How to find your ultimate African safari accommodation
How to find your ultimate African safari accommodation
| by Kate Turkington
So you’re dreaming about going on safari or perhaps actively planning one, but where to stay? It can all seem a bit bewildering because there are so many different options, it’s difficult to choose.
Maybe you’ve decided on your safari destination in terms of countries or game reserves, but now there’s the decision of what sort of accommodation would you prefer.
Let’s look at types of lodges or camps first. There are the traditional Out of Africa ones, where a comfortable luxurious past is recalled. Where an Ernest Hemingway, Teddy Roosevelt or Karen Blixen would have felt at home. Think stone or sturdy walls, spacious rooms, high thatch roofs, deep and comfy armchairs, lazy fans circling overhead (although there could be aircon, too), long cold beers or gin and tonics on wide verandahs as elephants walk silently by.
Your bedroom may have a solid four-poster bed, with the obligatory mosquito net draped over it. There’ll be a writing desk and chair, a roomy en suite bathroom (and often an outdoor shower under the stars), and a personal deck where you can sit and watch the passing show of birds and game. Sometimes you’ll have your own plunge pool, although if you’re in a remote area where water is scarce, there may be just one central pool or no pool at all.
At the other end of the luxury accommodation scale are the state-of-the-art, modernist lodges where you could be cocooned in an exclusive-use villa with your own butler, chef and sommelier. Expect also your own dedicated ranger and tracker, and your own private game vehicle. If you’re looking for absolute privacy, then this is the way to go. Clean uncluttered lines dominate the spacious rooms, selected artworks grace the walls, and but for the waterhole outside your villa and the bush views, you could be in Manhattan or Mayfair.
Of course, dozens of lodges fall between these two examples. Others come in all shapes and sizes. Looking for a more personal experience? Then choose a camp with just a few rooms and few guests. If you’re happy to be with more people, then opt for a big safari lodge.
Many lodges offer family accommodation with inter-connected rooms. Others have curated junior ranger programmes where kids can learn to track, bake cookies, find insects and learn all about the bush, and are taken on their own special game drives. Always check if these are available if you’re planning to travel with children. On the other hand, some lodges don’t accept children, so if you’re child-adverse or are looking for adult peace and quiet, then opt for one of these.
What about a tented camp? Generally speaking, these often tend to be in more remote areas and range from the height of luxury to more basic and simple affairs. Some are so luxurious that if you didn’t know the walls were canvas you could easily believe that you were in a mini “palace”.
Others have more basic amenities (nearly always an en suite bathroom) and are much more rustic. Expect a comfortable bed, storage space, almost certainly a private wooden deck with chairs and a table.
Do your research, ask questions, and take advice from your travel architect or knowledgeable friends and family. Remember, though, whatever accommodation you choose, the wildlife experience is the ultimate drawcard.
Check prospective lodges and camps for their amenities. What exactly are you looking for or would like to be available? Is there a spa, a gym, a swimming pool, a private plunge pool, a personal butler, a gift shop, the opportunity to take a bush walk with an armed ranger, a sleep-out under the stars? What sort of game vehicle does the lodge use? Will you be crammed in with several others or will the vehicle offer more comfort and space? Importantly, is the area malaria-free or will you need to take anti-malarials?
You may also want to factor food into your choice of lodge. Some lodges offer fine dining, with cordon bleu meals and wine pairing. Some have a resident, highly trained chef who serves up international cuisine. Others boast local chefs and cooks who have been with the company for years and rustle up hearty, comfort food for that bush breakfast or evening braai (barbeque).
A luxury lodge, however, will cater for all tastes and palates, and you’ll be asked about your diet preferences or special needs before you come on safari. Many lodges (if it’s possible) grow their own veggies and herbs. (One Relais & Château lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River has created a head-high thorny bush hedge around its gardens to keep the elephants from snacking.)
Wines and spirits (but not always premium brands) are usually included in your package as are beers, soft drinks (sodas) and bottled or filtered water. If you’re staying two or more nights, then a “boma” dinner is usually served. A boma is an outdoor enclosure under the stars ringed by a wooden fence or sometimes a stone wall, where your evening meal is cooked over open fires.
Expect wholesome soups, succulent steaks, chicken and chops, lots of fresh veggies and a crackling fire. There’ll be fish, vegan and vegetarian dishes too. A highlight of these evenings is that when you’re relaxing comfortably at your table after your delicious dinner, the camp staff (often in traditional dress) will dance and sing their way into the boma. You’ll be hard put not to get up and join the happy throng.
Whatever destination or accommodation you choose, you can rest assured that you’ll have an experienced, highly trained ranger with you on your game drives, often accompanied by a local tracker. Together or alone, they will seek out the wildlife, point out special birds, tell you about certain bushes and trees, look after you and answer all your questions. Many guests and rangers form close bonds; certainly, your safari will be enriched by your ranger’s knowledge and know-how.
And finally, your choice of lodge may well be determined by a moral imperative. You may want to factor in a lodge’s conservation efforts. Are its efforts deeply sustainable in meaningful ways? What is the relationship with local or surrounding communities?
Again, are policies and methods geared towards long-term partnerships and tangible results?
Deciding on a lodge gives you a lot to think about. Location, canvas, timber, stone, clay, minimalist or super-luxurious, sustainable, small, large, remote, secluded or central – the choice is yours.
Whatever your final choice, you’ll be amply rewarded not only with high-end luxury, unfettered wilderness and exclusivity, but also often with a deeply emotional and sometimes spiritual experience of nature itself. Temporarily “unhooked” from the modern world, you’ll maybe find a personal sense of renewal.
If you’re ready to find the perfect safari lodge or camp, your dedicated Travel Architect can guide you to an unforgettable experience tailored just for you.
