Most luxurious African safari accommodations?
Mar 5, 2019, 12:30 pm
#226
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
good to hear! definitely nothing to worry about
more luxurious properties on larger private land
including botswana, better regarded for wildlife
or exclusive-use, morukuru has reports here
more luxurious properties on larger private land
including botswana, better regarded for wildlife
or exclusive-use, morukuru has reports here
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Mar 5, 2019 at 12:36 pm
Apr 22, 2019, 11:17 pm
#228
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Everywhere
Programs: UA GS 3MM, NH PLT
Posts: 766
Singita in Rwanda
After several years of heavy anticipation, Singita will finally be opening Kwitonda Lodge and Kataza House in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.
Expected to open in "late 2019."
It will be interesting to see how they compare to Wilderness Safaris' slightly less expensive (yeah, hard to believe) Bisate Lodge.
https://rwanda.singita.com/
Expected to open in "late 2019."
It will be interesting to see how they compare to Wilderness Safaris' slightly less expensive (yeah, hard to believe) Bisate Lodge.
https://rwanda.singita.com/
May 11, 2019, 4:00 pm
#230
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 852
Planning a work trip to CPT later next month and now deciding to tag on a 4 day Safari. Has anyone within the forum stayed at either Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve or Singita Lebombo Lodge in SA? Both fall within my budget but I'm open to traveling elsewhere within the lower portion of Africa if there's better options (given the literally last minute decision to do this and time of year).
I'm not tied departing from CPT on my way back so this is why I'm open to other areas.
I'm not tied departing from CPT on my way back so this is why I'm open to other areas.
May 11, 2019, 6:58 pm
#231
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Everywhere
Programs: UA GS 3MM, NH PLT
Posts: 766
Planning a work trip to CPT later next month and now deciding to tag on a 4 day Safari. Has anyone within the forum stayed at either Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve or Singita Lebombo Lodge in SA? Both fall within my budget but I'm open to traveling elsewhere within the lower portion of Africa if there's better options (given the literally last minute decision to do this and time of year).
I'm not tied departing from CPT on my way back so this is why I'm open to other areas.
I'm not tied departing from CPT on my way back so this is why I'm open to other areas.
Singita Boulders is about 15+ miles to the East of Leopard Hills, so this issue is non-existent.
Lebombo has fabulous food, and wildlife sightings are on par with Boulders, but I prefer the latter due to issues with Lebombo's design flaws - form over function is not what one looks for in a safari lodge or camp.
May 13, 2019, 7:12 pm
#232
Was sydakllon
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SYD
Programs: Virtuoso, Rosewood Elite, FSPP, Bellini, Dorchester, MO Fan Club, Oetker Pearl, etc.
Posts: 709
After several years of heavy anticipation, Singita will finally be opening Kwitonda Lodge and Kataza House in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.
Expected to open in "late 2019."
It will be interesting to see how they compare to Wilderness Safaris' slightly less expensive (yeah, hard to believe) Bisate Lodge.
https://rwanda.singita.com/
Expected to open in "late 2019."
It will be interesting to see how they compare to Wilderness Safaris' slightly less expensive (yeah, hard to believe) Bisate Lodge.
https://rwanda.singita.com/
May 14, 2019, 5:20 am
#233
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 852
You are not going to experience a sense of wilderness at Leopard Hills. It's on the Western edge of the Sabi Sands Reserve, and it is very close to a somewhat large village. There are fences on the border as well.
Singita Boulders is about 15+ miles to the East of Leopard Hills, so this issue is non-existent.
Lebombo has fabulous food, and wildlife sightings are on par with Boulders, but I prefer the latter due to issues with Lebombo's design flaws - form over function is not what one looks for in a safari lodge or camp.
Singita Boulders is about 15+ miles to the East of Leopard Hills, so this issue is non-existent.
Lebombo has fabulous food, and wildlife sightings are on par with Boulders, but I prefer the latter due to issues with Lebombo's design flaws - form over function is not what one looks for in a safari lodge or camp.
May 21, 2019, 1:27 pm
#234
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 104
Quick review here of Angama Mara in Kenya, where we've recently spent part of our honeymoon. Short review: absolutely spectacular, so much so that it's hard to find room for improvement. No pictures, I'm afraid, but the website photos are quite accurate.
Arriving: All the usual suspects can fly directly to Ol Kurruk, an airstrip right next to Angama Mara, perched on the western escarpment overlooking the Mara. The Masai Mara is essentially a giant plain with tall escarpments at either end. Most of the camps are in the reserve or concessions on the floor of the valley. Angama is perched right on the edge of the escarpment (indeed, on the exact escarpment of the famous date scene in Out of Africa). Literally everything - the rooms, the lodge, the drives down in the morning - have incredible views across the entire valley.
