Tanzanian Safari Lodges
October 29, 2008
Prices shown are high season in US Dollars and are per person per night. As a general rule Safari lodge prices are full board including game viewing activities and park fees, and beach accommodation tends to be on a half board basis
Clicking on the lodge name will bring our page devoted to the lodge including video and pictures which is what we think about the lodge. The link to lodge link brings up the lodge’s own internet site
| Lodge | Price | Link to lodge site | Video(s) | Picture |
| Serengeti | ||||
| CCA Serengeti Under Canvas | $905 pppn all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Grumeti | $1000 pppn all inclusive | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Grumeti Reserves – Faru Faru | $950 per person per night all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Grumeti Reserves – Sabora | $950 per person per night all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Grumeti Reserves – Sasakwa | $1500 per person per night all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Kirawira | $850 pppn all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Kleins | $1,000 pppn all inclusive | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Kusini | $765 per person per night including all game viewing activities | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Lemala Serengeti | $600pppn full board basis | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Mbalageti Lodge | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Mbuzi Mawe | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Migration Camp | $895 pppn all inclusive including park fees | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Ndutu Lodge | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Nomad Nduara | $840 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp | $840 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Olakira | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Sayari | $695 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to lodge web site | No video |  |
| Serengeti Serena | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Serengeti Sopa | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Suyan | $800 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Ngorongoro Crater | ||||
| Gibbs Farm | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Lemala Ngorongoro | $800pppn full board including game viewing activities | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Ngorongoro Crater Lodge | $1,550 pppn all inclusive | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Ngorongoro Crater Serena | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Ngorongoro Crater Sopa | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Plantation Lodge | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Tarangire | ||||
| Kikoti | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Olivers Camp | $692 pppn full board including all game viewing activites | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Swala | $765 per person per night all inclusive including all game viewing activities | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Tarangire Sopa | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Tarangire Treetops | $895 per person per night fully inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Lake Manyara | ||||
| Kirurumu | $650 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Lake Manyara Serena | $700 pppn for a private safari including park fees, full board | Link to lodge web site | Download Video |  |
| Lake Manyara Tree Lodge | $985 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Selous | ||||
| Beho Beho | $1,090 pppn an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Kiba Point | $7405 a night (private use only) all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Lake Manze | $410 pppn full board incl all game viewing | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Rufiji River Camp | $389 pppn full board including all game viewing | www.rufijirivercamp.com | Download video |  |
| Sand Rivers Selous | $965 pppn on a fully inclusive basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Selous Impala Camp | $575 pppn including all game viewing activites, full board | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Selous Safari Camp | $795 pppn full board including all game viewing activites | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Ruaha | ||||
| Jongomero | $692 pppn full board including all game viewing activites | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Kwihala EMC | $660 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to lodge web site | download video |  |
| Mdonya Old River | $370 pppn on a full board basis | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Mwagusi | $592 per person per night full board including all game viewing activites | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Ruaha River Lodge | $365 pppn full board including all game viewing activites | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Indian Ocean Mainland | ||||
| Amani Beach Club | $240 pppn full board basis | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Lazy Lagoon | $150 per person per night, full board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Ras Kutani | $305 – $350 per person per night, full board | Link to lodge web site | Download Video |  |
| Tides | $150 pppn half board basis | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Zanzibar Stone Town | ||||
| Beyt al Chai | $150 pppn based on 2 people sharing on a b&b baia | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Dhow Palace | $110 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Emerson and Green | $120 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Tembo Hotel | $110 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| The Serena Inn | $230 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Zanzibar Palace Hotel | $150 pppn on a B&B basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Zanzibar Beaches | ||||
| Baraza | $450pppn half board basis | Link to lodge web site | No video |  |
| Blue Bay | $180 pp pn half board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Breezes Beach Club | $192 to $287 per person per night, half board | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Echo beach | $190pppn half board basis | Link to lodge web site | No video |  |
| Fumba Beach Lodge | $250 to $290 per person per night , half board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Gemma Del Este | $231 to $267 per person per night depending on room type, half board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Kilindi | No data | No link | No video | No image |
