Mid-range lodges offer a balance between comfort and cost, typically providing well-appointed rooms, good service, and strong locations without the price tag of top-end properties. This is the most common accommodation category on safari and often represents the best balance of value and experience for most travellers.
What qualifies as "mid-range" depends heavily on the destination. In South Africa, this may include a wide range of comfortable, well-priced lodges, while in more remote or high-cost regions like Botswana or parts of East Africa, similar budgets may only access more basic accommodation.
For this reason, safari prices should not be compared across countries in absolute terms. A mid-range lodge in one destination may be priced similarly to a luxury lodge in another, so these categories are best understood relative to location rather than fixed price points.
Not sure how this category compares across different destinations? See our Safari Accommodation Price Guide.
Family-run Tafika Camp on the east bank of the Luangwa River in South Luangwa Reserve in Zambia offers the perfect bush escape for safari-goers and wildlife enthusiasts looking for an intimate, authentic safari experience and exceptional game-viewing opportunities. Activities include day and night game drives, mountain bike safaris, guided bush walks, visits to the local Mkasanga Village and micro-lighting (only offered in May).
The 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa in Cape Town is an award-winning, 5-star, luxury boutique hotel located against the dramatic backdrop of the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range which forms the back of Table Mountain and offers sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. The hotel offers a tranquil respite located an easy 20-minute drive away from Cape Town's vibrant and colourful city centre.
Mashatu Lodge is a beautiful, waterhole-facing safari lodge in Botswana's game-rich Mashatu Game Reserve. There are 14 spacious luxury suites with large en-suite bathrooms and private bush-facing verandahs. The family-friendly lodge welcomes children of all ages and inter-leading suites are available for families.
Located in the remote, untouched eastern plains of the Serengeti, Olmara Camp (formerly known as Ehlane Plains Camp) is a beautifully designed, eco-friendly, tented safari camp that offers sweeping views of Tanzania's vast savannahs and provides top-quality, year-round game viewing.
John's Camp is an intimate, tented safari camp located inside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mana Pools, one of Zimbabwe's most beautiful game reserves and a popular destination for walking safaris. Overlooking the Zambezi floodplains in the quieter eastern section of Mana Pools, John's Camp offers a welcoming, authentic, off-the-grid, eco-friendly African bush camping experience.
Laikipia Wilderness Camp is an intimate, family-run safari camp that offers comfortable and homely accommodation in the unfenced wilderness of Central Laikipia. Laikipia Wilderness offers an authentic wildlife experience in a beautiful 70,000-acre landscape that is home to a wide range of wildlife, including the famous black leopard of Laikipia.
Perfectly positioned on a rise overlooking a perennial waterhole, Camp Hwange is professionally run by one of Zimbabwe's leading safari guides and offers an excellent safari experience filled with fascinating bush lore and a wealth of safari stories. Informal, yet with all the creature comforts, Camp Hwange offers the added benefits of a private concession from day and night game drives and off-road driving to walking safaris with an experienced ranger.
Child-friendly Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu has eight spacious luxury tented suites with wraparound decks, a large swimming pool, a waterhole, a photographic hide and a walking trail. It's the perfect tented safari lodge for families wanting to combine game-viewing activities and cultural experiences in a private game reserve in Botswana.
Muchenje Lodge, set on an escarpment overlooking the Chobe River, is a popular safari destination with great views over the Chobe floodplain. It is the only luxury lodge in the area west of the Chobe National Park, and offers fantastic open-vehicle game drives within the park.
About 80km south of the Chobe River in Botswana lies Nogatsaa Pans Lodge. The area is studded with natural clay-bottom pans that provide plentiful water in summer, supplemented by boreholes during the winter months. Idyllic and peaceful, there are raised hides at four waterholes for watching the fascinating inhabitants of this pristine bush.
Kanga Camp is in one of the most remote sections of the pristine Mana Pools area, a World Heritage Site not far from Chitake Springs. This vast, untouched wilderness is a veritable eden, offering excellent and varied safari experiences. Closed mid-December until 1 April each year.
