Groombridge

How do the Singita Grumeti properties compare in luxury to the Singitas in South African? I am planning my first African safari for next September, and am trying to pick between a combination of Singita Lebombo + Boulders or the three Singita lodges in the Grumeti Reserve/Tanzania.

SafariCraig

Groombridge,

I will have Rose or Jeanie from our office draft me an answer and I will post it here tomorrow (if I have time). They have been to all the Singita lodges in Africa except Pamashanu. I have only been to their Southern Africa lodges.

Craig Beal – owner - Travel Beyond

Kagehitokiri

singita tanzania has 1400km2, new mobile camp for 2 people min (at 'regular' price) with capability of 2 simultaneous camps, and adding a new camp/lodge soon, plus horseback (at no additional) including the mobile

SafariCraig, what mobile options are there besides A&K? (nice to see you found this forum )
im thinking singita tanzania + great plains conservation / wilderness safaris in kenya, with A&K mobile in between if possible - any comments on great plains conservation (related to zarafa botswana) ?

SafariCraig

Groombridge – here is what Jeanie Fundora at our office said about the Singita properties:

“It would difficult to find fault with any of the Singita properties whether in East or Southern Africa. Sasakwa is stunning and the most opulent and over-the-top property I have visited anywhere in Africa. Faru Faru is my personal favorite of the three properties at Singita Grumeti Reserves and is the one that is most like the Singita properties in South Africa, reminds me quite a lot of Lebombo although the rooms are larger at Faru Faru. The level of service and the food are on par at all the Singita properties. The game-viewing at Singita Grumeti Reserves continues to improve and from my first visit in Oct 2007 to my second visit in Nov 2010, the density of the game was remarkable. We had fantastic viewing even from the lodge at Faru Faru with a huge breeding herd of elephants the first day at lunch and again the next morning as well as a journey of giraffe at sunset. Really depends what else you wish to see in Africa, but Singita is a winner all-around and continues to set the bar for the crème of la crème safari experience in Africa. Zarafa is also a favorite of mine as it is such a unique, beautiful and intimate camp with only 4 tents.”

Craig Beal – owner – Travel Beyond

SafariCraig

Kagehitokiri - there are many mobile options in East Africa. A&K is just probably the best marketed company. I can give you an insider tip: If you want the A&K Mobile you can cut out two of the three layers of the distribution channel if you simply book directly or with a tour operator through their on-the-ground wholly owned subsidiary in East Africa called Sanctuary Retreats. The rates at Sanctuary protect the tour operator (one middle man) while the rates at A&K protest AKORN (their ground operator), A&K Chicago, and one travel agent. A&K/AKORN/Sanctuary is a very reliable operator.

As I said earlier, I am not an expert on East Africa and I have only been there once. I have been to Southern Africa 30 times. Jeanie, Rose, and a few others are East Africa experts (incidentally, Rose was the Africa director at A&K from 2004 until we hired her in August 2011). None of them like to use travel forums so I am a bit out of my league providing in-depth advice on Tanzania and Kenya as I would have to ask them. I don’t like doing that on forums.

Mara Plains is one of the most highly rated lodges in East Africa by our clients and staff. It is owned by Great Plains. Great Plains owns Zarafa in Botswana which I think is more luxurious than Mombo!

Sorry I can’t be more helpful on East Africa.

Craig Beal – owner – Travel Beyond
2011 & 2012 Travel & Leisure A-List agent for Botswana & Zimbabwe

Kagehitokiri

thanks, im aware > http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/private-camps

- are there any other solid operators that do 'cross country' / lodge-to-lodge mobile in botswana or ZA?

this forum is the best on the internet (although not TOO africa heavy, plenty of singita fans)
many looking forward to aman gabon, which will combine easily with new wilderness safaris congo

- so great plains hires wilderness safaris to manage?

i regret not having done great plains when they had selous. concession now back to hunting only IIRC.
- although, ive wondered if there are any luxury hunting (concessions/properties) that you could buy out, or occasionally have non-hunting periods, etc? or would you have to bring in your own (photo) guide/etc too?

Groombridge

This is incredibly helpful info, Craig -- thanks so much for your quick help. Any advice on the best way to book (in terms of getting the best rates)?

Thanks again--

SafariCraig

Hi Groombridge,

Ha! There are over a thousand ways to book the exact same safari and, for me, this is sort of a loaded questions since I own a tour operation business that specializes in selling safari. My suggestion is to consult with 2-3 INDEPENDENT safari agents in the United States and see who you are most comfortable with. To be honest, with the exception of a few well know “big brands”, most of the 100 or so reputable safari agencies in the USA sell in a tight price bracket as we are all competing with each other on a day to day basis. An independent agent is, in my definition, one that sells a broad range of product in East Africa, Southern Africa, or both AND the same agency should own nothing on the ground in Africa to prevent any bias from creeping into their recommendations. The agency should contract directly with the various lodges or use a local agent as a consolidator and ground handler. Most importantly, I suggest you book with someone that has been to Africa many times and has a broad range of experience.

Singita, along with many other luxury lodges in Africa, strictly forbids any agent to sell their lodge below their rack rates (i.e. web site price). My company, along with many others, has a direct contract with Singita on a principle-agent basis so they can determine the minimum price in the market and that is the price on their website. We can’t sell below that. There are a few companies out there that try to sell above it but not many can because of hefty competition. Their South Africa lodges are priced in Rand and a few companies, including mine, quote our clients in Rand for these lodges so we don’t have to take a hedge and charge you more.

You could even book direct with Singita and they have a two person office in Cape Town for this purpose but the price will be the same as you get from the vast majority of independent agents and they, obviously, won’t provide you many non-Singita options.

I am on the board of a trade organization of US safari operators so let me know if you want some reputable options. Here are a few: Julian Harrison is the author of Fodors for Southern Africa and he owns premier tours in Philadelphia. Lesley Kaye owns Discover Africa in Cleveland and she has been to all the Singita lodges. Of course, there are many more. I hope this helps.

Craig Beal – owner – Travel Beyond

Larkin

Great choice you have! All are terrific properties and good times of year to visit both. If it is your first time to Africa and you want to see all the game that time of year I would choose Boulders and Lebombo. Grumeti is fantastic as well, and I think all three lodges are worth a visit, but I think for first time I would do south Africa. If you have time I would combine with Capetown and do Ellerman House. And if more time add on Botswana and Mombo Camp or second choice Chiefs camp. Singita Grumeti is wonderful but the absolute best time to visit for me is latter June or July when you can try to catch the migration. I do understand Singita Grumeti now is opening another camp on the Tanzania/ Kenya (Mara) border where you could catch the migration later. A lot depends on your exact timing. At Boulders I would ask for a room facing the river. I also preferred Lebombo to Sweni, but it is a matter of preference. If you do grumeti I would stay at the three camps and try the new one on the border. We like to do 3 nights per place as it gives you two full days in the middle!

Ericka

We booked with a local agent in South Africa and think(?) we got better rates because of it. They picked us up at the airport and were available to hold our hand as needed throughout our itinerary. They were able to combine good pricing at Singita and the WS camps and personally organized all our transfer flights from camp to camp. They were available to us if any of those flights went haywire.

juuceman

Unless Singita has made changes to their contracts recently, I can attest to the fact that certain agents are able to provide pricing that is less than Singita's website price.

sugarbird

Many of the luxury lodges in South Africa are superb!!! But for game viewing you cannot beat Botswana. We have have stayed at Mombo Camp--Many consider it the best game viewing in Africa. It has luxury tents.
We have also stayed at Rattrays in Mala Mala. The villas are superb--- The game viewing is good but nothing like the Okavango Delta.---So it depends on your priorities

aesla11

I have personally not had any experiences with Sangita. But we've stayed with andbeyond camps in Kenya, Tanzania as well as Botswana the past two years and loved the experience and luxury. In most aspects, luxury in African Safari terms are not the same as most people would consider. Being in very close proximity to nature and experiencing animals close up with expert guides with adequate privacy should be of concern. Type of bed you sleep in or best wines in the menu should not be a big deciding factor IMHO.

wripro

But why not have both if you can?

speedbird001

I completely agree. I have done both and if I were to do it over again, I would skip SA and just do Botswana.