Africa at its most refined
Gorgeous glass-fronted suites cantilevered over riverbanks. Glamorous Out of Africa tents rich with antiques and romance. Sculptural furniture, handwoven textiles, curated artworks, and a warm, unobtrusive service that anticipates rather than reacts. In Africa’s most refined spaces, luxury is both seen and felt.
While the meaning of ‘luxury’ is personal, in this Collection it is grounded in the tangible: beautifully crafted camps and lodges where architecture and setting are in harmony; interiors that combine comfort with considered design; service delivered with discretion and ease. These are awe-inspiring places created for rest, restoration and wonder.
From contemporary safari retreats showcasing African creativity to elegant coastal villas and exclusive city hotels, each destination offers a distinctive kind of indulgence, rooted in detail, delivered with confidence.
Explore our curated Luxury Holidays Collection and discover journeys defined by style, comfort and extraordinary settings.
The Ultimate Collection of Luxury Safaris
Our most recent reviews of luxury in Africa
Detailed, un-edited reviews from our Africa travellers whose trips we tailored towards luxury. Click below to read the traveller's full review, and see all the reviews of our Africa holidays here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Our Guide to Luxury Safaris in Africa
Planning a high-end safari comes with understandable questions about comfort, logistics, and how it all works in the wild. From what's included in the cost to the best time to book, and where to find the most sumptuous camps for your style. We're here to guide you through the finer details of travelling Africa in style.
How far ahead should I book a luxury safari?
If you're travelling as a group, whether that’s extended family or a group of friends, it’s wise to plan closer to the 12–18 month mark to secure enough space and ensure availability across the same lodges or private camps.
That said, we’re also skilled at crafting exceptional last-minute safaris. If your dates are flexible or you're travelling outside the busiest months, we can often find great options even with shorter notice. It’s always worth asking.
What’s included in a luxury safari?
Some high-end camps go further, including private guides, scenic flights, spa treatments, or conservation contributions. We’ll always give you a clear understanding of what’s included, and flag any extras, before you book.
Which luxury lodges offer something truly unique?
• The Baobab at Xigera, Botswana
Xigera is a sensory journey, and its showstopper is the Baobab Treehouse. Inspired by the Africa's most iconic tree, this sculptural steel tower rises high above the floodplains. Spend a night under the stars in this open-air sleepout suite, enveloped by the sounds of Botswana’s wilderness
• Skeleton Coast Shipwreck Lodge, Namibia
Cast adrift on Namibia’s wind-lashed Skeleton Coast, this off-grid lodge delivers eerie beauty with a twist. Shaped like shipwrecked sunken hulls, the cosy rooms sit in the dunes near the Atlantic, where desert-adapted elephants and occasionally brown hyena roam across sand and mist. It’s remote, surreal, and utterly unforgettable.
• Chisa Busanga Camp, Zambia
Named after the local word for “bird’s nest,” Chisa’s four woven tree-pod rooms sit elevated above Kafue’s Busanga Plains. The design is playful yet elegant, the setting full of seasonal drama: ideal for guests who want eye-catching eco-design paired with wild, uncrowded safari.
• The Underwater Room, Manta Resort, Tanzania
On the reef-fringed island of Pemba, this three-level floating suite offers something no other lodge can: a bedroom beneath the waves. Lie back and watch reef fish drift past your window from your submarine bed, or stargaze from the rooftop in complete, private isolation.
• Bisate Lodge, Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is already extraordinary, but Bisate takes it further. Its thatched, elliptical suites are inspired by royal Rwandan architecture, perched on a forested hillside with sweeping views of the Virunga volcanoes. After a day gorilla trekking, return to the warmth of the fire and the hum of conservation in action.
Each of these lodges blends luxury with originality, offering not just a place to stay, but an awesome story to tell. If you’re looking to make your safari unlike any other, we’ll help you include something bold, imaginative, and entirely unforgettable.
Are luxury safaris suitable for families with children?
For those seeking added space, comfort and flexibility, our selection of private safari camps and villas is ideal. These exclusive-use properties come with your own guide, vehicle, chef, and staff, so you can tailor each day entirely to your family’s pace and interests, whether that’s heading out at dawn or staying poolside to spot elephants from camp, without compromising on your level of luxury.
We’ll help you choose places that balance luxury with family-friendly ease, ensuring both grown-ups and younger explorers have a truly unforgettable experience.
Which luxury lodges offer Out of Africa glamour?
Selinda Explorers Camp, Botswana
Intimate, atmospheric, and elegantly under canvas, this camp recalls the early days of safari. Persian rugs, leather campaign chairs, and copper basins set the tone, while the Selinda Spillway outside teems with wildlife. The team are delightful and impeccably professional, going out of their way to make a stay here delightful. It’s refined, remote, and quietly theatrical.
San Camp, Botswana
A white-canvas fantasy set on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, San Camp is pure vintage romance. Expect billowing tents, four-poster beds, and antique travel chests, offset by desert-adapted wildlife, meerkat encounters, and surreal salt-flat sunsets. There’s nowhere else quite like it.
Sasakwa Lodge, Tanzania
This Singita flagship lodge blends colonial-era grandeur with sweeping, elevated views across the Serengeti. Think chandeliers, polished wood floors, emerald lawns, and wrap-around verandas, but with a private conservancy setting that ensures top-tier game viewing and impeccable service. More manor house than safari camp, it’s ideal for those seeking space and boutique hotel style.
