Accommodations % available at Africa Luxury Escapes

Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary

Set within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the iconic lodge has been beautifully reimagined for a new era. The palm-thatched 10-suite retreat, nestled seamlessly in its lush cloud forest surroundings, takes sustainable luxury to another level.

The updated lodge uses natural, locally sourced materials, showcasing the best of Ugandan artisanship the lodge. A free flowing open-sided lounge, bar and dining space decorated in shades of pale terracotta, with high-quality furniture and artworks forms the beating heart of the lodge.

The Explorer’s Lounge has books, maps, even replica gorilla bones to give guests a deeper understanding of the creatures they have come to see; while the spa has an extensive menu of restorative treatments after days spent in the wild. At sunset, a campfire becomes the gathering place where guests can drink cocktails and exchange gorilla stories, to a soundtrack of live African folk music.

Each of the 10 standalone suites has a private viewing deck with swing chairs handmade in Uganda; and to enhance wildlife-watching, every guest has a pair of Leica binoculars to hand during their stay. Bathrooms have huge round hammam-like baths, above which hang chandeliers of beads handmade by women in the neighbouring village.

Originally opened in 1993 as a mobile tented camp, Gorilla Forest Lodge plays a vital role in protecting endangered mountain gorillas from extinction and is a key pillar of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, the award-winning, community first philanthropic initiative. Every stay funds AKP projects which support the local community and in turn help protect the species which depends on the conservation of this precious ecosystem.

Fundu Lagoon

WHY PEMBA ISLAND AND WHY FUNDU LAGOON

Pemba Island offers a more off-the-beaten-path experience compared to its popular neighbour, Zanzibar Island. With fewer crowds and a slower pace of life, it is an ideal destination for those seeking a more authentic and relaxed island getaway.

World-Class Diving and Snorkeling: Pemba Island is considered one of the top diving destinations in the world. Its crystal-clear waters, thriving marine life, and stunning coral reefs provide excellent opportunities for diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. The untouched reefs and diverse marine ecosystem make every underwater adventure a memorable experience.

Serene Beaches and Island Retreats: Pemba Island is blessed with pristine white sandy beaches that stretch for miles, offering a tranquil setting for relaxation and unwinding. With fewer tourists compared to Zanzibar Island, visitors can enjoy a more exclusive beach experience, Fundu guests have the entire beach all to themselves.

Eco-Tourism and Nature Conservation: Pemba Island is committed to sustainable tourism and nature conservation efforts. The island promotes eco-friendly practices, including responsible diving and snorkeling, supporting local conservation projects, and providing opportunities for visitors to engage in community-based initiatives focused on protecting the environment.

Water Sports and Fishing: The surrounding waters of Pemba Island provide ample opportunities for water sports enthusiasts. Visitors can enjoy activities such as kayaking, sailing, wind boarding, and deep-sea fishing, adding an adventurous touch to their island experience.

Unique Cultural Heritage: Pemba Island is known for its rich cultural heritage and traditional Swahili culture. The island offers a chance to experience authentic local life, interact with friendly locals, and immerse yourself in their customs and traditions. Visitors can explore historic ruins, visit traditional villages, and witness local handicrafts such as weaving and pottery.

Flatdogs Camp

The South Luangwa National Park is one of the last great wildlife wonders of the world. It is nine thousand square kilometers (3,475 square miles) of pristine wilderness in Zambia‘s Eastern Province. The South Luangwa has been visited by wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world since its creation as a National Park in 1972 because it offers a safari experience unmatched by any others. The Park has year round access, open game viewing vehicles, walking safaris and night game drives.

Flatdogs Camp offers a range of different accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes, from private houses to family chalets and safari tents, we aim to offer something for everyone. Being relativesly close to the village of Mfuwe, we can also easily take guests into the village to see conservation projects, school projects and artisanal workshops. Our Fair Trade Tourism Certification was awarded for our excellence in actively instigating sustainable systems and protocols at camp including solar power even though the camp is on mains electricity, water usage measuring, local employment and training, sourcing our fresh and other supplies as locally as possible and ethical guiding principals.

We believe in providing excellent hospitality and value for money while caring for the future of the wildlife, the habitat surrounding us and the community of people who live in this area.

Finfoot Lake Reserve

Escape the Urban Jungle

Located just 90min from Johannesburg, Finfoot Lake Reserve welcomes you into an African retreat that honours the land from the moment you arrive. Accommodation includes chalets, bush chalets, luxury safari tents and a self-catering villa, all crafted in warm wood and thatch with private verandas and earthy interiors that reflect the bushveld.

Days unfold at a relaxed pace. Two swimming pools, sun decks and lounge spots offer peaceful places to unwind, while the full-service spa provides massages, aromatherapy and hot-stone rituals for deeper rest. Younger guests are well cared for through the Dream Xplorers kids’ programme, offering supervised mini-walks, bird-spotting, nature crafts and treasure hunts. For adventure, the reserve offers guided bush walks, game drives, clay pigeon shooting, Segway safaris and open spaces to explore.

