• Semi-Permanent Tented Camp • Seasonal Mobile Tented Camp • Lodge • Permanent Tented Camp
The properties we work with have been hand-picked based on their itineraries, hospitality, and the overall authentic experience. Most are owned and operated by people devoted to preserving the wilderness and the culture of the local people. The lodges we choose are often located on private concessions and are as individual and eclectic as their owners.
There is probably no other subject relating to African travel that is as misunderstood as that of 'the tented camp'. A huge range of products are hidden behind that one label. Safari tents have solid teak furniture, feather pillows, an en suite bathroom with hot running water, electricity and some have a plunge pool built in to the verandah deck. Waiters can serve you three course meals with chilled wine in the evenings and wake you with hot coffee or tea in the morning.
They promise the experience of living under canvas in the African bush with the reassurance of reliable services and comforts. But even here there is a wide range of quality on offer. Price is often a good reflection of standards, but you would do well to ask us as many questions as you can about the camp, and we will help guide you to the right accommodation -- and in some cases it will include a combination of both tented and cottage or villa style accommodation.
Semi-Permanent Tented Camps The definition of semi-permanence appears to vary but generally they have to be able to be demolished and removed in their entirety within 24 hours. Some in this category suffer seasonal constraints and are only open for a part of the year. However in general, a semi-permanent tented camp has a lighter footprint, and these camps are usually broken down each year when the safari season ends. They are also called ‘seasonal camps’. Because of the seasonal and temporary nature of these camps, you will not have permanent access to electricity (charging outlets are usually found at a central location like the lounge tent). You will have en-suite flush toilets and shower facilities, but water for bucket showers will be provided on request. Mobile Safari Camps Mobile camps can move. Either along with the migration, or just along with your trip, and precede the guest from one site/park to another. Guests sleep in full-size Meru tents (luxury mobiles) or smaller mini-Meru tents or large or small dome tents (medium or light weight mobiles). There is usually a mess cum lounge tent that accompanies the camp, as well as staff tents for the support staff. These camps have no running water or electricity, and bathroom facilities can be en-suite or shared long/short-drop loos that are shared by the group.
Magical places, far from the masses & deep in the bush …
Safari Lodges – Fixed structure A lodge is a structure with solid walls and windows. These are usually hotel-like structures or ‘bandas’ cottages or villas, i.e. individual rooms with solid walls and windows. Usually equipped with running hot and cold water, flush toilets, air-conditioning, electricity etc. This is a good option for families, older travelers and anyone who wants to ensure access to all modern comforts. Permanent Tented Camps A permanent tented camp usually has all the facilities stated above, but its “walls’ are made of canvas or another material such as reeds. Africa under Canvas is a special experience and one we recommend wholeheartedly. Tented camps are usually lit by solar power or by generators that are run after the guests leave camp for the day. Water can be running hot or cold, or provided upon request. Full bathroom facilities are en-suite.
Africa is dotted with everything from the crème de la crème of exclusive luxury lodges & tented camps to more moderate lodges & rustic camps… We’ll help guide you!
City Hotels There's no better way to glimpse Sub-Saharan Africa's rich cultural mélange than to visit some of the region's cities including Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nairobi, among others... Cape Town being our favorite stylish city, with several tried and true favorites including The One&Only, Belmond's Mount Nelson, Cape Cadogan, Cape Grace, and the elegant mansion Ellerman House. However, no Cape Town hotel in recent memory has been as hotly received as the Silo, Thomas Heatherwick’s gleaming rebuild of a converted grain silo on the V&A Waterfront. When it opened in 2017 — followed soon after by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which occupies the bottom six floors of the building — it was an instant hit. And four years in, it hasn’t lost its shine. Liz Biden’s eclectic design sets the Silo apart from the crowd, and its killer rotating collection of contemporary art — plus unbeatable panoramas from those signature convex windows — make this place a visual feast. Additionally, there are wonderful small guesthouses and Boutique properties such as Point B, Cape View Clifton and Tintswalo Atlantic. Johannesburg has come into its own as a compelling destination, particularly in the decade since it held the World Cup. The influx of travelers has also ushered in the arrival of chic stays like Athol Place, the Saxon, and The Residence, among others. Giraffe Manor has become a major draw in Nairobi, Kenya designed as a beautiful Scottish manor house featuring giraffes on the lawn and ducking in through the windows. The city's other options include Hemingway's, House of Waine, The Norfolk and the newly re-opened Eden Hotel (previously the One-Forty-Eight) Exotic City Hotels Let's not forget amazing richly cultural cities like Cairo with impressive palace style hotels as well as Fez, Marrakesh and other Moroccan cities with fabulous traditional riads (a small guesthouse built around a courtyard) and 5-Star hotels in Morocco such Riad au 20 Jasmins in Fez, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Elegant spaces within Africa’s vibrant cities …
