Hollywood’s Most Beautiful and Favorite Safari Camps in Africa

There is always something new to discover and discover across Africa, with many places still untouched. while filming a female king In South Africa, Viola Davis makeup artist Sergio López-Rivera felt that “what everyone talks about when it comes to Africa: there is a connection to the planet that, as a 55-year-old man who has traveled the world I had never seen before. You feel like you are part of a much bigger plan. For me, safaris put everything in perspective. ” THR Explore the latest all-inclusive safari experiences on another continent.

SOUTH AFRICA

On the grounds of Greater Kruger National Park, Royal Malewane (home to Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Richard Gere and Bono) debuted a 12-bedroom glass, steel, thatched-roof cottage called the Waterside at Royal Malewane (From US$ 1,178 per night). theroyalportfolio. with). In this newest property in the Royal portfolio, all maximalist suites come with their own pools.

Tswalu Kalahari, a massive private game reserve on the Northern Cape, has launched a new way for animal lovers to get closer to the wild: a rhino capture experience ($7,265 per person, tswalu. with), in which a guest helps monitor and microchip a young rhino along with professional trackers and veterinarians to collect genetic data. In 2021, Tsvalu Kalahar presented Klein JAN, an outstanding James Bond dining experience filled with suspense and culinary bliss, from Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. And in 2023, Tswalu’s Loapi Tented Camp will debut with six luxury safari lodges open to those seeking complete privacy, plus a personal butler and private chef while in the wild.

The Homestead twelve-suite eco-friendly luxury inn (from $3,500 per person, per night), www.homesteadlodge.com) will open in Nambithi in 2023, offering high-altitude camping, animal photography courses, local cooking sessions and eerily silent and devilish 4×4 electric safaris.

Singita Sabi Sand and Singita Kruger National Park, where Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake honeymooned at Singita Safari Lodge, have opened galleries of contemporary African art to offer visitors more opportunities to experience African artistic traditions. The artistic residency also continues.

Kenya

Roar Africa CEO Deborah Kallmeier, who counts Robert Redford as a friend and close customer, recently launched out of africa Kenya city and safari experience. The Roar Africa journey takes up to six guests to visit filming locations from the epic 1985 film, including the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Karen area of ​​Nairobi and the Laikipia Plateau, on a flight through the bush in an authentic decade-old Yellow Gipsy Moth. from 1930. Film ($32,660 per person, double occupancy, roarafrica.com).

Angama Mara, a luxury safari lodge managed by Juliana House, is one of the properties on the Roar Africa route and offers its own out of africa– Picnic in style with full butler service and sparkling wine kopi (hill), where the most romantic scene was filmed ($1400/night per person), angama.com).

The luxury operator also announced the Roar Africa Emirates Executive Jet Safari, $125,000 per person for 10 guests, arriving in August 2023, which includes the “Holy Grail of Africa”, namely Victoria Falls, the Okavango, the Great Migration from Kenya and the gorilla hike. Rwanda.

Great Plains Mara Toto Campground (From $720 per night, double occupancy, great plain conservation. with), on the edge of the Masai Mara and ready for big cat lovers, opened in May 2021. And at the Mara Plains campground of the Great Plains, a two-bedroom villa called the Mara Jahazi Suite (from $5,760 a night) , complete with private bathroom. The chef, car and tour guide will debut in 2021. And the brand’s Mara Expedition Camp (from $690 per night per shared person) last year took on a romantic safari atmosphere created by photographer and filmmaker Beverley Joubert, offering a traditional atmosphere and walking safaris . .

Intimate and sustainable luxury Segera Retreat accommodation (from $1600 per person, double occupancy, segera.com) in Laikipia – owned by the founder of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town – “focuses on conservation, commerce and culture”, says film producer Geraldine Dreyfuss (in the registry), which has seven documentaries in production in Kenya. “They do a lot of artist residencies for Kenyan designers and photographers.”

Roar Africa’s next wild retreat with David White will take place February 22-28, 2023. Hosted by White, Steven Spielberg’s Irish poet friend. From Their Heads and Hearts ($21,700 per person, double occupancy; $38,500 single, roarafrica.com).

Dreyfus calls Arijiju (from $9,000 a night for up to six people), arijiju. with), a safari lodge at the base of Mount Kenya, “the most beautiful place I have ever been. You can go horseback riding in the wild and when you are in the pool the elephants will appear and start playing, plunging you into the water.”

