Handpicked safari lodges & camps across Africa

Barangwe Pan

Thobolo's Bush Lodge is a chalet lodge and campsite overlooking Barangwe Pan in northern Botswana, about 108 km south-west of Kasane on the road towards Savuti, Moremi and Maun. The chalets each have two en-suite bedrooms, air conditioning, a tea and coffee station and their own deck facing the pan, and family chalets sleep up to six. There is a swimming pool and free Wi-Fi, and the campsite has hot showers and a viewing deck. It works as an overnight stop on the long drive between Chobe and the Savuti or Moremi areas.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Serengeti National Park

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti stands on rocky kopjes in the central Serengeti, about 25 km north of Seronera, beside a waterhole that draws elephants and other game. With 77 rooms, suites and villas linked by raised wooden walkways, it is the largest permanent lodge in the Serengeti. Rooms range from Savannah and Horizon rooms to Terrace Suites with plunge pools and villas of one to three bedrooms. The infinity pool looks over the waterhole, and there is a spa, a fitness centre, several restaurants, a wine cellar, the Kijana Klub for children and a Discovery Centre on wildlife and Maasai culture.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Mt. Meru

Miriakamba Hut is the first overnight stop on the Momella route up Mount Meru, set in montane forest inside Arusha National Park at about 2,514 metres. It is a park-run mountain hut rather than a lodge: climbers sleep in dormitory rooms with bunk beds and mattresses, and share a dining hall and outdoor seating. Most trekkers reach it after a walk of four to six hours from Momella Gate, often with wildlife and birdlife along the way. The next night is usually spent higher up at Saddle Hut, at around 3,570 metres, before the summit attempt.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Arusha National Park

Arusha Planet Lodge is a garden lodge in Moshono, on the quieter outskirts of Arusha about ten minutes' drive from the town centre. Its 34 rooms are round chalets in a style inspired by Maasai homesteads, each with air conditioning and a private deck, and they include interconnecting family units and two wheelchair-accessible rooms. The grounds have a swimming pool, a spa, a gym, a restaurant, two bars and a walking trail through tropical gardens with views of Mount Meru. It is a straightforward, comfortable base for the start or end of a northern Tanzania safari.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Serengeti National Park, Central Serengeti

Melia Serengeti Lodge is a premier safari lodge in the heart of Africa's most spectacular wildlife regions. A safari lodge offering comfortable rooms with en-suite facilities, restaurant, and lounge areas. Located in prime wildlife viewing areas with easy access to game drives and guided excursions.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Ngorongoro Crater

The Castle at Ngorongoro is a small lodge on a hill at the edge of the Ngorongoro crater forest, reached by road from Arusha through Karatu. It has a limited number of rooms and suites, from singles to family rooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and a private veranda over the forest canopy and highlands. The lodge runs on solar power and has a restaurant serving African and international dishes, a bar and lounge, a campfire area and Wi-Fi. Crater game drives, rim visits and village walks can be arranged from the lodge.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Kruger National Park

Tented Adventures is a premier safari lodge in the heart of Africa's most spectacular wildlife regions. A safari lodge offering comfortable rooms with en-suite facilities, restaurant, and lounge areas. Located in prime wildlife viewing areas with easy access to game drives and guided excursions.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Lake Naivasha

Chui Lodge is a small lodge in the private Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary on the shores of Lake Naivasha, about two hours by road from Nairobi. Its individually designed cottages, set in indigenous forest, have four-poster beds, log fires and verandas, and much of the furniture is made in the lodge's own workshop. There is a heated pool overlooking a waterhole, a spa tent and a dining room with hand-carved artwork. Day and night game drives in the sanctuary, boat trips on the lake and bush breakfasts are included in the activities.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Masai Mara National Reserve