Game: On the one hand, you are in the national park. This means you need to be out by 7pm, there are restrictions on walks, surely crowds during the migration, acand so on. On the other hand, Angama has a private entrance into the park so you are never waiting to fill paperwork at a main gate or similar. Also, the park is big enough that we (frequently) had sightings of big cats without any car near us, especially once you head further south. This is during the shoulder season, where we were lucky to completely avoid rain. In our case, the camp was moderately full, and cars went out with no more than two couples each. The game spotting is excellent - our driver/spotter had spent many years in the Mara and we didn't manage the ask a single question on any subject which he was unable to answer. Unlike at some camps, where drives go on a schedule, we had near complete freedom on what times to drive and where to go; on one day, word of cheetahs near the Tanzania border led to an eight hour continuous game drive. Over three days of drives, we saw 30 lions, a rhino, two cheetahs, and nearly all of the "usual suspects" otherwise. During the migration, game spotting (and prices) both go up. A note on location: if you've not been on safari before, being down by a river may be more interesting, as you hear the animals at night, feel more like you're "in the bush", see animals by the watering hole, and so on. Some earlier reviews have noted the bumpy ride down the escarpment: it is now much smoother and was never really bothersome for us.
Activities: Beyond the usual game drives, the activities are great. They have a lovely produce garden which produces most of what they use in the kitchen, and can arrange a private lunch for you on the escarpment next to the garden. The "Out of Africa" lunch is a private champagne picnic in a hidden spot on a kopje - my wife described it as the "most romantic date possible". Nature walks with Masai who work at the camp are super interesting, both for birdlife and for seeing the plants and insects that are otherwise hidden on the game drivers. There is an infinity pool, an incredibly scenic gym, and a photo lab as well. The best thing about activities is that you are not nickel and dimed: the private lunches are free, an hour with the photo lab expert is free, the nature walks are free, etc. Picnics in the park are free. Indeed, the only things you could possibly pay for are massages, a hot air balloon ride (which was included in our rate), a private vehicle, a photo session for special occasions, and the most expensive reserve wine.
The rooms: Totally insane. There are 30 rooms, though really only 15, as the camp is effectively two identical camps with almost no interaction between the two. Each room is a large tent with a full length balcony right on the edge of the escarpment. You can literally go on "rocking chair safari" with their binoculars while sitting on your deck. The king size beds are comfortable, with electric blankets. The shower has a full plate glass window view of the park. The products smell fantastic. The design is first rate, with the one minor complaint that the canvas can get quite loud when the wind is blowing at night. There are bottles of whatever alcohol you like on the tableside. In the main lodge, there is again a massive deck and boma overlooking the park, where everyone spent evenings chatting. The hard product really must be among the very best in Africa. As noted above, you are on the edge of the escarpment, not down by a river or watering hole, so again, so take that caveat into account. (The history here is that the former managers of andBeyond came out of retirement to build one last camp when a relationship they'd developed years ago led to an offer to build a camp on this particularly high portion of the escarpment - this is not a Richard Branson or similar building a camp with no understanding of what makes a good safari experience.)
Food and service: I don't recall a single bad dish - indeed, you would be totally satisfied with these meals at a decent city restaurant. There are menus for each meal, but the chefs are capable enough of going off piste. The produce is grown at the camp, the cheese is from the famous Brown's outside Nairobi, and the drinks are totally competent (after our visit, we have left the bartenders well trained in how to make a Dark and Stormy with the deliciously sharp East African treat that is Stoney Tangawizi). The onsite heads of F&B and programming are all super competent: many previously worked at places like Hemingway's and andBeyond. I found that everyone knew our name and our schedule, and somehow our preferences were coordinated without our ever being directly asked. For instance, the first night, we pulled a blackout shade over part of the cabin - it blocks the sunrise, but keeps things a bit darker at night. Though the staff had the cabin fully open during the day, turndown always left those shades in the evening exactly as we'd set them the first night. We do not eat meat, and though we never explicitly mentioned anything, the picnic lunches were always prepared vegetarian. We quite enjoyed a particular wine the first night at dinner, and the third day at lunch, the same bottle was already chilling when we ate on the Out of Africa kopje. You would think many hotels would get these things right, but I've been in top big-city hotels that can't do this, and Angama manages without fail even though nearly all the staff is locally trained and hired.
Price: Yes, a lot. That said, there are a number of great offers to be had, especially in the shoulder season.
Getting there: Nairobi traffic is awful. If you arrive at night, best to stay near Wilson. From the Boma (a reasonable, if far from luxury, business hotel), you can be at Wilson in 15 minutes (there is now a "back way" to Wilson avoiding the perpetually clogged main highway). To get to Wilson from Karen or the embassy district can be much more of pain.
