Safari lodges are permanent accommodation located within or near wildlife areas, offering a comfortable base for game drives and other safari activities. These lodges vary widely in style and price, from simple, functional properties to high-end luxury lodges.
This category focuses on the classic lodge-style safari experience, typically with fixed structures rather than tented accommodation.
Simbavati Hilltop Lodge is an exclusive, river-facing luxury lodge set in the private Timbavati Game Reserve which shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park. This allows the Big Five and many other animals to move freely over more than 20,000 km² of pure wilderness.
Simbavati is a family-orientated safari lodge, situated in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park. The lodge offers a choice of six luxury safari tents, two tented pool suites and three luxury, two-bedroom chalets, all air-conditioned, privately situated with en-suite facilities and ideal for those wanting to experience an authentic but affordable African safari experience. Open vehicle game drives afford guests great game viewing opportunities and a chance to see the Big 5, as well as the elusive white lion in its natural environment.
Located on the edge of a large dam in wildlife-rich Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Simbavati Waterside offers affordable luxury safari lodge accommodation for couples, families, groups of friends and solo travellers in a beautiful, sophisticated and intimate setting.
Located within the Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park, Skukuza Safari Lodge offers a comfortable base for exploring the African wilderness. This lodge provides convenient access to the park's diverse wildlife and natural beauty, making it a practical choice for visitors seeking an affordable upgrade from a Kruger Park bungalow.
Solio Lodge is situated in a wildlife conservancy in the game-rich Laikipia district. Solio Game Reserve is recognised globally as the most successful private rhino breeding reserve in Kenya, where both white and black rhino live in harmony with plentiful herds of buffalo, zebra, giraffe and numerous other big game species.
Somalisa Camp is reminiscent of bygone heydays ... luxury and elegance coupled with untamed, pristine Africa. It offers sweeping views out over the grassy plains and overlooks an ancient, seasonal floodplain with a perennial pan where animals often congregate. As part of a concession, flexible game viewing activities are allowed, including night drives with huge spotlights and bush walks with a knowledgeable, expert ranger.
Sossusvlei Desert Lodge lies in the heart of Namibia’s ancient Namib Desert, where it offers guests serene silence and romantic luxury in an extraordinary, dramatic landscape. It’s a place of endless space, broad horizons and some of the most fascinating desert-adapted creatures on the planet.
Opened in 2018, Stanley & Livingstone Boutique Hotel is the first of its kind in Victoria Falls, one of Africa's major attractions. Serene and luxurious, it provides a lovely base from which to explore the many sights, scenes and attractions the area has to offer. Or you can simply relax and take a break between safaris, watching as the wildlife comes to visit at the waterhole.
Recently renovated (April 2018) Stanley's Camp is an elegant tented camp located off the southern tip of Chief's Island in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. As it's situated in a 260,000-acre private concession, off-road game drives, bush walks and night drives are permitted. Its remote location ensures exclusivity and provides great game- and bird-viewing activities by vehicle, by boat or on foot. The camp offers expansive views over the surrounding floodplain.
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).
Tanda Tula Safari Camp offers bygone-era luxury in 12 East African-style tents. Situated in lush riverine surrounds, Tanda Tula overlooks the Nharalumi river bed in the Timbavati Game Reserve, which shares unfenced borders with the famous Kruger National Park. It's a game-rich area famous for the White Lions of the Timbavati.
Overlooking the Tarangire River which never dries up Tarangire Safari Lodge offers visitors breathtaking views of beautiful landscapes and a wide array of animals from its deck, thatched tents and bungalows. Sit on the veranda at sunset and watch elephants come down to drink, their babies splashing and playing. Pure, African bliss.
Located in a secluded valley in the foothills of Korannaberg Mountain Range in Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve, Tarkuni is a luxurious exclusive-use, private homestead that was once the Oppenheimer family's private Tswalu residence. Tarkuni Homestead is ideal for families with children and small groups of friends who want to reconnect and soak up the tranquillity of the green Kalahari.
Tau Game Lodge (Tau meaning 'lion' in Tswana) is in the far north-western corner of the malaria-free, Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve. The vegetation here is less dense Kalahari-thornveld, easier for game spotting. The main lodge and luxury safari chalets all look out over the vast waterhole where a pageant of wildlife comes to drink at all hours of the day and night.
Thakadu River Camp has 12 luxurious safari tents on the banks of the Marico River in the malaria-free, Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve. Thakadu is a wholly-owned, community-based project and an ecotourism success story. This exclusive, tented safari bushcamp is situated in the far eastern part of Madikwe, in a good area for game viewing.
A 2 ½ hour drive to the north-east of Nairobi, The Aberdare Country Club is in the Aberdare Highlands, which forms part of the Great Rift Valley. Originally a colonial family home lovingly built on a sloping hillside with sweeping views over the countryside below, the Country Club has been carefully developed to retain the grandeur of its past. The views are spectacular: the plains below, the Aberdare Mountains to the west and Mount Kenya to the east.
Very iconic and somewhat quirky, The Ark in Aberdare National Park was built to resemble Noah's creation. It overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick which attracts a wealth of wildlife, especially herds of elephant. There are viewing areas on four different levels as well as a bunker right next to the waterhole where you can watch and photograph the animals so close you can almost touch them, yet remain unseen.
With beautiful panoramic views of the towering column of spray rising from the Victoria Falls, The Elephant Camp is the ideal intimate, peaceful retreat. Situated 10 km from the Falls on its Zimbabwean side, The Elephant Camp offers 12 exclusive, luxury tented suites and plenty of opportunities to get up close with the Wild Horizons elephants.
A 45-minute drive from Nairobi's main city airports, The Emakoko is a lodge built into the steep slopes of the Mbagathi River valley. All 10 rooms face the river and the Nairobi National Park which is home to the Big 5 and a great variety of wildlife and birds.
Situated along the eastern side of Hwange National Park, The Hide is about two hours' drive south from Hwange's main camp. It's one of the oldest, most established camps in Hwange. All tented suites and the main camp with its upper-level hide overlook an active vlei and waterhole. One of the best features of this camp is the eye-level game viewing hide right at the waterhole.
Situated in the far north of the Kruger National Park on the ancestral land of the Makuleke tribe, The Outpost is a contemporary architectural gem offering exceptional safari lodge accommodation. Overlooking the Luvuhu River Valley, guests are treated to panoramic views of the African bush and the chance to watch wildlife roaming freely between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.
Thonga Beach Lodge is a luxurious lodge set on the pristine shores of the Maputuland coast in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on South Africa's east coast. Private, exclusive and remote, with only 12 spacious thatched suites, the lodge is metres from the unspoilt wilderness beaches of Mabibi, with easy access to some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving in southern Africa.
Thorntree River Lodge, situated in the Mosi Oa Tunya (Smoke That Thunders) National Park in Zambia, provides luxury accommodation in an area known for its abundant wildlife. Each modern tented suite sits right on the river bank with uninterrupted views over the Zambezi. The lodge is about 15 kilometres upstream from the breathtaking Victoria Falls and offers an extensive range of African experiences and activities.
Tintswalo Safari Lodge is a nostalgic, luxury safari lodge situated in the Greater Kruger's Manyeleti Private Game Reserve. Nestled between the trees on the banks of the seasonal Nwaswitsontso River, Tintswalo Safari Lodge has six suites, a family suite and a fully-inclusive presidential suite, all aptly named after intrepid 19th-century explorers. Attention to detail, excellent guides and superb Big Five game viewing make Tintswalo the top choice for luxury safari accommodation in the Manyeleti.
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