This planet is filled with amazing creatures, and seeing some of these in their natural habitat gives us a sense of how spectacular and wild the animals on this planet really are. We’d suggest a stay at an African safari lodge.
Everyone’s bucket list should include an African safari – it truly is the best of the best when it comes to getting up close and personal with the animal kingdom. We’ve even included an African safari as a timeshare!
Long gone are those Indiana Jones days of dusty tents filled with snakes and mayhem around every corner. Now you’ll lounge in peace and live like the king of beasts in these spectacular lodges on the Serengeti.
The civil traveler will tell you it’s better to be holding a finely crafted cocktail while staring down a lion or tiger. If you want to add bears to the mix, you’ll want to head to Slough Creek in Wyoming. Bears are everywhere but booking a reservation will be a challenge.
Zarafa Lodge
Location: On the far eastern edge of the private 130,000-hectare Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana.
Zarafa means “the beloved one” in Arabic and is an old-school African safari lodge with 21st-century amenities. Each of Zarafa’s four luxurious tents with a huge veranda is positioned under cool, shady trees, fronting the idyllic Zibadianja Lagoon.
The spacious bedroom has a lounge, en-suite bathroom with copper bath, indoor as well as an outdoor shower, copper heater for cozy winters as well as its own private pool for summer.
Lounge and dining facilities may be enjoyed under canvas or on the full-length shaded deck. The camp is run completely on solar heating and power.
The Selinda Concession is dominated by a vast grassy floodplain interspersed with slightly elevated palm islands and aromatic sage bushes.
Resident wildlife includes lions and spotted hyenas, as well as cheetahs, wild dogs, side-striped jackals, serval, and even aardwolf. Elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, and zebra are other herbivores seen throughout the year.
Activities:
Early morning and late afternoon/early evening game viewing in open 4×4 vehicles, guided walks and cruising on the Zibadianja Lagoon on “HMS Zib” when water levels permit. The camp has an open-air gym and offers in-room massages.
Canoeing and a houseboat for private dining help take your mind off what wants to eat you out there.
Duba Plains Camp
Location: Northern Botswana on a 33,000-hectare Duba Plains Reserve in the Okavango Delta.
Some will swear this is where the Garden of Eden can be found. Palm-dotted islands, floodplains, and woodland, the 77,000-acre private concession typifies the region’s unique landscape.
Duba Plains offers a range of private, raised-on wooden deck suites, each with private swimming pools, outside salas, air conditioning over the beds, indoor and outdoor showers, and brass baths. Duba Plains is a proud member of Relais & Chateaux.
Duba Plains is in one of the most remote camps and is located in the furthermost reaches in a very private reserve.
So be careful about irritating one of these bad boys. It could be double trouble.
Activities:
Early morning and late afternoon/early evening game drives in an open 4×4 vehicle and boat-based activities when water levels permit.
Bisate Lodge
Bisate Lodge, adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, is the bucket-list gorilla trek.
This African safari lodge is located in the natural amphitheater of an eroded volcanic cone. With dramatic views of the peaks of the Bisoke and Karisimbi, you’ll marvel at the volcanoes rearing up through Afro-alpine forests.
Encountering one of the gorilla groups in the nearby Volcanoes National Park is a unique experience and an African safari you’ll always remember.
Courtesy: Africatravelsource.com
Six opulent en-suite forest villas offer great views while adhering to environmentally responsible principles- and this keeps the apes happy we’re told.
Bisate is within easy driving distance of the Park Headquarters, from where gorilla treks depart daily.
Bisate is Rwanda’s first genuinely luxurious and eco-sensitive safari camp and Africa’s most immersive wild primate experience.
Ivory Lodge
Ivory Lodge has been awarded ‘5 Star Premium’ status by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, an accolade reserved for the most luxurious properties in the country.
The lodge’s eight one-bedroom Villas, secluded at the confluence of the Sabie and Sand rivers, are the ultimate bush retreats.
Your private lounge, patio, deck, and pool invite easy relaxation, while a dedicated team of staff is around to take care of your every whim and fancy. If you’re a fan of the jungle but want to get a little more tropical, check out our top luxury hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Here, everything is included from your champagne of choice stocked in the maxibar, to your favorite shirt, washed and pressed. Being out in the wild, you’ll want the same durable, stylish luggage used by celebs like Julianne Hough, the Rock, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara.
Ivory Lodge stands on tree-stilted platforms above the waterhole. Watch by floodlight the night animals and the sounds and smells of the great African bush emanates up into your room.
Singita Sabora Tented Camp
Featuring nine en-suite tents beautifully furnished with a treasure trove of antiques, artifacts, and original campaign furniture. Now that’s a safari African style!
Zanzibari chests, Persian rugs, and delicate crystal, silverware, and brass, Singita Sabora Tented Camp is modeled on a 1920s-style explorer’s camp. This is truly the romance of a bygone era.
The camp’s main area includes a swimming pool, spa, and fitness center, as well as a welcoming bar lounge overlooking the savanna plains.
Gourmet meals with distinct African and Zanzibari influences, stylish sunset drinks, and exceptional wines from Singita’s award-winning collection enhance this unique bush experience.
Now THAT’S a tent!
Rush hour on the Serengeti.
Faru Faru Lodge
Another favorite is the Faru Faru Lodge. The phrase “expect the unexpected” doesn’t sound enticing for a place with wild animals that look at you like a well-seasoned walking lamb chop, but the sheer beauty of this land lets you quickly forget that we’re all on the food chain somewhere.
Still, this is actually one of the top-rated luxury African safaris out there- and for a very good reason.
Faru Faru’s organic shape is focused around its coveted waterhole that makes wildlife watching a non-stop event.
The staff and management are top-notch and accommodating to the point where you feel like they’re family.
Set within Singita’s 350,000-acre private reserve in northern Tanzania, Faru Faru embodies a fresh take on African bush appeal and ushers in a new era of luxury wilderness safaris.
Built on a gently sloping hill, this riverine lodge, positioned on the renowned migratory route, is a place where you can quite literally expect the unexpected.