| Matemwe Bungalows | $310 per person per night on a full board basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Matemwe Bungalows Retreat | $525 per person per night on an all inclusive board basis, no activities included | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Pongwe Beach Hotel | $120pppn on a b&b basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Ras Nungwi | $195-$290 pppn half board | Link to lodge web site | Download Video |  |
| Ras Nungwi – The Ocean Suite | $495 pppn half board | Link to lodge web site | Download Video |  |
| Shooting Star | $150 to per person per night on a half board basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| The Palms | $795 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to lodge web site | Download Video |  |
| Unguja Resort | $230 pppn, half board basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download video |  |
| Z Hotel | $235 pppn on a half board basis | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Zamani Kempinski | $320 to $380 per person per night, half board | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Zanzibar Ocean Paradise | $180 per person per night, half board | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Other Indian Ocean Islands | ||||
| Chapwani Island | $180 per person per night, full board | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Chole Mjini | $250 per person per night, full board | No link | Download Video |  |
| Chumbe | $220 per person per night, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Fundu Lagoon | $405 – $610 per person per night | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Kinasi Lodge | $320 per person per night, full board | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Mnemba | $1,250 per person per night all inclusive | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| North Island Seychelles | 1,780 Euros pp pn | Link to Lodge website | No video |  |
| Pole Pole | $250 per person per night | Link to Lodge website | Download video |  |
| Northern Mozambique | ||||
| Quilalea | $595 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Vamizi Island | $850 pppn on an all inclusive basis | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Katavi | ||||
| Chada | $660 pppn all inclusive including park fees | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Foxes Katavi Wildlife camp | $460 per person per night | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Mahale | ||||
| Greystoke | $1045 per person per night | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Dar Hotels | ||||
| Oyster Bay | No data | No link | No video |  |
| Royal Palm | $200 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge Website | No video |  |
| Arusha Hotels | ||||
| Arusha Coffee Lodge | $220 per person per night on a b&b basis | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
| Moivaro Coffee Plantation | $195 per person per night, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge Website | Download Video |  |
| Mountain Village Lodge | $170 per night per person, bed and breakfast | Link to Lodge website | Download Video |  |
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African monkey trail – by Kate Humble
January 1, 2008
African monkey trail – by Kate Humble
The pilot turned and shouted above the noise of the engine. “If those animals start to cross the runway, we’ll need to abort the landing.” My husband Ludo and I could only agree – “the animals” were bigger than our tiny plane. This was our introduction to Ruaha, a little-known national park in southern Tanzania. Those who know it rave, not just about the beauty of its landscapes but about the variety and sheer number of animals that live in and wander through this pristine, unfenced wilderness.
We landed on the mud air-strip, coasting past the herd of feeding elephants. Ruaha, normally bone dry, had received its annual rainfall in just a month, and was lush and verdant. The drive to camp turned into a game drive. Male kudu with corkscrew horns and masked faces peered out at us. A herd of buffalo snorted and stamped. A lone lioness, the remains of a young giraffe beside her, rolled and stretched blissfully in the grass.
Mdonya Old River Camp is just that. Camouflage green tents are set along the banks of what was once the Mdonya River, and a larger tent serves as a dining room. The whole lot could be dismantled in 24 hours, leaving few signs it ever existed. The manager, Nick, showed us to our tent and warned: “Don’t leave anything outside after dark; we’re having a bit of a problem with a hyena. She’ll eat anything. Last night she had a go at one of the kerosene lanterns.” And that really is the beauty of this camp. It doesn’t shut out the wildlife – quite the opposite. A month before, a pride of lions killed a buffalo outside one of the tents. “We didn’t have any guests in that tent at the time,” Nick said. “We just put people in the tents farthest away and left the lions to it. They stayed around for a few days. The guests loved it.”
The rain had brought new life to the bush – newborn impala, baby giraffe and tiny vervet monkeys clinging to their mothers. But it also meant that, with food and water everywhere, the game had dispersed. We were at the mercy of chance and every sighting was a treat. Travelling was challenging: vehicles became stuck in treacly mud, and airstrips became unusable. We flew out of Ruaha, dodging rainclouds, heading west. From the window we saw hills become mountains, the bush become forest and then the grey expanse of Lake Tanganyika, the size of England, separating Tanzania from the Congo.
Western Tanzania is largely inaccessible. Gombe is its best-known reserve. Jane Goodall lived there from the early 1960s, studying and making astonishing discoveries about our closest relatives, chimpanzees. Gombe doesn’t really have facilities for visitors, but 200km (125 miles) south is the larger Mahale National Park, home to several groups of chimps. Kyoto University has had researchers there for more than 40 years. Visitors to Mahale’s few tourist camps have a good, although not guaranteed, chance of seeing chimpanzees in their natural habitat, going about their daily business unconcerned by a human audience. I had only seen chimpanzees in captivity. They are big, powerful, extremely intelligent, human enough to make you think you might understand them, animal enough to make them inscrutable. I was drawn to them as much by fear as by curiosity. But before Ludo and I and John and Diana, two Americans also staying at Greystoke Camp, could venture into their territory, we had to pass a test.