Gomoti Plains Camp, Botswana
Sitting on the edge of the Okavango Delta, Gomoti offers rich, earthy interiors and a sense of restrained luxury. The camp pays homage to traditional design with a focus on safari elegance: leather details, muted linens, and wide open views across floodplains and woodlands. Food is fabulous and the team are a dream.
Duke’s Camp, Botswana
Duke’s channels bohemian style in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Tents are adorned with brass, mahogany and vintage décor, with clawfoot bathtubs and antique fans. Wildlife is abundant, the setting is lush, and the feel is pure Hemingway meets Out of Africa.
Tawi Lodge, Kenya
With its brass lanterns, carved wooden furniture and soft textiles, Tawi Lodge evokes the elegance of a classic East African safari, just steps from Amboseli’s iconic elephant herds. Verandas overlook lush lawns and a waterhole frequented by game, and there are four-poster beds, fireplaces and clawfoot baths for touch of timeless romance, not to mention views of snow-capped Kilimanjaro. It’s polished, peaceful, and rich in atmosphere.
Which luxury lodges are best for modern design lovers?
• Babylonstoren, South Africa
A design-forward wine and farm estate in the Cape Winelands, Babylonstoren combines Cape Dutch heritage with modern minimalism. Glass-walled cottages, a spa inspired by ancient water rituals, fabulous food, and one of Africa’s most celebrated gardens make this a contemporary classic.
• Jao Camp, Botswana
A temple to timber, glass and thatch, Jao Camp reimagines safari architecture in Botswana’s Delta. Its stilted suites float above palm-dotted islands, with soaring ceilings, sculptural furniture and elevated walkways. It’s bold, striking, and serene.
• Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda
Hidden among eucalyptus forest in the foothills of the Virunga Mountains, this chic retreat is all about curves, texture and tranquillity. Suites feel like luxury treehouses, with volcanic stone, warm wood, and panoramic terraces designed for reflection after gorilla trekking.
• Lolebezi, ZambiaOverlooking the Zambezi River, Lolebezi offers a sleek and cinematic approach to safari design. Expect minimalist luxury: green and copper tones, statement furniture, and floor-to-ceiling views across water and wilderness. This is very much a design retreat in the bush.
• Grootbos Forest Lodge, South Africa
At the meeting point of fynbos, forest and sea, Grootbos brings sophisticated simplicity to nature. Curved glass walls frame ocean views, while clean-lined interiors echo the colours of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Eco-conscious, yet effortlessly elegant.
• Chichele Presidential Lodge, Zambia
Once built for a head of state, Chichele has been stylishly reimagined by a first-class team, and its white colonnades and polished interiors now host guests in search of understated luxury. Elevated on a ridge, its crisp aesthetic pairs beautifully with sweeping views of the South Luangwa. An impressive lodge on all fronts!
• Thorntree River Lodge, Zambia
Modern Africa meets the Zambezi at Thorntree, just upriver from Victoria Falls. Built with natural materials and simple lines, this riverfront lodge embraces minimalist style and open-air living, with private pools, floating dining decks, and high-end finishes throughout.
• Kwitonda Lodge, Rwanda
A celebration of local craftsmanship and modern design, Kwitonda sits in its own 100-acre sanctuary beside Volcanoes National Park. Volcanic stone, woven baskets, rattan lights and rammed earth architecture root the lodge in place, while frameless glass connects it to the mountains.
The Best Camps and Lodges for Luxury Safaris in Africa
In Zambia, Puku Ridge offers elegant tented suites with plunge pools and panoramic views, while Nyamatusi Camp in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools combines eco-conscious design with exceptional guiding.
Botswana excels in high-end wilderness stays: Xigera Safari Lodge showcases contemporary African art in bold architectural surrounds; Zarafa Camp delivers seclusion and indulgence in the Selinda Reserve; and Jao Camp offers sleek design and Delta tranquillity.
Namibia’s Little Ongava provides private luxury on the edge of Etosha, and Onguma The Fort brings Saharan flair to the eastern plains. In the Kalahari, The Motse at Tswalu pairs space and style with rare species and gourmet food.
In Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge remains a theatrical icon above the Ngorongoro, while Namiri Plains stands out in the Serengeti for its sculptural design and big-cat action.
Azura Benguerra brings barefoot luxury to Mozambique’s Indian Ocean beaches, while the exclusive Fregate Island Private in the Seychelles offers ultimate privacy and pristine nature.
Rwanda’s Bisate Lodge pairs dramatic volcanic views with striking design and direct access to gorilla trekking.
Luxury Safaris across Africa
Africa is home to some of the world’s most exclusive wilderness escapes, where comfort meets adventure in awesome settings. From private plunge pools overlooking elephant-dotted plains to architectural lodges nestled in ancient forests, our luxury safaris offer a plush front-row seat to nature at its most spectacular.
Float above Namibia’s dunes at dawn in a hot-air balloon, sip sundowners on a dhow along the Swahili coast, or retreat to a volcanic hillside villa after a day spent trekking to see mountain gorillas.
Whether it’s the solitude of a desert camp, the indulgence of island living, or the thrill of safari in style, we’ll help you find your perfect escape.
Explore our curated Luxury Safari Collection and discover a journey defined by beauty, detail, and the freedom to experience Africa in perfect comfort.












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