underserved
reserve. 400 elephants, painted dogs, lions, buffaloes, impalas, and other
animals, all of which are Sapi-populated. Tembo Plains, nestled in a forest by
a hippo-friendly stretch of the Zambezi, is a classic-style camp, with
four-poster beds and wildlife-friendly cameras provided in each of the four
suites, as well as wooden decks and patios. private pools overlooking the
river. The staff is some of the friendliest in southern Africa, including the
charismatic manager Lloyd Mushure, who serves up G&Ts and stories while
fishing for tiger fish or canoeing to spot hippos and crocodiles. At camp, the
steady flow of the river provides a hypnotic backdrop for massages, fireside
drinks, and Zimbabwean dishes such as Lake Harvest sea bream curry.
Website: greatplainsconservation.com/tembo-plains-camp
Price: Full board starts at around £860 (PKR 236186.17) per person per
night.
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Sanctuary Tambarare
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya
In one corner of the 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta Reserve, two
females have achieved superstar status. There are only two northern white
rhinos left in the world, one of which is Najin and her daughter Fatu. Their
eggs are safely stored in a high-tech laboratory in Italy in hopes of
perpetuating the species via IVF. For now, a new tented camp - Sanctuary
Tambarare - provides a home base for visiting these wildlife sensations, whose
diets are lovingly and obsessively monitored and protected 24/7 by armed
guards. Tambarare's 10 luxury tents, each different but embracing a simple look
from the golden age of safari, with flowing white curtains, are nestled in
fever trees in the shadow of Mount Kenya. Their deep blue walls are dotted with
Maasai-inspired artwork, and there are private verandas with epic grassland
views. Reports indicate that the rhino population in Africa has fallen by 97%
in less than 30 years. In 1993, only 2,300 wild rhinos remained. Today, that
number has more than doubled and Ol Pejeta is home to almost 150 critically
endangered black rhinos - the largest animal sanctuary in East and Central
Africa. Here you can ride horses alongside rhinos and zebras, cycle through the
plains of Laikipia; cruise past hippos wallowing in the Ewaso Nyiro River, or
spend the night in front of polecats, bat-eared foxes and aardvark (a privilege
prohibited in most national parks and reserves in Kenya). Tambarare can arrange
for you to see the neighborhood bloodhound anti-poaching squad and the park's
fast response team, which takes care of everything from first aid to bandit
hunting.
Website: abercrombiekent.co.uk/sanctuary-tambarare
Price: From £3,995 (PKR 1097167.13) per person, Abercrombie & Kent is
offering four all-inclusive nights at Sanctuary Tambarare and one night at
Hemingways Nairobi.
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Sungani And Kulandila
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
When the Davy family decided to set up their own safari camp
(after running Anabezi, on the Zambezi, for relatives), the far southwest of
game-rich South Luangwa National Park was relatively untouched. But he had
access to almost 70,000 acres of wilderness and only one other camp nearby. In
2019, they rose to the challenge by moving into a few tents and designing and
building an eight-bedroom Sungai, as well as the nearby Kulandila private-use
safari camp. Both feel like stylish and welcoming family bush homes,
efficiently run by mum and dad Lynne and Paul. Their son Michael expertly
oversees walks, canoe trips, boat trips, and game drives, while former Singita
chef Quinton Specter organizes larger meals - from the standard tea spreads of
the French pastry to evening feasts which may include delicate fish with Malay
spices or fire. - cooked beef. Each of Sungani's spacious canvas-walled,
villa-style rooms is connected by wooden platforms, below which animals can
roam - by day, warthogs, and, by night, hippos waddling from their oxbow
lagoon. covered with water lilies. With mesh beds, airy lounges, large soaking
tubs, and outdoor showers, Classic Tents are calming spaces for birdwatching or
relaxing beside a plunge pool before heading out into the wild to enjoy the
game. prolific: leopards, lions and wild dogs, and nearly 500 species of birds.
The delivery of a plane and the new Luangwa airstrip means that the bumpy but
interesting three-hour journey from Mfuwe is now optional.
Website: sungani.com
Price: Doubles from about £1,965 (PKR 539657.93) all-inclusive
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Mila Tented Camp
Western Serengeti, Tanzania
It's easy to get jaded about the herds of elk, topi,
Thomson's gazelle, zebra, giraffe, and wildebeest that graze around this
explorer-style camp in the Nyasirori region of western Serengeti. Very close to
the Grumeti River, where hippos jostle and giant crocodiles bask, it is
crowd-free even at the height of the migration. Brilliant year-round wildlife
viewing is why Mila has moved from a seasonal camp to a permanent camp,
starting in May with five tents and a two-bedroom family option in the Tawny
Grasslands. Interiors are romantic yet understated, and natural fibers reign
supreme, from deep khaki Italian cotton sheets and linen, throws, to
slip-covered sofas and hand-woven jute underfoot. Reclining leather chairs and
ottomans are perfectly positioned for spotting jackals and hyenas weaving
across the open plains. Multiple mess tents mean not having to share space, so
private meals are the norm, and everyone has a private vehicle. Chefs rotate
between Legendary Safaris camps, maintaining high standards in the humble
tented kitchens. An authentic Swahili feast impresses as much as chilled pea
soup with a swirl of chili oil followed by seared beef or gnocchi, butternut
churros, and masala chai. When the morning game drive is too good to miss,
breakfast is delivered to your location: fresh fruit, pineapple jam croissants,
East African omelets, and strong Tanzanian coffee. This is the way of the
safari, with a real feeling of intimacy with the vast wild landscape.
