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luxury african lodges
Previous page: The Starbed Suite, Jaci’s Safari Lodge. This page, from top: A bull elephant takes a close up look at Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana; the sundowner deck at Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma, Zambia
features like four-poster beds, outdoor rain showers, private plunge pools, in-room massages and much more – it is the knowledgeable guides and trackers who complete the luxury experience. The variety of luxury lodges out there is enormous: there may seem few similarities between Kaya Mawa on Lake Malawi, Ant’s Nest in South Africa and Tongabezi in Zambia but all three are family-owned and, in their own unique ways, offer a very personal service with a strong emphasis on conservation and the community. Of course, wildlife remains the main draw for the majority of visitors – and not just the Big Five mammals. For example, mountain gorillas are also on many bucket lists as a ‘must-see experience’. There are thought to be under 800 mountain gorillas remaining, with Uganda and Rwanda the places to see them. They have survived in Uganda largely due to conservation efforts, which first started in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1993. Refurbished Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp is a favourite with primate and nature enthusiasts. The eight-tented camp in the rainforest has experienced guides who trek with a maximum
of eight visitors to each gorilla family group. To boost visitor numbers, gorilla-watching permits in Uganda have been frozen at $600 in 2018. However, last year the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) doubled the gorilla permit cost from $750 to $1500pp – for just one hour of watching the primates in Volcanoes National Park. One&Only’s luxury Nyungwe House in Rwanda is set in an unrivalled location on the edge of Africa’s largest mountain rainforest and is a haven for primates. Singita is synonymous with luxury but also sees itself as a guardian of a million acres of pristine land and has a 100-year vision to build sustainable revenue streams to fund the preservation of Africa’s wilderness. Operating 12 award-winning lodges, Singita is extending its conservation footprint to Rwanda where it will open Kwitonda Lodge in late 2019 on the edge of Volcanoes National Park.
Six of the best A guided walking adventure: A three-night safari in Namibia with Huab Under Canvas/Ultimate Safaris includes rhino tracking and campfire dinners. Twenty years at the top: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been a leading icon of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry for over 20 years. It’s the perfect base for visiting the falls, which are just four kilometres down the road. Junior rangers: Take the kids on safari at Governors’ Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve and make the most of Early Bird rates on bookings made before June 30 2018. For the family: Machaba Safaris will open the family-friendly Verney’s Camp in May, on a 10,000-hectares private concession in Hwange Game Park, Zimbabwe. Eco-friendly: Belmond’s Savute Elephant Lodge in Northern Botswana promises to use the best sustainable building
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