Last summer catastrophe struck the chimps of Mahale.
They started dying in alarming numbers of a flu-like disease. Magdalena, a vet who worked at Gombe for years and now runs Greystoke Camp, was part of the team trying to establish where the disease had originated. There was suspicion that the “flu” had been caught from humans, and strict precautions had been established to prevent any recurrence. Researchers and tourists have to stay at least 10m (33ft) from the chimps, and wear masks. Any hint of a cold and you are not allowed in the forest.
Once the aircraft landed on the shores of the lake, we boarded a boat and sailed south. After about an hour we saw a beach, empty apart from an eccentric-looking thatched building, and a small knot of people – our welcoming party. The rest of the camp was hidden beyond the tree line. Behind the beach, the forest: dark, daunting and for the moment off limits.
We spent the afternoon on the lake with Greystoke’s guide, Safe. Ostensibly there to point out crocodiles, hippos and hundreds of bird species, he was also carefully monitoring us: any sign of a cold and we would not be seeing any chimps. Blissfully unaware of this, we were celebrating the sheer joy of being in such a place with a large gin and tonic, all talking at once, so we barely heard Safe’s shout. “Chimp!” he repeated, pointing towards the bank. Disbelievingly, we turned – and there was a black face peering, a little indignantly at us, from a tree. “It’s a wild one, not one from the habituated group,” Safe said. “You’re very lucky. Hardly anyone sees them.” Silent now, we looked from the chimp to each other and back again, hardly daring to believe what we were seeing. Tears brimmed in Diana’s eyes.
Imagine then how we felt the next morning, when, having been given a clean bill of health, we found ourselves 10m from Alofu, the alpha male, lying on his back, arms flung wide, snoozing with a couple of younger males. Pushing through the undergrowth, we came across another little group, a female catching a nap while her baby was entertained by another young chimp.
On our final morning we abandoned breakfast. The trackers had spotted the chimps obligingly close by. We hadn’t seen them the previous day, despite six exhausting, exhilarating hours tracking through the forest. Now we stood, staring upwards as the canopy shook. Leaping bodies crashing through the branches, hooting calls filled the air and made our hair stand on end. As we climbed reluctantly back on the boat to leave, we were joined by one of the camp’s staff wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “98 per cent chimpanzee”: DNA, we agreed, we could all be proud of.
Kate Humble presents Springwatch on BBC Two. Her website www.stuffyourrucksack.com offers information on what to take on holiday to help local communities.
Reproduced from the The Times June 16, 2007
News: Lake Natron’s Flamingoes
January 1, 2008
News: Lake Natron’s Flamingoes
The Tanzanian government has been asked to reconsider a proposed soda ash mining project in Lake Natron.
Experts say the project is a threat to the flamingos in Lake Nakuru and other Rift Valley lakes. BirdLife Africa Partnership members and associates from 23 countries meeting in Nairobi warned that the proposal by Tata Chemicals and the Tanzanian government to construct a soda ash extraction plant at the lake in Tanzania would disrupt the breeding of flamingos.
Lake Natron is the World’s most important breeding site for the Lesser Flamingo, a bird listed in the World Conservation Union red list of threatened species.
It accounts for 75 per cent of the world’s lesser flamingos and is the only site in the region where the flamingos have bred for the last 45 years.
Experts say during breeding, flamingos are sensitive to disturbance.
“Regional extinction of the Lesser Flamingo will in turn have far reaching impacts on national economies and the tourism industry in the region,” warned the conservationists. They petitioned the Tanzanian government to reconsider the proposed development, given the potential negative impacts of its implementation.
“We call upon all governments, both in Africa and globally, all organisations concerned, and all people of goodwill who care about biodiversity and the environment and future generations to stand up against the proposed development.”
Concerned that the Environmental Impact Assessment process was not participatory enough, the conservationists called upon Tanzania and Tata Chemicals to ensure due process was followed.
Southern Tanzania
January 1, 2008
Southern Tanzania
It was 1am when something caused me to wake up. Perhaps it was the silver light from the brightest moon I’ve ever seen streaming in through the fly screens. Or maybe the far-off “weeooow” call of a hyena deep in the bush. I decided to get up.
The bed of polished African timber was so big it must have taken me 10 minutes to crawl from the middle to the edge.The smooth floorboards were warm under my feet as I tottered to the rear of my luxurious jungle house.