Mara Serena Safari Lodge sits on a hilltop in the Mara Triangle, the western sector of the Masai Mara National Reserve, above a broad bend of the Mara River. Its 74 rooms, including one suite, are compact en-suite units with small balconies, and the design draws on the circular layout of a Maasai manyatta. Facilities include a heated swimming pool, the Maisha Spa and gym, a restaurant with views over the plains and a conference room. The lodge has run on solar power since 2019, and the Serena airstrip is a few minutes away.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Farm House is a Tanganyika Wilderness Camps lodge on a 500-acre working coffee plantation, about 5 km from the Lodoare gate of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and facing the Oldeani volcano. Its 52 chalet-style rooms and suites, with thatched roofs and colonial-style interiors, are spread among gardens and coffee, each with a terrace or balcony. The farm grows and roasts its own coffee and supplies the kitchen from an organic garden. There is a swimming pool, a massage cabin, a restaurant and lounge, and a souvenir shop. Afternoon coffee tours are a good use of the time after a crater drive.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Masai Mara National Reserve

Angama Mara sits on the rim of the Oloololo (Siria) Escarpment, looking down over the Mara Triangle in the west of Kenya's Masai Mara. The name is Swahili for 'suspended in mid-air'. It has 30 tented suites split between two separate camps of 15, each camp with its own lounge, dining area and pool. Every suite has a floor-to-ceiling glass front facing the plains, and four interconnecting suites suit families. The lodge also runs a photographic studio with resident photographers, a gym, a curio and Maasai beadwork shop and a kitchen garden.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Arusha National Park

Legendary Lodge is a small country-house lodge on a century-old working coffee estate on the outskirts of Arusha, at the foot of Mount Meru. It has ten garden cottages and two family cottages, each with an en-suite bathroom, a private verandah and a fireplace, set among lawns and mature tropical gardens. Guests have a swimming pool, a garden spa, a private dining pergola, a boutique and walking and cycling trails through the estate. Arusha Airport is about 15 minutes away, so it works well as a quiet first or last night on a northern Tanzania safari.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge stands on the edge of the escarpment above Mto wa Mbu, looking down over Lake Manyara and the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Its 67 rooms are in two-storey thatched rondavels and include interconnecting family rooms and a suite. Meals are served in the Flamingo Restaurant, an infinity pool overlooks the lake, and the Maisha Spa offers treatments. Besides game drives into Lake Manyara National Park, the lodge arranges nature walks, canoeing and village visits through the Mto wa Mbu cultural tourism programme. It lies about 107 km by road from Arusha.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru Guest House is a premier safari lodge in the heart of Africa's most spectacular wildlife regions. A safari lodge offering comfortable rooms with en-suite facilities, restaurant, and lounge areas. Located in prime wildlife viewing areas with easy access to game drives and guided excursions.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Bwindi Gorilla Forest

Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge is a premier safari lodge in the heart of Africa's most spectacular wildlife regions. A safari lodge offering comfortable rooms with en-suite facilities, restaurant, and lounge areas. Located in prime wildlife viewing areas with easy access to game drives and guided excursions.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Serengeti National Park, Central Serengeti

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge sits on a ridge in the Kyabatero Hills north-west of Seronera, in the central Serengeti. Opened in 1996, it is designed like a Maasai village: 66 rooms are set in two-storey stone and thatch rondavels among indigenous trees, each room with a private balcony. Facilities include an infinity pool on the ridge edge, the Maisha Spa, a restaurant and bar, Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service. The lodge also arranges bush meals, nature walks and balloon safaris, and its central location gives year-round access to the Seronera valley.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Serengeti National Park

Mwiba Lodge is a tented lodge in the Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area, a private reserve on the southern boundary of the Serengeti ecosystem. It stands on an ancient granite outcrop above the gorge of the Arugusinyai River. The tented suites have glass doors opening onto private decks with long views, en-suite bathrooms and king or twin beds. A cliffside infinity pool, jacuzzi, gym, spa, library, private dining room and safari boutique surround the main thatched deck. Because it is a private reserve, walking safaris and night drives are possible, and stays include a private vehicle and guide.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda

Lake Eyasi

Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge sits on a gentle slope above Lake Eyasi, a shallow seasonal soda lake below the Ngorongoro highlands in northern Tanzania. Its 16 en-suite rooms are arranged in double cottages with views towards the lake, mosquito nets and queen or twin beds. The main building has a lounge, a bar, a gift shop and a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, and there is a swimming pool overlooking the lake. Power comes from solar energy. Walks to the lake shore and cultural visits to the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and the Datoga pastoralists and blacksmiths can be arranged.

Spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private veranda