Best Luxury Safari Lodges
With plenty of options to choose from, selecting your safari accommodation isn't easy. Different lodges can offer different experiences depending on what you are after from your holiday. Some lodges will only have small guest occupancy and offer intimate experiences, whereas other camps will cater for larger groups.
Camps can also be mobile meaning that they are not permanent structures and they will relocate depending on the season and where the animals are most likely to be. Due to the accommodation manoeuvring regularly, these camps are normally made up from a number of luxury tents. These tents however, dispel all traditional myths of what may come to mind if you think of camping. Their furnishings are luxurious and all your needs will be met. Their placement is also extra-close to the action and will certainly make you feel more at one with nature. If you have the opportunity to stay in these mobile camps, do it.
Best Beach Hotels
Just like the safari camps, there are many varying options when it comes to accommodation by the beach. Generally the more you pay, the more intimate and luxurious your accommodation will be, however we have options that can cater for all budgets. The beach hotels we offer can either be the base for a perfect romantic getaway or for an ideal adventure and activity filled holiday.
Best Safari Lodges
It is very hard to rank Africa lodges with one simple measure! Our ranking is subjective and tries to reflect value for money as well as overall quality. Therefore we may award just three stars to certain 'five star' lodges in the hotel, or five stars to some superb, unashamed 'three star' hotels that are great value for money.
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A very airy and tropical feel to the camp makes for a jumpy and bright atmosphere, predominantly aided by the sheer brilliant design of the open main area. With everything on your doorstep and only 15 minutes from its private airstrip, Pom Pom is an effortless, comfortable camp with everything on offer. It has a great mix of game and terrain and offers a great value camp in a sensible price bracket.
Pongwe was stunning and a perfect place to laze about for a few days. We had a "garden view" room (the beach front rooms were all taken when we booked) and while it was set back from the beach that didn't matter at all as we still had a view of the beach from our front porch and we spent all of our time on the beach, by the pool or in the restaurant anyway. Pongwe is a low key beach resort, where you decide your own pace, it's not a big Club Med style resort, but more like some of the beach resorts in Thailand, where the thrill of the place is relaxing and deciding what you do rather than having activities thrown at you (although they were available if you wanted them).- S Kirby
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Potato Bush is a young camp and usually they need a few years to teethe. But given the experience of the management and team behind the running of the camp, it has really taken off well. It may be pricey but it ticks a fair amount of boxes and all in all, depending on what you're after, this is a nice camp and most would say that it's worth the high price tag.
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Praia Sundy is neatly nestled on the north western coast of Principe amidst enchanting tropical forest; it seamlessly blends in to its surroundings. Everything here offers the utmost comfort, yet without distracting from the glorious natural surroundings – it is eco luxury at its finest.
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Princesse Bora, Nosy Boraha is the best hotel in Nosy Boraha (Ile Sainte Marie) and an ideal honeymoon destination; jam packed with beachy romance, and with fantastic facvilities and spacious luxury villas, it is a fantastic choice for a Madagascan holiday.
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Puku Ridge is one of the most luxurious offerings in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, with brilliant views over a floodplain in front of camp. With Old Mondoro and Chiawa Camp also in the Cumings family’s safari portfolio, you know what you’re getting here: luxury in the wilderness with world-class guiding and an intimate, personalised experience.
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The name Qorokwe means “the place where the buffalo broke through the bush into the water" and is evocative of the high-density game area in which it is situated. Qorokwe in the south-eastern part of the Okavango Delta, reveals diverse habitats supporting a wealth of wildlife, earning the area’s well-deserved reputation as one of the best Botswana safari destinations.
The island is beautiful and we had a fantastic time. The helicopter transfer makes it a lot of fun. The room was great and the snorkelling was fantastic fun. The reef was less than 5m from the shore! The food was excellent but the included wine was poor compared to the safaris. The main criticism here would be the cost of the extras. The activities and spa treatments were very expensive. For example, kayaking is free but guided kayaking was $25ppph. For us that was $75ph for not very much in return. There is no way that reflects the real cost. The Spa treatments were also hugely expensive (it would be cheaper in a 5 start London hotel). Finally, we wanted to visit Ibo. It was a 40 minute boat trip but we had to go by helicopter at $220 pp. for a 3 hour trip. Whilst Ibo is interesting it is not really worth that sort of money. Tipping was also a bit rich. There was suggested tipping at $10-20 pppd for our “butler". Whilst the guy was charming he didn’t do very much. He served breakfast, lunch and dinner and brought us pre-dinner drinks. It seemed a bit excessive given what guides on safari do. The suggested tipping for the remainder of the staff was also $10-20 pppd which looked pricey for a beach resort. I accept that tips are important to supplement salary but I did wonder if the owners were upping the tipping guidance in order that they could get away with lower salaries. It just felt a little bit more exploitative that the other hotels. - G Gibb UK
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Located on the Eastern Peninsula of Oman, Ras AI Jinz beach is world renown for the nesting endangered green turtle, Chelonia mydas, probably the most important nesting concentration on the Indian Ocean. This is the only place where the public can watch the nesting process of these amazing sea giants.your budget and travel dates, and your money is protected
by our ATOL bond.