Handpicked safari lodges & camps across Africa

Serengeti National Park, Central Serengeti

Olkarien Eco Safari Lodge is an Acacia Collections camp in the Seronera area of the central Serengeti, the part of the park known for resident lions, leopards and cheetahs. Formerly called Acacia Seronera Camp, it has 25 safari rooms, including a honeymoon suite and family units, all with ensuite bathrooms. The lodge runs on solar power and has a swimming pool, a spa, a restaurant and bar, a barbecue area and Wi-Fi. It is open all year, and its central position works well for game drives in any season, with migration herds passing through the area around April to May and again from November.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities

Nairobi

Nairobi Serena Hotel stands on Kenyatta Avenue beside Central Park, about five minutes from the city's business district. It has 196 remodelled rooms and suites, with interiors that draw on Ethiopian, North African, West African and East African design. Restaurants include Mandhari for fine dining, Herbs & Spices for South-East Asian food and Cafe Maghreb for all-day buffets, with the Aksum Bar alongside. The Maisha Spa & Health Club has a gym, sauna, steam room and heated pool, and resident guests are offered free cultural heritage tours.

Modern rooms with air conditioning and Wi-Fi

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, Central Serengeti

Enkirari Wilderness Camp sits among acacia trees in Seronera, in the central Serengeti, looking out over open savannah grassland. Its canvas tents each have their own bathroom and are linked by paved paths to a central hall with the restaurant and bar. Seronera is one of the most dependable game-viewing areas in the park all year, known for resident lions, leopards and cheetahs, and the Great Migration usually passes through the central Serengeti in April and May. The camp features on several of our Serengeti and Great Migration itineraries.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities

Serengeti National Park

Enkutoto Migration Camp is a semi-permanent tented camp that moves with the Great Migration. From June to October it stands at Kogatende in the northern Serengeti, close to the Mara River crossings; from November to March it moves to Ndutu in the southern Serengeti for the calving season. The camp has 25 safari tents, including family tents and a honeymoon tent, each with an en-suite bathroom and flushing toilet, plus a restaurant and a campfire area. It features on several of our Great Migration itineraries.

Follows the Great Migration for front-row wildlife access

Tarangire National Park

Oliver's Camp is an Asilia tented camp in the remote south-east of Tarangire National Park, beside the Silale and Lormakau marshes, about three hours' drive from the main gate. Founded in 1992, it is one of the oldest camps in the park. It has 15 tents in two wings, including family and honeymoon tents, with ensuite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers and wooden decks. The camp runs on solar power and has a pool, cocktail bar, Wi-Fi and complimentary laundry. Its location allows walking safaris, night drives and balloon flights as well as game drives, and it closes from mid-March to mid-May.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities

Zanzibar

Dhow Palace Hotel occupies a restored 19th-century merchant's house in Shangani, in the old quarter of Stone Town, Zanzibar. Its 30 rooms, including a presidential suite, are arranged around two inner courtyards with carved doors, wooden balconies and Zanzibari antiques. One courtyard holds a swimming pool with a snack bar, and a rooftop restaurant looks out over Stone Town. The hotel serves no alcohol and is run by the owners of the nearby Tembo House Hotel. It is a walkable base for the Stone Town heritage sites at the start or end of a safari.

Modern rooms with air conditioning and Wi-Fi

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

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

Kigali

Kigali Serena Hotel is a large city hotel on KN 3 Avenue in central Kigali, about five minutes from the business district and 20 minutes from Kigali International Airport. Rooms and suites range up to a presidential suite. Dining is at the poolside Sokoni restaurant and the Milima restaurant overlooking the courtyard pool, with an executive lounge for some guests. The Maisha Spa and health club has a gym, sauna and steam room, and the hotel has a ballroom and auditorium for conferences.

Modern rooms with air conditioning and Wi-Fi

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Naserian Safari Camp is a small, solar-powered tented camp in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, run by Acacia Collections and about 20 minutes from the crater rim. The tents have en-suite bathrooms with flush toilets, solar lighting and private verandas looking over the highlands. The main area has a restaurant, a bonfire area, barbecue facilities and Wi-Fi, and baby cots are available. The camp is open all year and works as a base for Ngorongoro Crater game drives, walking safaris, Maasai village visits and day trips to Olduvai Gorge.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities

Tarangire National Park

Serian Tarangire Camp is an Acacia Collections tented camp on a hilltop in the southern part of Tarangire National Park, far from the busier northern section. Its safari tents, including a honeymoon suite and family tents with two bathrooms, have ensuite bathrooms with hot showers and flush toilets. The camp has a restaurant and bar, Wi-Fi, a bonfire area and barbecue facilities. Activities include game drives, guided walks, night drives, bush dining and sundowners, and the camp is open all year, with the June to October dry season bringing large elephant herds to the Tarangire River.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities

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

Nairobi

Hemingways Nairobi is an all-suite boutique hotel in Karen, the leafy suburb between Nairobi National Park and the Ngong Hills. Opened in 2013, it has 45 suites, each with a terrace or balcony facing the Ngong Hills, and offers butler service, a brasserie, a bar and a spa. It stands in about ten acres of gardens, roughly 30 minutes from Wilson Airport and 40 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The Karen Blixen Museum, the Giraffe Centre and Nairobi National Park are all close by, so it works well as a quiet first or last night on a safari.

Modern rooms with air conditioning and Wi-Fi

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

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

Kapama

Kapama Buffalo Camp is the only tented camp in the Kapama Private Game Reserve, near Hoedspruit in the Greater Kruger area. Its 10 tents stand on raised timber platforms in riverine forest above a seasonal river, linked by elevated wooden walkways. Each tent is air-conditioned, with an en-suite bathroom and a minibar. The camp has a rim-flow pool, a thatched lounge and bar, and an open-air boma for dinners, and guests can take a shuttle to the Karula Wellness Centre. It is adults only, from age 16, with game drives and bush walks for Big Five viewing.

Authentic canvas tents with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities