Best safari camps and places to stay in Africa

When it comes to safari accommodation, there is no shortage of luxury lodges, exceptional camps, and award-winning interior design. Of course, the wow-factor of where you stay is often influenced or determined by your budget, but even some of the more affordable safari camps offer flawless service, delicious locally-grown food, and exceptional guiding. You just need to know where to stay! This short guide will help with that, as we’ve together a collection of some of the best safari camps and places to stay in Africa.

Image: Dunia Camp, Sernegeti

If you are keen on jaw- dropping architecture or breath-taking interior design, look no further than lodges like the Singita collection (across Tanzania, South Africa, and Rwanda), or Wilderness. These camps really do pride themselves on unique design, and lodges like Faru Faru (Tanzania) and Bisate (Rwanda) have won numerous awards because of this very reason. In Tanzania, some of our favorite safari camps and lodges with jaw-dropping design include Jabali Ridge (Ruaha National Park), Baraza Resort & Spa (Zanzibar), Namiri Plains (Serengeti National Park) and Nomad Lamai (Serengeti National Park).

Images: Namiri Plains in Tanzania (left) and Bisate Lodge in Rwanda (right)

One of the most important parts to a safari is the guiding. A safari guide is so much more than a guide – they will become a friend. Although you will most likely have the same guide for the duration of your stay in one camp, there may be slight differences. For example, if you are doing a driving itinerary that combines the northern parks in Tanzania (the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara/ Tarnagire National Park, the Serengeti National Park), then you will have your own 4×4 safari vehicle and guide who will stay with you for the duration. On the other hand, if you are flying between destinations and camps (small internal flights), your safari guide will be based at the camp or lodge.

In both cases, your safari guide will be an English-speaking professional guide, with a wealth of certifications and experience behind them. They often spend the majority of the year working out in the bush, so they are very aware of any wildlife patterns or movements, such as resident cubs being born, or the location of the wildebeest migration herds. With that in mind, please feel free to ask them as many questions as you have and get involved.

Images; Namiri Plains guide (left) and Dunia Camp guide (central Serengeti) right

With so many different camps and lodges on offer across Africa, it can be quite overwhelming to work out which camp is better than the other. Of course, budget and the time of year you are traveling come into consideration, but another important factor is the location of the camp. Some camps are located inside a national park – others may be out of the park or on their own private reserve or conservancy.

The main thing to consider about the location of the camp is the sort of experience you looking for. If you want to be immersed with wildlife, with antelope or elephant often walking through the camp, then being inside the national park is a must. These are usually located in the prime wildlife areas, with resident elephant families, buffalo herds, or prides of lion nearby. It’s a fantastic experience, and highly recommended for those who have a limited time on safari because you will save time driving to areas with denser game. Instead, it will be on your doorstep! The only downside to this location is that, implying with national park rules, you are usually limited to the type of safari activity you do. This is usually two game drives a day – one early morning and one late afternoon.

Some safari camps sit on private conservancies or reserves, such as the greater Mara Conservancies in Kenya and the Grumeti reserve in Tanzania. The benefit of a conservancy is that you have a lot more flexibility to do other safari activities – with bush walks, night drives, and fly camping offered. It can also feel more private because you can only game drive in that area if you are staying in a camp or lodge there.