Arriving: All the usual suspects can fly directly to Ol Kurruk, an airstrip right next to Angama Mara, perched on the western escarpment overlooking the Mara. The Masai Mara is essentially a giant plain with tall escarpments at either end. Most of the camps are in the reserve or concessions on the floor of the valley. Angama is perched right on the edge of the escarpment (indeed, on the exact escarpment of the famous date scene in Out of Africa). Literally everything - the rooms, the lodge, the drives down in the morning - have incredible views across the entire valley.
Game: On the one hand, you are in the national park. This means you need to be out by 7pm, there are restrictions on walks, surely crowds during the migration, acand so on. On the other hand, Angama has a private entrance into the park so you are never waiting to fill paperwork at a main gate or similar. Also, the park is big enough that we (frequently) had sightings of big cats without any car near us, especially once you head further south. This is during the shoulder season, where we were lucky to completely avoid rain. In our case, the camp was moderately full, and cars went out with no more than two couples each. The game spotting is excellent - our driver/spotter had spent many years in the Mara and we didn't manage the ask a single question on any subject which he was unable to answer. Unlike at some camps, where drives go on a schedule, we had near complete freedom on what times to drive and where to go; on one day, word of cheetahs near the Tanzania border led to an eight hour continuous game drive. Over three days of drives, we saw 30 lions, a rhino, two cheetahs, and nearly all of the "usual suspects" otherwise. During the migration, game spotting (and prices) both go up. A note on location: if you've not been on safari before, being down by a river may be more interesting, as you hear the animals at night, feel more like you're "in the bush", see animals by the watering hole, and so on. Some earlier reviews have noted the bumpy ride down the escarpment: it is now much smoother and was never really bothersome for us.
Activities: Beyond the usual game drives, the activities are great. They have a lovely produce garden which produces most of what they use in the kitchen, and can arrange a private lunch for you on the escarpment next to the garden. The "Out of Africa" lunch is a private champagne picnic in a hidden spot on a kopje - my wife described it as the "most romantic date possible". Nature walks with Masai who work at the camp are super interesting, both for birdlife and for seeing the plants and insects that are otherwise hidden on the game drivers. There is an infinity pool, an incredibly scenic gym, and a photo lab as well. The best thing about activities is that you are not nickel and dimed: the private lunches are free, an hour with the photo lab expert is free, the nature walks are free, etc. Picnics in the park are free. Indeed, the only things you could possibly pay for are massages, a hot air balloon ride (which was included in our rate), a private vehicle, a photo session for special occasions, and the most expensive reserve wine.
The rooms: Totally insane. There are 30 rooms, though really only 15, as the camp is effectively two identical camps with almost no interaction between the two. Each room is a large tent with a full length balcony right on the edge of the escarpment. You can literally go on "rocking chair safari" with their binoculars while sitting on your deck. The king size beds are comfortable, with electric blankets. The shower has a full plate glass window view of the park. The products smell fantastic. The design is first rate, with the one minor complaint that the canvas can get quite loud when the wind is blowing at night. There are bottles of whatever alcohol you like on the tableside. In the main lodge, there is again a massive deck and boma overlooking the park, where everyone spent evenings chatting. The hard product really must be among the very best in Africa. As noted above, you are on the edge of the escarpment, not down by a river or watering hole, so again, so take that caveat into account. (The history here is that the former managers of andBeyond came out of retirement to build one last camp when a relationship they'd developed years ago led to an offer to build a camp on this particularly high portion of the escarpment - this is not a Richard Branson or similar building a camp with no understanding of what makes a good safari experience.)
Food and service: I don't recall a single bad dish - indeed, you would be totally satisfied with these meals at a decent city restaurant. There are menus for each meal, but the chefs are capable enough of going off piste. The produce is grown at the camp, the cheese is from the famous Brown's outside Nairobi, and the drinks are totally competent (after our visit, we have left the bartenders well trained in how to make a Dark and Stormy with the deliciously sharp East African treat that is Stoney Tangawizi). The onsite heads of F&B and programming are all super competent: many previously worked at places like Hemingway's and andBeyond. I found that everyone knew our name and our schedule, and somehow our preferences were coordinated without our ever being directly asked. For instance, the first night, we pulled a blackout shade over part of the cabin - it blocks the sunrise, but keeps things a bit darker at night. Though the staff had the cabin fully open during the day, turndown always left those shades in the evening exactly as we'd set them the first night. We do not eat meat, and though we never explicitly mentioned anything, the picnic lunches were always prepared vegetarian. We quite enjoyed a particular wine the first night at dinner, and the third day at lunch, the same bottle was already chilling when we ate on the Out of Africa kopje. You would think many hotels would get these things right, but I've been in top big-city hotels that can't do this, and Angama manages without fail even though nearly all the staff is locally trained and hired.