With more than 400 resident and migratory species, Finfoot is also a premium birding destination, with bushveld, wetland and open-water habitats creating exceptional viewing opportunities. Business travellers and groups are well catered for with an indoor conference venue for up to 60 delegates, supported by outdoor breakaway areas and curated team-building options. As evening arrives, the Dinaledi Boma becomes the heart of the experience, where glowing fires, home-cooked flavours, drumming and traditional dancers bring the spirit of the bush to life.

Etendeka Mountain Camp

In the foothills of the Grootberg massif, set amidst magnificent scenery and the ancient Etendeka lavas of northern Damaraland, the ten en-suite Meru tents have been refitted with luxury mattresses and 100% cotton linen. Necessary comforts have not been overlooked with the bathrooms also benefiting from a makeover, while the traditional, open-air bucket shower still holds pride of place.

The unique new dining area stays true to Etendeka’s long standing and award winning commitment to eco-friendly values. Simple, fresh, wholesome meals are prepared, either in solar ovens or on open fires, and enjoyed under African skies. Extensive use is made of solar power throughout the camp. Etendeka is one of only two establishments that have been awarded the highest rank in the Namibian Eco-awards.

At Etendeka, wildlife has acclimatised to a precarious existence amongst the towering basalt mountains and dry mopane-shaded river courses of the Kunene Region. A strong focus is on walking activities.

Encounter by Ongava

Encounter by Ongava — Immersed in the African Bush

Encounter by Ongava is an immersive safari camp set deep within Ongava Game Reserve. Unfenced and surrounded by Mopane woodland, this is a place of immediacy, where wildlife moves freely through the landscape and the experience feels alive, unscripted, and close.

Here, guests do not observe the bush from a distance. They are part of it.

Spacious walk-in tents offer comfort without separation from nature, allowing you to relax fully while remaining connected to the rhythm of the land. Thoughtful details ensure ease, while the sounds, movements, and encounters of the wild remain ever present.

This is safari as it was meant to be, intimate, authentic, and deeply connected to place.

Unique Selling Points

Immersive, unfenced safari camp surrounded by Mopane woodland
Spacious walk-in tents designed to connect guests directly with nature
Authentic, unscripted safari experience that brings guests close to the wildlife

Elephants Crossing

Elephants Crossing is our luxurious fully solar-powered, tented camp situated in one of the most beautiful and diverse Game Reserves of South Africa, Welgevonden Private Game Reserve. The reserve is almost 40 000 Hectare in size and is home to the Big 5, hosts a high population of White Rhino and is inhabited by almost 400 different species of birds.

The Lodge consists of 3 luxury tents with each a splash pool on a private deck, king size beds, en suite bathrooms with bath and an outdoor shower. We also offer a tented suite with large deck and private braai area, all of which provide WiFi.

Situated on top of a hill with a spectacular view, is our Bush Villa with self-catered option. Aside from the facilities of the luxury tents, the Bush Villa is equipped with a private braai area and two two-person bedrooms, with en suite bathrooms with a bath and outside shower. Additionally, the Bush Villa boasts a living room with kitchen.

All accommodation options offer breath-taking views on the animal rich surroundings of the lodge from the private decks. Furthermore, the guests will enjoy watching wildlife roaming at our private waterhole from the deck with fireplace at the main lodge.

Elegant Desert Camp

The Elegant Desert Camp is a remote and intimate desert retreat located in the heart of the Namib Desert, approximately 45 km from Sesriem and the entrance to Sossusvlei. Surrounded by vast open plains, ancient mountain ranges, and ever-changing desert light, the camp offers guests an authentic and deeply immersive experience of one of the world’s oldest and most iconic landscapes. It forms part of the Elegant Collection, known for its distinctive blend of style, comfort, and authentic Namibian hospitality.

Carefully designed to blend into its natural surroundings, the camp consists of just ten spacious, custom-built canvas tents, each thoughtfully positioned among rocky outcrops to ensure privacy, tranquillity, and uninterrupted desert views. Every tent is en-suite and combines rustic charm with modern comfort, featuring indoor and outdoor showers, comfortable bedding, solar lighting, and a private wooden deck. For a truly unforgettable experience, guests may choose to sleep under the stars on their outdoor deck, surrounded by the silence and vastness of the desert night sky.

The central guest area is seamlessly integrated into the natural rock formations, creating a unique and atmospheric setting. Here, guests will find a swimming pool carved into the landscape, a sun deck with panoramic views, and a relaxed bar area ideal for unwinding after a day of exploration. The elevated position of the camp allows for breathtaking sunsets, where the desert transforms into shades of gold, orange, and deep red.

