RichardInSF

We had the Lebombo vs Sweni choice and picked Lebombo. They are about 5 minutes apart in the same complex. The Lebombo room had a marvelous view over the river and was very spacious. Lebombo has a few more rooms and appears to have more services and places to sit around the camp. But the differences are not huge, you will enjoy either one. The souvenir shop for both is at Sweni and the Lebombo folks will drive you there on request, or you can walk.

willliamjia

I am planning my first safari trip next July/August. We booked round trip tickets to JNB. Our plan is first to Victoria fall/Chobe, then Masai Mara, north Serengeti and around area. We have about 12 nights. We have already booked 5-night in JW Masai Mara. Any suggestion for other hotels/resort or camp and time spending? How to arrange our itinerary? First time in those area. Thanks!

RichardInSF

Remember, this is the luxury hotel and travel forum. Maybe the JW Marriott is luxury but I've never seen it mentioned before here.
Perhaps someone who has stayed there can comment?

Thanks,
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels and travel

threepointkid

Don't have much to offer on your specific itinerary, but I know Great Plains Conservation is worth a look for Kenya. Mara Plains, Mara Nyika, and Ol Donyo all come to mind. Singita Grumeti is the ultimate for East Africa safaris.

RichardInSF not familiar with this JW Marriott either, but they are certainly attempting to charge close to luxury rates at $2000+ per person per night in peak season. The best lodges are $3000+ per person per night, so it’s not positioned for ultra luxury safari lodges, but certainly not cheap either. I personally would opt for a Great Plains Camp if I was doing Kenya specifically.

My suggestion would be to streamline your logistics so you don’t lose days traveling between counties. Regardless of what you decide, I hope you hope you enjoy your trip and experience a similar magic to what I felt when I first visited Africa myself!

KI-NRT

Unless you have Bonvoy points to burn, JW Marriott (opened earlier this year) would be far down my list of safari camp/lodge choices, IMO. As threepointkid mentioned above, the Great Plains camps are tops in my book - we're headed back to Mara Plains for a third time next June. In general, the Mara Conservancies offer a far superior safari experience to properties in the main reserve.

It's a hassle to travel between the Mara region and Serengeti. If you're going to be in Chobe/Victoria Falls anyway, I'd suggest you add on an Okavango trip instead of visiting Northern Serengeti. Logistically, it would be far easier that way. P.S. - I'd skip Chobe if I were you. It's a bit of a mass tourism spot given its accessibility to VF (by vehicle, in fact.) Tons of elephants, but the quality of wildlife viewings and the sheer number of tourists was a turn off for us.

p100a

Aside from the previously mention Singita properties in SA.. are the any comparable properties in other nearby countries that are a must see, especially during August?

threepointkid

South African luxury lodges are more heavily built than in other countries from my judgment, so it’s hard to find an exact comparison, but others lodges of the same quality would be: Singita Grumeti Lodges in Tanzania, Duba, Zarafa, and Vumbura, in Botswana, Singita Pamushana and Tembo Plains in Zimbabwe, the Great Plains properties in Kenya (Mara, Mara Nyika, and Ol Donyo).

SafariCraig

Hi KI-NRT!

Did you already book your trip? I JUST got back from Kenya last week. I went to Mara Plains for the 4th time and Mara Nyika for the 3rd time. I drove past JW Marriott. It is NOT in a wildlife area. It is in a town between the Naboisho conservancy and the Masai Mara National Reserve. If you can rebank your Marriott points, I strongly suggest doing so and using points to go to a beach resort of city stay outside of Africa.

Please let me know if your plans are still open as I would love to suggest some alternatives if you did not commit to JW Marriott.

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

I have been to all Singita properties in Africa except the one in Rwanda, Kwidonda. I took my family to Singita Pamushana in Zimbabwe in November 2023. That is the nearest luxury property close to South Africa but not actually in South Africa. As previously suggested, I agree with Tembo Plains. It is adjacent to Mana Pools which has a short, prolific peak season cenetered on the month of August. You should also consider Mashatu Euphorbia on the South Africa border but in Botswana. The other options suggested above are great but further afield.

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

Steven013

Just checked into Singita Sweni yesterday and my guide told me that Sweni will be closed from Jan 10th onwards and go through a three months renovation during the afternoon drive.

KI-NRT

Hi Craig, I am not the one that booked JW Marriott. I did book a combo stay of Angama Mara and Mara Plains for this coming June, but I'm probably going to change it. I'm taking first-time friends, and I figured they might want to start off by staying somewhere that's heavily built and "comfortable," but after more thinking, based on the feedback from others I will likely replace it with Ol Donyo, Sarara or Mara Nyika - looks like all three have availability on the dates we're looking at.

A few other properties that might fit the bill: all Wilderness Premier camps in Botswana, Chinzombo in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park (although it wouldn't be my first choice due to location - Lion Camp would be), Anabezi in Lower Zambezi N.P., Little Ruckomechi in Mana Pools (A Wilderness property), Tswalu Kalahari.... actually, the list is quite long. None of them are as heavily built as the S. African lodges (with the exception of Tswalu) but are more than comfortable and have high standards of service.

United747

Enjoy! Largely roof repairs from what I understand

SafariCraig

I have read some of your reports, but I am not 100% sure I know all the safari lodges you have stayed at. From what I have read, Sarara is going to an outlier for you. With that said, there is nothing wrong with Sarara but it does not seem your style unless you are looking for some specific experience like the singing wells or Reteti elephant orphanage. I don't think you have been to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Have you considered Sirikoi which is located which is located there? Another place you should consider combining with Ol Donyo and Mara Nyika is Ol Lentile. Please note that the rates for Ol Donyo and Mara Nyika will go up about $1,000 per person per night on June 15.


Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

KI-NRT

Hi Craig, I've only written reviews for a fraction of the properties we've stayed at - time is precious This coming trip is less about us and more about enjoying time with friends (and their children) who will be on safari for the first time. Neither they nor we have much of an idea of what will inspire them, but some cultural experiences combined with wildlife sightings might fit the bill.

As an aside, we really dig the culture/history aspect of Africa. We are in the early stages of planning a trip to Lalibela combined with Omo Valley. We're also considering a visit to Ghana for Elmina Castle (among other historic places) as well as Ouidah in Benin for the Voodoo Festival.

SafariCraig

I'll be on the lookout!

Sarara is, in my opinion, one of the top cultural experiences in Africa. You went to one of the others at Serra Kafema.

Sounds like a good trip in the works for you!