Price: Yes, a lot. That said, there are a number of great offers to be had, especially in the shoulder season.
Getting there: Nairobi traffic is awful. If you arrive at night, best to stay near Wilson. From the Boma (a reasonable, if far from luxury, business hotel), you can be at Wilson in 15 minutes (there is now a "back way" to Wilson avoiding the perpetually clogged main highway). To get to Wilson from Karen or the embassy district can be much more of pain.
May 28, 2019, 2:15 pm
#235
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Thailand
Programs: BA Silver (OWS), OZ Diamond (*G), TK Elite (*G), HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 361
I'm planning our first safari and looking for the absolute best place to in Kruger/Sabi Sands. Currently have my eye on Singita Boulders but Ebony and Sweni don't look bad either. Others we are considering are Royal Malewane, Londolozi and Sabi Sabi. We are probably going to stay 4 nights at single location and as it's our first time we are looking for best of the best.
Our priorities are quality of game the drives, high quality food and wine, and quality of lodging, in that order. We would be looking to fly from/to JNB if that matters and travelling in late October.
Is Singita Boulders the way to go of should is there something even better?
Our priorities are quality of game the drives, high quality food and wine, and quality of lodging, in that order. We would be looking to fly from/to JNB if that matters and travelling in late October.
Is Singita Boulders the way to go of should is there something even better?
May 28, 2019, 3:01 pm
#236
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
I'm planning our first safari and looking for the absolute best place to in Kruger/Sabi Sands. Currently have my eye on Singita Boulders but Ebony and Sweni don't look bad either. Others we are considering are Royal Malewane, Londolozi and Sabi Sabi. We are probably going to stay 4 nights at single location and as it's our first time we are looking for best of the best.
Our priorities are quality of game the drives, high quality food and wine, and quality of lodging, in that order. We would be looking to fly from/to JNB if that matters and travelling in late October.
Is Singita Boulders the way to go of should is there something even better?
Our priorities are quality of game the drives, high quality food and wine, and quality of lodging, in that order. We would be looking to fly from/to JNB if that matters and travelling in late October.
Is Singita Boulders the way to go of should is there something even better?
As a foodie, we were very impressed with Singita Boulders. Singita Ebony is just 5 minutes away and has the same access to the cellar even as it’s located at Boulders.
To me, having done Boulders and Ebony, I’d return to Boulders. If you prefer more traditional lodging style, though, Ebony May suit your taste a bit better. But their game viewing is equivalent and spectacular.
May 28, 2019, 3:35 pm
#237
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,855
Looking at South Africa safari booking websites, many operators seem to regard a place called Hamiltons Tented Camp as top of the line. Anyone know anything about it?
May 28, 2019, 8:49 pm
#238
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Everywhere
Programs: UA GS 3MM, NH PLT
Posts: 766
Hamiltons is low-middle-end, especially in the safari quality. It's technically in a concession, but allows self-drivers to traverse through it. You definitely won't get the feeling that you have the place all to yourself.
We had friends stay there a while back, and they vowed never to return.
Don't do it!
May 28, 2019, 10:43 pm
#239
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,855
Yikes. Really? Care to point out your sources?
Hamiltons is low-middle-end, especially in the safari quality. It's technically in a concession, but allows self-drivers to traverse through it. You definitely won't get the feeling that you have the place all to yourself.
We had friends stay there a while back, and they vowed never to return.
Don't do it!
Hamiltons is low-middle-end, especially in the safari quality. It's technically in a concession, but allows self-drivers to traverse through it. You definitely won't get the feeling that you have the place all to yourself.
We had friends stay there a while back, and they vowed never to return.
Don't do it!
The only South African safari camp I've stayed in was Londolozi, and that was long ago.
May 30, 2019, 12:25 pm
#240
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Thailand
Programs: BA Silver (OWS), OZ Diamond (*G), TK Elite (*G), HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 361
Londolozi and Singita Boulders/Ebony are adjacent game areas that allow a certain number of crossing over into the other area. But Singita Boulders has the actual wine cellar that is ginormous and has the best selection (especially for S African wines and French champagnes) as far as I know of any safari lodge or camp in S Africa.
As a foodie, we were very impressed with Singita Boulders. Singita Ebony is just 5 minutes away and has the same access to the cellar even as it’s located at Boulders.
To me, having done Boulders and Ebony, I’d return to Boulders. If you prefer more traditional lodging style, though, Ebony May suit your taste a bit better. But their game viewing is equivalent and spectacular.
I shopped around but it seemed even booking direct I couldn't get much lower than the rack rate which seemed really strange. Ended up settling paying rack rate for 5 night for the 6 night stay and free internal flights. But I guess this is the norm.