Website: cartologytravel.com
Price: Cartology Travel offers seven nights for about £7,210 (PKR 1980118.91) per person, including transfers
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Camp Sossus
Sossusvlei, Namibia
It's no surprise that the deserts of Namibia are regularly
used as the backdrop for science fiction films; few places seem so
supernatural. On a 60,000-acre private concession bordering the Namib Sand Sea
World Heritage Site, Ultimate Safaris founder Tristan Cowley has created an
eco-camp in the desert that makes this Mars-like environment not only habitable
but comfortable. Every detail has been thought out so that visitors can come
into contact with nature: the six redesigned rooms with canvas and wire mesh
walls, dressed in protective rust-colored "skins" made from recycled
oil drums, now have bathrooms open-air bathrooms with star beds so guests can
shower and sleep under the clearest sky on the planet. Private outdoor spaces
have shaded day beds located to trap cooling westerly breezes for afternoon
siestas, and a deck has been extended for sunset yoga, sunsets, and dinners lit
by a lamp. Unlike most other desert camps, here guests have a private reserve
for families: to hike or mountain bike, watch zebras and oryx graze on
glistening grasslands, swim in spring-filled bush pools, dine on peaks with
views of the ripples of the Tsaris Mountains and the gigantic dunes of nearby
Sossusvlei. Best of all, Cowley is one of Namibia's leading guides, and for
Sossus, as with the camp he started on Onduli Ridge in Damaraland last year,
he's created immersive experiences ranging from botanical walks for children
and from family bike rides to astronomy lessons by the fireside. Camp can be
taken private, as can Namibia's most inventive house, The Nest, nestled in the
hills like a giant thatched-roof bird's nest.
Website: ultimatesafaris.na/camp-sossus
Price: doubles from about £435 (PKR 119466.26) full board
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Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The site of the largest migration on Earth, Serengeti
National Park has become increasingly busy - with over 40 vehicles at some
river crossings. But because andBeyond's Grumeti Serengeti property is in the
far northwest, with few other camps around, wildlife viewing here is relatively
private. If you can drag yourself away from the newly constructed designer
lodge, that is. Strung above the Grumeti River, into which pods of howling
hippos and howling baboons, 10 modernist teak-clad villas sit on either side of
an open living area, with decks dropping down to the water. As with the
company's other flagship project, Lolebezi in Zambia, designers Fox Browne have
made this Tanzanian outpost a showcase of contemporary Pan-African design:
poufs covered in kitenge sit alongside hand-woven sisal tables; Bamileke wooden
tables from West Africa, Namji beaded dolls and a collection of objects. For
those who don't want to join the twice-daily game drives (on which lions are
pretty much guaranteed year-round, alongside hundreds of thousands of migrating
wildebeest in June and July), there's a circular swimming pool for lounging
alongside, as well as morning walks, in-room massages, and yoga sessions. In
the evening, guests converge around a central domed bar lit by orbs of locally
blown glass, before migrating to a boma dinner, cigars around a starlit fire
pit, and fine whiskeys. evening by their private plunge pool.
Website: andbeyond.com/grumeti-serengeti-river-lodge
Price: from about £1,875 (PKR 514940.77) per person per night full board
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Waterside At Royal Malewane
Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
With enviable locations and impeccable service, lived-in
opulence has become a hallmark of the Royal Portfolio's collection of South
African hotels. Not too far from where it all started at the Royal Malewane 22
years ago, this latest addition to Thornybush - a private game reserve that is
part of the Greater Kruger Conservation Area - feels more like a private home
than a hotel. Owner Liz Biden has pulled out all the stops to create lavishly
layered spaces where bright, jewel-like colors enliven everything from rugs to
walls, antiques to repurposed salvages. It is a theatrical and transportive
experience that amplifies rather than diminishes the vibrancy of the
surrounding bushland, which crackles with life late into the night. Even the
glowing fever trees, towering above the thatched-roof hut at the water's edge,
look like they've been touched up. There are seven one- and two-bedroom suites,
as well as a four-bedroom villa, all with solar-heated pools and solar-powered
air conditioning with recycled water. A lively open-air bar serves cocktails
made with local spirits, and a sommelier selects bottles from the wine cellar
to accompany seasonal menus. There are plenty of reasons to stay at the camp,
including a library, swimming pool, gym, yoga studio, and spa, plus a games
room suitable for children of all ages - but there also has 34,600 acres
waiting to be explored by vehicle or on foot. From birdwatching to epic
sightings of lions and wild dogs, every outing is amplified in the company of
experienced guides and trackers who collectively hold the highest professional qualifications
in the industry.