Dining at the Elegant Desert Camp is a highlight of the experience. Evenings are spent in the open-air boma, where guests gather around the fire under a spectacular canopy of stars. Traditional Namibian-inspired meals are served in a relaxed, communal style, enhancing the sense of connection with both the environment and fellow travellers. The simplicity of the setting, combined with warm hospitality, creates a memorable and authentic desert dining experience.

Sustainability is at the core of the camp’s philosophy. The Elegant Desert Camp operates completely off-grid, using solar energy, borehole water, and environmentally conscious construction methods to minimise its ecological footprint. This commitment to responsible tourism ensures that the natural beauty of the Namib Desert remains preserved for future generations.

A variety of guided activities are available for guests wishing to explore the region, including excursions to the Sossusvlei dunes and Deadvlei, scenic desert drives, guided nature walks, and stargazing experiences under some of the clearest skies in the world. Each activity is designed to deepen guests’ appreciation of the desert’s unique ecology, geology, and quiet beauty.

The Elegant Desert Camp offers more than just accommodation, it provides a rare opportunity to disconnect from the modern world and reconnect with nature in its purest form, as part of the Elegant Collection experience.

Duba Plains Camp

The renowned Duba Plains Camp sits in the heart of the Okavango Delta. A matrix of palm-dotted islands, flood plains and woodland, this private reserve is typical of the region’s unique landscape. Duba Plains Camp offers 5 bespoke suites, in addition to a separate 2-bedroom suite aptly named the Duba Plains Suite, all designed by Dereck Joubert to blend into the forest and to take advantage of the shapes and textures of the shade but also to evoke the old classic African safari style of the 1920’s. It is a wildlife connoisseur’s getaway with literally thousands of animals in an almost endless pattern across the flood plains. All the rooms are raised on recycled railway sleeper decking and offer guests amazing views of the surrounding floodplain and the steady stream of wildlife parading past.

This is the place that the owners, and National Geographic filmmakers, conservationists and explorers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, chose for their home base. Great Plains Conservation is the only operator on the concession, thereby offering guests the ultimate opportunity for private wildlife sightings.

Duba Plains has developed a model that creates maximum benefit for the community nearby with lease funds, jobs and other projects like our Big Cats Caring for Communities, Lamps for Learning (solar jars) Conservation Camp for Kids. This partnership ensures that these communities receive tangible and substantial benefits from wildlife conservation.

Duba Plains prides itself on its extraordinary wildlife experiences and intimate up-close exposure to the best of the best wildlife, from lions and leopards to elephants and buffalo and everything in between. Duba Plains is also known for interesting Kalahari species like Aardwolf and Pangolins.

Each of our camps have executive chefs and a hand-picked wine list. Duba Plains is no exception and boasts a cellar of a few hundred bottles of wine from friends of the Jouberts – winemakers who tell their story beyond the bottle, conservationists, people who have a community they support or something they give back besides being on the Great Plains Wine Selection for the quality of their wines.

While Duba Plains offers Botswana’s best land safari as well as an Okavango Delta experience, this is truly a place to find an invigorating, yet peaceful all-round set of experiences, from wildlife viewing and birding or fishing from the boat and exciting drives with knowledgeable guides and friendly hosts.

Cottar’s Bush Villa

A contemporary, elegant private villa, the only real luxury private villa in the Maasai Mara, Kenya.
Cottar’s Bush Villa won the World Travel Award for Africa’s Leading Luxury Private Villa, and is Global Eco-sphere Retreat accredited. The Bush Villa is located in the Olderkesi Conservancy bordering the famous Masai Mara National Reserve and Tanzania’s Serengeti. It provides a luxury private stay option for 12 guests and comes complete with its own private 25-metre swimming pool, safari vehicle and dedicated staff. Offering an abundance of wildlife, a guarantee of privacy, and the highest standards of professional guiding in a luxurious and elegant safari environment.

Cottar’s Bush Villa was designed by Louise Cottar and recently refurbished with eco-friendly materials and local artiainal talent. The Villa has a breathtaking view of the savannah plains that carry the great annual wildebeest migration, and is set amidst a backdrop of the Olderkesi Hills. Rented only on an exclusive basis, the villa is over 10,000 square feet in size, and features a large living room, dining room, a magnificent viewing deck with fireplace, outdoor hot tub, and 5 en-suite bedrooms, all with stunning views. Guests can enjoy privately guided day and evening wildlife drives, bush walks/runs with a Maasai guide, swimming, spa treatments and special activities for children. There is internet access throughout, a satellite TV and DVD, and the villa is powered with electric and solar energy.

Cottar’s Bush Villa is managed within the same area as Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, and guests can enjoy the same levels of service and standard for which the camp is known. The first private luxury home in the Mara, Cottar’s Bush Villa is perfect for families and small groups of travellers seeking absolute privacy, combined with discrete staff, award-winning safari guides, and an abundance of wildlife and impactful activities.

Accommodations

Home » Accommodations » Page 28

Encounter by Ongava — Immersed in the African Bush