Sanctuary Tambarare Lodge opened in June 2022 with secluded suites overlooking Ol Pejeta Conservancy and is part of the Kenya Safari in Style trip (from $8,695 per person) by Abercrombie & Kent, the operator that planned trips to Africa for James Brolin and Cristina Davis. , Winfrey, Andrew McCarthy and Ricky Martin. The updated route includes horseback riding with rhinos, a five- to seven-kilometer run across the plain, and a bike ride.

Active types will also participate in Rhino Charge (3 June 2023), the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust’s annual 4×4 off-road competition fundraiser, held at a secret location in Kenya and attracting the hottest faces. “Who would have thought that guarding and protecting one of the last bastions of wildlife in our world could be so much fun?” says actress and producer María Bello (a female king), which has participated in recent years. Outside of an extreme event, friends of the organization can stay at the Rhino Retreat bungalow year-round to contribute to conservation.

Luxury operator Extraordinary Journeys booked Christine Cavallari’s Kenya safari, which included working with a local school, and also arranged a trip for the award-winning actress to support the African Bush Camp Foundation. . One such offering is Forefront of Conservation, a 12-day trip for $32,781 to $37,703 per person that includes unique adventures with executive teams from organizations like Project Pangolin, Save the Elephants and the Tsavo Trust. — Consider helping to glue an elephant on a helicopter mission, track pangolins and black rhinos, and camp in the Wild West overnight on a rhino platform.

Botswana

Great Plains Okavango Explorers Camp arrived in July (from $1,165 per night, great plain conservation. with) in the Selinda Private Nature Reserve. With just six berths, the intimate safari camp offers canoe rides, elephant-watching canoes, floating gourmet experiences and tours to encounter one of the largest concentrations of wildlife such as lions, leopards and wild dogs in the region.

With extraordinary architecture, including a unique baobab tree house, Xigera Safari Lodge entered the same landscape as the Okavango Delta in late 2020, embracing the water year-round both on land and with traditional experiences. mokoro Boat ($2,320/night per shared adult, xigera.com).

On the banks of the Chobe River in the famous Chobe National Park, the Chobe Game Lodge is the place where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were married and where Steve Harvey, as well as members of the royal family, have been on safaris ever since. Guests can see elephants swimming on water safaris in solar-powered boats led by female guides (from $880 per night per person sharing, chobegamelodge. with).

Tanzania

A great pride of lions is the hallmark of a remote corner of the Serengeti, where Andbeyond Serengeti Tent Camp (from $1,080 per night per shared person, andbeyond.com) opened in June 2022. Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Charlize Theron were seen in Grumet Nature Reserve. Past and present, this classic campground offers renewable energy, daily yoga classes and suites that gently touch the landscape with soaking tubs, outdoor terraces and private pools.

At Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, where Laura Prepon, Vanessa Hudgens and Ouzo Aduba have been guests in the past, the spa’s new menu focuses on treatments with powerful African botanicals (from $1,150 a night). four seasons. with).

Zimbabwe

Spring 2022 brought the Mpala Jena camp to the lush banks of the Zambezi River. Activities can include boat cruises, hikes, games and trips to the spectacularly mighty Victoria Falls, where Ewan McGregor bungee-jumped (from $780 per night per person sharing, great plain conservation. with).

The first and only Relais & Chateaux property in Zimbabwe is the Tembo Plains Camp, which will also open in spring 2022. With just five lodges, the exclusive safari destination in the 130,000-hectare Sappi Private Game Reserve offers hen dog sightings. ‘angola, leopards, buffalo and elephants. Day & Night (From $895 per night per person sharing, relaischateaux. with).

namibia

Namibia is an extraordinary safari destination, where the stunning scenery threatens to be a wildlife spectacle. It is also popular in Hollywood. Mad Max: Fury Road Filmed in the country, Will Smith spent time filming the National Geographic series in 2021.

Last year, Ultimate Safaris opened a remote Ondul Range Camp with rhino hikes in Damaraland, near the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Literally built into the granite rocks, like the property’s picturesque pool, the six suites can be fully opened at night, allowing guests to sleep under the stars on their rollaway beds (from $550 a night per person, ultimatesafaris.na).

Habitas, known for its hotel in Tulum (where Paris Hilton stayed), launched its first sustainable safari experience in 2021. At Habitat Namibia, on private property outside the capital Windhoek, is a boho tent that captures wildlife. Immersive and serves not only creative cuisine, but also music and dance performances (from $780 a night, ourhabitas.com).

A version of this story first appeared in the August 17 issue of The Gossipify. Click here to subscribe.