Squinting through the mosquito mesh towards the lake my view of the water was blocked by a huge boulder. A boulder that I’m sure wasn’t there when I went to bed…And then the boulder moved slowly to the left – accompanied by a rhythmic crunching of fresh grass and leaves.
I groped for my torch. Not 30ft from my back door, a two-ton hippopotamus was busy eating the back garden.Well, it’s better than having to get the lawnmower out, I thought. And, after all, I was in Tanzania, in the heart of deepest, most mysterious and romantic Africa.
My pet hippo trundled off out of view, pausing only to deposit a gigantic pile of poo under the scrambled egg trees.Scrambled egg trees? That’s what the locals call them. And blobs of fluffy scrambled egg is exactly what the tree’s clusters of bright-yellow blooms look like.
And you can guess where they grow, can’t you? That’s right. Near the sausage trees.No, I haven’t been smoking some illegal substance. Although sometimes in this almost undiscovered part of Africa, you might think you have.
There were moments on my visit to the game reserves of southern Tanzania that resembled a Disney extravaganza.The plumage of the multicoloured malachite kingfishers, snatching little tilapia fish from the Rafiji river, certainly appeared digitally enhanced.The lilac feathers of the hyacinth rollers looked exquisite as they flitted from bush to bush. The reds and oranges of the bottlebrush plants pure Technicolor.
I was in Selous, the largest game reserve in Tanzania, in South-East Africa. And if you crave romantic adventure, you love the wild and the wilderness, if you want to live like a king and come face-to-face with the world’s finest beasts, this is the place.
It’s a 10-hour overnight flight from London to the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam. There, I clambered aboard a 10- seater single prop Cessna Caravan.There were no other passengers so the pilot invited me to sit next to him for the 40-minute hop to the Selous Safari Camp.As we taxied down the dirt airstrip in a cloud of red dust, a small herd of giraffe steadily nibbled the fever trees. “They just think we’re a big bird,” said the pilot. He was only half-joking… Some of the Batteleur eagles you will see in Tanzania have a wing span close to that of a small plane.
The camp was just a short ride from the airstrip in a game-viewing Land Rover. Herds of impala skittered and groups of giraffe cantered to one side as we bounced along to the lodge house.At the safari lodge you can be as busy or as lazy as you like. Ask a guide to take you out on the lake that’s teeming with crocodiles and hippos. There’s no danger – unless you trail a hand in the water!
If the animals don’t actually live in the water they all come there to drink. It’s also home to birds, including spoonbill storks and giant fish eagles.Or you could opt for one of the highly civilised Land Rover drives and breakfast in the bush. Your guide will set up a table and director’s chair where you can enjoy hot coffee, cereal, ham, eggs and rolls while tuskers and cheeky warthogs rumble by in the distance.Then, in the evening he’ll serve gin and tonic sundowners by the shore.
Accommodation is fantastic. Limited to a dozen people at a time, the lodge only sees about 5,000 visitors a year. You stay in a traditional village house, with palm frond eaves that virtually touch the ground. Inside, however, it’s like a luxury tent, with floors and furniture made from local hardwoods, and gigantic beds.
There is a limited amount of electricity and the Victorian-style paraffin lamps only add to the romantic atmosphere.Hot water comes courtesy of an outside woodburning stove while dinner is served around a campfire with guests swapping stories around one long table.After four nights, I took a flight two hours north to Jongomero in higher, hillier and more arid terrain.
The camp, a collection of traditional bungalows set around a timber lodge, stands on the banks of a dry river-bed.Game-watching is again by Land Rover but there’s also more contact with smaller creatures. Jackals and bat-eared foxes cropped up everywhere as did monkeys, troupes of baboons and Africa’s smallest antelopes, little Dikdiks, which are about the size of a spaniel.Early one morning, I had an exceptionally rare sighting of a nocturnal anteater as it scampered back to its burrow after a night’s hunting.
Then that evening, as I got ready for dinner, a gennet – one of the smallest of Africa’s spotted cats – sauntered past my back balcony.Like Selous, Jongomero is “open” – no fences – so animals can and do stroll by. A herd of four young male elephants put in an appearance so often the staff nicknamed them “The Jongo Boys”.
One afternoon, rather than walk an extra mile to the nearest waterhole, they tried to drink the swimming pool!When a small herd of zebra got too close they were seen off with hoots and trunk-waving. Dangerous? Not really.The camp’s local guides and guards understand the mood of the animals.
This was demonstrated the following day when my guide Dayo casually announced “We’ve got a puncture” as we watched 200 buffalo at their favourite drinking spot.While the one-ton beasts – considered to be among the most dangerous and unpredictable in Africa – rumbled past us just 30 yards away, Dayo hopped off the Land Rover, jacked it up and changed the wheel, without batting an eye. Guides like Dayo have grown up in the jungle. They know what you can and can’t get away with. I’m astonished how close we get to the lions. But step off the Land Rover and you’d be lunch, for sure.
That was driven home when we came across a boss male, three lionesses and five cubs, faces and whiskers red with the blood of freshly-killed wildebeeste they were feasting on as vultures wheeled overhead.If you fancy a little R&R after your safari adventure the reef island of Zanzibar, once infamous for its slave trade and now better known as one of the world’s great “spice islands”, is just a few miles offshore.There are plenty of resorts along its eastern coast but I chose the Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel on the remote northern tip.
Guests stay in bungalows with fourposter beds and verandahs, while terraced tropical gardens tumble down to a white sand beach on the edge of a coral reef.Service is top-notch and the restaurant and bars are excellent.
The actual village is a 15-minute stroll along the beach. People are poor but friendly and welcome you to the local bars and restaurants. There’s world-class diving and snorkelling and you should check out the Turtle Sanctuary. I went fishing and brought back a 15lb yellowfin tuna which the hotel chef cut into steaks for that night’s barbecue.
Zanzibar has a colonial feel. The capital, Stonetown, seems locked in a centuries old timewarp. I’d also recommend a trip to one of the hidden spice farms, where you’ll see the island’s biggest export – ginger, cinnamon, cardomon, black peppercorns and pungent cloves – being grown.
Ok, this holiday wasn’t cheap but definitely comes under the heading of trip of a lifetime. And the bush camps tend to be full-board basis so all you’ll need is a little extra cash for your bar bill and modest tips.
Most of the Brits who visit Tanzania head for the world-famous Serengetti park, where you’ll rarely be alone. In contrast, at Selous and Jongomero you will rarely see anyone else at all.
Jeff Edwards travelled with Tanzania Odyssey – www.tanzaniaodyssey.com. The company tailor-makes Africa safaris and trips, including three nights at Selous Safari Camp, three nights at Jongomero and, in Zanzibar, four nights at Ras Nungwi Luxury Beach Hotel, and two nights at Beyt al Chai boutique hotel from around £4,000 per person, including all flights. Call 020 7471 8780
Reproduced from the Mirror 27 oct 2007
Grumeti Reserves – Sasakwa Lodge
January 1, 2008
Grumeti Reserves – Sasakwa Lodge
Lodges have come a long way since the early days of safaris, says Lisa Grainger as she selects the best high life amid the wildlife.
Looking through the grainy snaps of my grandparents on safari always makes me smile – and not just because of my grandmother’s leopard-print culottes and ostrich-skin handbag. It’s the absence of comfort: the luggage roped to Land Rovers, the fold-up stools by a fire, the tin mugs, the warm beer, the sausages on sticks.
But then, safari camps in the 1950s were nothing like the African super-camps that have opened in the past year. For a start, they’re not really camps. They’re boutique hotels in the bush, often featuring spas, interior-designed suites, Michelin-star chefs to cook fresh ingredients flown in by private jet, and butlers to deliver it.
It’s not just in South Africa (progenitor of bush glamour) that this sort of safari has evolved. Three months ago in Zambia, two bush houses were opened to accommodate travellers who demand total privacy. In Tanzania, helicopter pads have been built alongside airstrips. In Namibia last year, top American astronomers were flown in to present after-dinner star-talks in the desert. Here are a few of the newest, most exclusive camps on the continent. Prices quoted are per person, per night, on a fully inclusive basis, excluding flights.
Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania
Luxury taken to the utmost. There are just three camps, sleeping a maximum of 56 guests, on this new game reserve and only these visitors have access to the 350,000 acres of grassy plains bordering the Serengeti, the helipad, the 16 polo and thoroughbred horses, the spa, tennis courts, crocquet lawn and the libraries.
Sasakwa Lodge, on the edge of an escarpment, was built in the style of a colonial home – think glossy wooden parquet floors, antiques, grand art, Persian silk carpets and silver, and a private infinity pool with every room. Sabora camp, on the plains, is glam camping taken to extremes. Tents are lined with raw silk, scattered with Persian rugs, and decorated with essentials like wind-up gramophones and silver handmirrors. Beds and baths are adorned with rose petals flown in daily with the seafood.
Reserves of luxury – reproduced from the Telegraph – 21/06/2006 by Lisa Grainger
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