The New Safari Launches To Have On Your Radar
The Ultra-Luxe Villa:
Singita Milele, Tanzania
With luxury lodges and villas dotted around Africa, Singita offers some seriously chic safari accommodation options. The newest addition to its collection is Singita Milele, which opened its door a few months ago in the heart of Tanzania’s Serengeti. Offering an exclusive luxury safari experience within the Singita Grumeti reserve, the villa accommodates up to ten guests in five suites inspired by Africa’s wildlife. The villa has panoramic views, a private infinity pool, Jacuzzis, a fitness centre and a cinema room. Designed to blend seamlessly with nature, Singita Milele offers viewing spots of the great migration and guests can look forward to bespoke safari adventures, wellness treatments and private dining experiences. Perfect for special group or family trips.
Visit Singita.com
The Conservation Site:
Mara Toto Tree Camp, Kenya
If you want to do a safari holiday once and get it right, Great Plains has a range of conservation-led camps across Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe. New for this season is Mara Toto Tree Camp, a luxury, eco-friendly site in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. There are four spacious tree-canopy tented suites, each home to private lounges, en-suite bathrooms, decks with views of the surrounding landscape, and a range of amenities. Each one also has a professional camera set, which guests can use throughout their stay, while a team of on-site chefs prepare all meals using local ingredients. Guests can book everything from private game drives to hot air balloon rides in order to spot wildlife like lions, leopards and elephants. The camp is powered by an impressive solar farm, and guests can arrange cultural experiences throughout their stay, including meeting local Maasai communities.
The TV-Inspired Trips:
Yellow Zebra Safaris
Yellow Zebra Safaris has curated four itineraries inspired by the BBC’s new wildlife documentary Big Cats 24/7. The tailor-made journeys take guests to filming locations across Africa, offering encounters with lions, leopards and cheetahs. Travellers can look forward to private game drives and expert-led tracking experiences, while staying at luxurious lodges. Choose from expeditions to find black leopards in Kenya, spot big cats and wildebeest migration herds at Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, and see rare white lions in South Africa. There’s also a trip where guests can stay in the same camp (Mokolwane in Botswana) as the filmmakers.
Visit YellowZebraSafaris.com
The Sleep-Out Experience:
Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Camp, Botswana
Last week Desert & Delta Safaris opened a sleep-out camp in Botswana’s sacred Tsodilo Hills, a Unesco World Heritage Site famed for its ancient rock art. Set beneath Zambezi teak trees, the camp has three eco-friendly canvas pods inspired by traditional bushman dwellings. Perfect for a back-to-basics experience away from the luxury camps, each pod has adjoining outdoor bucket showers and toilets. Guests can experience cultural storytelling sessions around the campfire, learn about the spiritual rituals of the local bushman community, and enjoy sunsets overlooking Male Hill, the highest peak in Botswana. You can also embark on a sunrise hike to Male Hill’s summit for views of the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta, followed by a guided tour of the area’s historic rock paintings.
Visit DesertDelta.com
The Kit:
&Beyond x Swarovski Optik Smart Binoculars
Conservation-led travel company &Beyond has partnered with Swarovski Optik (maker of great bird-watching tools) to create the world’s first AI-powered binoculars. Launched earlier this year to celebrate Swarovski Optik’s 75th anniversary, the AX Visio uses cutting-edge tech to identify birds and animals in real time, capture high-quality photos and videos, and even share discoveries with others via a clever intuitive display. You can invest in a pair for your next safari trip or visit &Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge in South Africa to try them during a trip.
Visit AndBeyond.com
The Eco Opening:
Lemala Osonjoi Lodge, Tanzania
Due to open in March, Lemala Osonjoi Lodge is set on the dramatic cliffs of Tanzania’s Great Rift Valley, with views of the Ngorongoro Crater. This eco-conscious retreat will feature 20 luxury suites with private plunge pools and sweeping vistas of Lake Eyas, which is home to numerous bird species and other wildlife. Positioned just 250m from the Ngorongoro Crater floor, guests can enjoy exclusive access to the Unesco World Heritage Site via the less-travelled Lemala road. Activities include guided game drives, nature walks, and cultural visits to local communities. The lodge also has a wellness centre, where guests can unwind with spa treatments after a day of exploring the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to see lions, elephants and rare black rhinos.
Visit LemalaCamps.com
The Trip:
Flash Pack's South Africa Garden Route
Group tours can be tricky to get right. This is where Flash Pack comes in with its high-end tours for solo travellers in their 30s and 40s. The group has created a 12-day itinerary along South Africa’s Garden Route, one of the world’s most scenic coastlines. The journey includes hikes through national parks, whale watching in Hermanus, and visiting the lush winelands. Guests can also expect activities like bungee jumping, canoeing and shark cage diving, while the FP team will cover all the logistics.
Visit FlashPack.com
The Trail:
The Cheetah Experience, South Africa
Launching next month, Aardvark Safaris' cheetah trail is an exciting three-night adventure in South Africa’s Samara Karoo. Guests will track wild cheetahs on foot, covering 10-15km daily, guided by expert trackers sharing insights into cheetah behaviour. The trip includes luxury off-grid tented accommodation, with one night in a mobile fly camp under the stars. Priced from £1,434pp, the experience includes guided bush walks, game drives, all meals and drinks.
Visit AardvarkSafaris.com
Ross Couper
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