Tucked beneath the shade of enormous trees in Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve, Mashatu Tent Camp is an eco-safari tented camp that overlooks a waterhole and offers an intimate and authentic safari experience with a maximum of only six guests per vehicle on game drives.
Owned and largely managed by the local community, Damaraland Camp is a model of a successful community partnership. Eco-friendly, yet luxurious, this intimate safari camp offers first-hand encounters with some of the most highly-adapted local wildlife, particularly desert elephants and black rhinos – in starkly beautiful surroundings.
Nicol Street Heritage Cottages (formerly More Quarters Hotel Apartments) offer the best of both worlds: discreet five-star service and the independence of beautifully restored heritage cottages. Set just off Kloof Street in Cape Town's leafy Gardens neighbourhood, these elegant, private cottages combine space, privacy and a strong sense of place, with easy access to the city centre, Table Mountain and Cape Town's best restaurants, cafés and boutiques.
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is a charming tented safari camp located in Kenya's Laikipia region. All seven spacious, eco-friendly canvas tents look out onto the Ewaso Ngiro River and, with activities like the Junior Ranger Programme, Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is a fantastic choice for families.
Set on the western side of a massive fossil pan, Nxai Pan is the only permanent camp within the Nxai Pan National Park. It has easy access to the famous Baines’ baobabs. Overlooking sprawling grasslands and wide open spaces, Nxai Pan is home to the massive annual zebra migration, second only to the great migration of the Serengeti.
Located in the remote north of Zimbabwe's rugged Matusadona National Park, Changa Safari Camp overlooks Lake Kariba. Family owned and run, this East African style tented camp offers authentic accommodation and a wide range of lake, beach and bush excursions that take advantage of its unique location.
Katavi Wildlife Camp is one of a handful of camps in the remote Katavi National Park in Tanzania, offering an uncrowded and spectacular African safari. Unobtrusively built amongst the trees on the edge of the Katisunga floodplains, the small and simple yet stylish tented camp offers incredible views. During the wet season, the plain fills with water and the birdlife is spectacular. During the dry season, expansive herds of game can be seen making their way to the permanent water source nearby.
Plains Camp is part of Rhino Walking Safaris in the Kruger National Park. As the name implies, Rhino Walking Safaris specializes in foot safaris and guided bush walks. Often, Plains Camp is combined with Rhino Post Lodge on the same trip, offering the guest a combination of game drives and walking safaris.
Elephant Bedroom Camp is perfectly situated in Samburu National Reserve to get the best lion, leopard and rare northern species sightings the park is well-known for. There is also a wealth of unusual flora to look forward to.
Chobe Marina Lodge is situated just outside the Chobe National Park in Kasane, Botswana. The lodge provides luxury accommodation with beautiful views over the Chobe River. Chobe Marina Lodge offers a variety of activities, including open-vehicle game drives in the Chobe National Park, or game viewing by boat along the Chobe River, reputedly the best boat-based game viewing in the world. This lodge is reasonably priced and can easily be combined with nearby Victoria Falls for an unforgettable safari.
Shepherd's Tree Game Lodge is an intimate safari lodge in Pilanesberg National Park, offering a more traditional bush-lodge atmosphere for travellers seeking a quieter safari close to Johannesburg. With fewer rooms and a more secluded feel than many Pilanesberg lodges, it suits couples and travellers looking for a more authentic lodge experience.
Imbali Safari Lodge is situated in one of nine private concessions in the famous Kruger National Park, South Africa, and offers guests a fantastic African safari experience. The lodge offers luxurious 5-star accommodation with a private deck and jacuzzi. At Imbali, you can enjoy open-vehicle game drives through some of the best wildlife areas in Kruger.
Camp Shawu is situated in a private concession area within the famous Kruger National Park, South Africa. Named after a magnificent elephant bull that frequents the area, the camp offers luxury accommodation for only 10 guests, with beautiful views over the Mpanamana Dam. In the dry season, a variety of animals gather at the dam to drink. Camp Shawu shares a vast concession area with Camp Shonga and Shishangeni Lodge, in the south-eastern part of the Kruger Park, which has an abundance of wildlife.
Why not chat to one of our safari experts who can answer all your questions and help you design your dream trip to Africa.