Website: theroyalportfolio.com/royal-malewane
Price: from about £1,035 (PKR 284247.30) per person per night full board
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Mara Plains Camp
Masai Mara, Kenya
This small, secluded camp combines a touch of Indiana Jones
with a healthy dose of luxury in the middle of Kenya's Masai Mara. The tents
are spaced out among a group of acacia trees, where the only noise at night is
the occasional sniff of a buffalo. The place looks like a 1930s movie set, with
wooden country furniture and oriental-inspired rugs. But channeling wild
camping to a seven-star standard is the new Mara Plains Jahazi Suite, a
spacious two-bedroom tented lodge set on an elevated railroad platform (in
front of a steady stream of wildlife parades). An indoor dining room leads to a
private outdoor veranda and copper baths to blend into. At night, Mara Plains
is an enchanting place: candles flicker in lanterns as chefs prepare dishes of
tender grilled lamb, potato fritters, passion fruit roulades, and cheese
platters with homemade chutney. Breakfast is a treat of orange zest pancakes
and fresh coffee served on canvas chairs outside. Game drives reveal a pride of
lions stretched out on a rocky escarpment, a breathtaking sight as cubs frolic
and doze in the pampas grass. Other wildlife surprises include kudus,
swallow-tailed drongos, hippos mating in the river, and mongooses scurrying
down rutted tracks. It is the dream of the African safari, distant and
relaxing, skies with fleeting formations of Daliesque cumulus clouds in a landscape
that has been intact for millennia.
Website: africatravel.com/mara-plains-camp
Price: Africa Travel offers stays from £1,190 (PKR 326815.74) per person per
night full board, including game-viewing activities, park fees, flights, and
transfers (minimum two nights)
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Xigera Safari Lodge
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Located in the biodiverse Okavango Delta, Xigera has lions,
leopards, and semi-aquatic red lechwe on its doorstep. Perhaps more surprising
about this opening of global operators Red Carnation Hotels is that it houses
one of the largest collections of South African art and design in the world,
curated in conjunction with the gallery avant-garde Southern Guild of Cape
Town. This commitment to art shines in everything customers see and touch, from
handmade black clay coffee cups by Cape ceramist Chuma Maweni to dining tables
with fairy tale legs deformed by the artist. Kenyan Stanislaw Trzebinski. The
food is a few notches above most safari fare: a team of five cooks the
lightest, most flaky pastries for morning game drives and six-course Chef's
Table meals, each chef being free to follow his obsessions (one menu has a dish
dedicated to the much-neglected onion). Food waste is composted and donated to
local farmers free of charge, with vegetables bought back from them. The herbs
are bought from a collective run by women in Maun, the nearest town. The 12
suites, accessed by a series of raised, light-impact wooden walkways, are so
large that the super-king beds seem modest. Each is different, but all have
statement lamps, colorful patterned sofas, and indoor and outdoor rain showers
filled with all-natural tulip- and yuzu-scented toiletries. An isolated
three-story steel baobab tree with a roof terrace can be reserved for sleeping
in the bush itself.
Website: xigera.com
Price: Doubles from about £2,355 (PKR 646765.61) full board
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Usangu Expedition Camp
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Ruaha is one of those wilderness areas that safari
enthusiasts keep to themselves. Tanzania's second-largest park, which has just
12 campgrounds instead of the popular Serengeti, had been virtually unexplored
for decades until Asilia established a minimal-impact camp in the remote Usangu
marshes this summer. Poachers roamed freely and the uncontrolled rice paddies
on the perimeter of the park drained the Ruaha River. Conservationists hope the
opening of an expedition camp here will stop this destruction with the help of
visitors. When not relaxing in the four solar-powered, latticed-fronted rooms
overlooking the plains, guests help the guides research game drives. Each of
the camp's recycled ethanol four-wheel-drive vehicles is equipped with
technology to feed information back to the Ecological Research Center:
telemetry systems to track collared cats, GPS radios to track sightings, and
nocturnal thermal cameras to spot nocturnal creatures. Aly Mang unda, a
22-year-old chef who cooks exquisite meals with simply a fire, is one of the 16
Tanzanian employees who are young villagers who enjoy Asilia's instruction.
Guide Anderson Pakomyus Mesilla, who did not understand English three years ago
but now speaks Latin tree names, is another. Next to each bedroom is a
square-netting star tent, so guests can sleep with the Milky Way above and the
sounds of lions and hyenas roaring and howling. The treats on game drives
include huge herds of topics, alongside sables, roans, and cheetahs.
Website: asiliaafrica.com/usangu-expedition-camp
Price: Doubles from about £1,290 (PKR 354279.25) full board
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