Many travelers think going on safari entails roughing it, but it can be quite the contrary. Not only are accommodations very comfortable (and in many cases quite grand), you will encounter small and large luxuries throughout your safari. Today we will give you a virtual pampering with some of the luxuries offered on an African safari.
Your safari dreams won’t take place while sleeping on a bedroll on the ground. African safaris offer the chance to experience a range of accommodation options including luxurious camps and lodges. Luxury African properties offer the best amenities and services in some of the continent’s best locations. Africa Adventure Consultants uses only the best accommodations available. We know this because we have stayed in or visited almost all of the options we recommend to our travelers.
Some of our favorite luxury camps in Southern Africa include South Africa’s Lion Sands Ivory Lodge and Cape Town’s Ellerman House; Matetsi Victoria Falls; and Botswana’s Xigera Safari Lodge. In East Africa, we love Kenya’s Giraffe Manor and The Jahazi Suite at Mara Plains; Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater Lodge; and Kwitonda Lodge in Rwanda. In every property you will find luxurious bedding, en suite bathrooms (many with indoor and outdoor showers), beautifully appointed and designed rooms and common areas and thoughtful touches to make your stay comfortable.
In addition to luxurious accommodations, our top camp and lodge choices feature a range of amenities that include wine cellars, fitness centers, swimming pools, wellness centers and art collections, depending on the property. Food and wine is also a focus and is top notch – more on that below!
You won’t go hungry on safari and you may wish for a property with a gym when you are eating so well! Our top accommodations put thought into every detail of your stay including the food and beverages you enjoy. Meals are sumptuous affairs that will delight your taste buds. Breakfast or lunch might be taken at the lodge or while out on a game drive as a lavish picnic in a scenic spot. Afternoon tea comes complete with something sweet or savory to nibble on before heading out for your activity. Dinners might be served al fresco near a crackling fire, privately in your room or in a special private spot in camp. Fine dining (along with wine pairings from the cellar) is a feature of many camps and lodges.
One fantastic luxury of an African safari with Africa Adventure Consultants is the chance to enjoy exclusive wildlife encounters. It might be the chance to enjoy an animal sighting with few or no other vehicles in a private reserve or conservancy or a once-in-a-lifetime conservation activity such as working with scientists in the field to tag a rhino or giraffe for research purposes.
The key to a great safari is having a great safari guide. Your guide is a luxury that you might not consider. They help travelers understand the important roles that each of the animals, insects and flora play in an ecosystem. They gauge your interests and tailor your safari accordingly. They help you interpret animal behavior and uncover the context and meaning to what you see while out in the bush.
At Africa Adventure Consultants, we work with the best guides in Africa. Our guides are highly skilled, inspirational people that will take your safari experience to the next level. They are experts in conservation, culture, history and the natural environment, and they are generous in sharing their knowledge with travelers.
An African safari offers a wide variety of luxurious experiences. You can view the landscape and the wildlife from a helicopter, come back to your room to find a candlelight bubble bath and Champagne to be enjoyed, enjoy a pampering spa day in the middle of the bush, sleep in a treehouse under a billion stars, mark a milestone with a one-of-a-kind celebration, contribute to conservation efforts and more. We will connect you with the experiences that will mean the most to you on your customized safari.
Contact one of our Journey Specialists to start planning your safari and subscribe to our newsletter below for more safari information, stories and trip inspiration.
Photos courtesy Londolozi, Matetsi Victoria Falls, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Chem Chem, Singita Kwitonda, Mara Plains Camp, Lion Sands, Savanna Lodge and Jabali Ridge