The specialist safari tour operator, Aardvark Safaris, has compiled a guide to the exciting new openings and significant refurbishments gracing Africa for the year ahead.
From private safari houses to luxury tented camps and elegant beach retreats, these new openings embody Aardvark Safaris’ core values of supporting conservation and community projects whilst showcasing their beloved Africa’s rich and varied wildlife and majestic landscape.
Alice Gully, Owner of Aardvark Safaris, said, “We are thrilled to see a raft of exciting new camps and lodges opening across Sub-Saharan Africa. The investment in this magical continent further signals that tailored travel to Africa is most definitely back!”
Alice continues, “2023 has been our most successful year to date, and demand for private tailormade safari experiences doesn’t seem to be slowing down… we have increased our team of safari experts by 40% to ensure that we can continue to offer the very best knowledge and client experience. We are looking forward to an even more successful 2024 and celebrating our 25th anniversary.”
NEW OPENINGS
Atzaro Okavango, Botswana – Opening March 2024
Wildly luxurious and sustainably powered, Atzaro Okavango has been carefully designed to sensitively offer opulent comfort in the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage wilderness of the inimitable Okavango Delta.
Ten elegant luxury suites, including two double luxury family suites – each with a private plunge pool, indoor and outdoor showers, and a decked dining area under a grass-topped roof – will offer spacious privacy for the camp’s discerning guests.
Further highlights of the 60-acre riverside site include a spa, gym, yoga deck, 20-metre infinity pool overlooking a wildlife-rich waterhole, chic wine bar and ancestral boma for dining and gatherings.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £480 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals, beverages, laundry, return shared road transfers, compulsory conservation levy and two shared activities per full day.
Voaara, Madagascar – Opening March 2024
An amalgamation of the Malagasy words for “forbidden” and “sacred fruit”, Voaara will epitomise barefoot luxury when it opens in March to guests on the paradise island of Sainte Marie in Madagascar. Aimed at guests who appreciate unspoiled nature and simple elegance alongside immaculate service and exquisite cuisine, this is a whale lover’s paradise.
Sainte Marie boasts one of the world’s best spots for sighting the mighty humpback whale. From July to September, pods return to the shallows to birth their young, with incredible sightings available from the island’s pristine white sands. Eight bungalows and one three-bedroom villa will offer rustic tropical-style accommodation from March, expanding in time to 45 keys.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £300 (€347.50) pppn based on two adults sharing on a full board basis (special introductory rate).
Tawana, Botswana – Opening May 2024
On the banks of the Gomoti River in Botswana’s iconic Moremi Game Reserve, Tawana has been designed in harmony with the lush forests and grasslands of the 5000 square kilometre wilderness.
With the camp unfenced and open to nature, the wildlife will be free to wander, allowing guests a breathtaking safari experience under the close guidance of the camp’s experienced staff.
Accommodation is via eight luxurious and generous suites (including three family suites), each with a lounge and private terrace with a plunge pool and outdoor sala. A 16-metre lap pool and in-room spa treatments will also be on offer.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £1,597 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals & beverages, guest laundry, daily activities, compulsory conservation levy, airstrip transfers, expert guiding and free helicopter transfers for guests staying two nights in 2024.
Karangoma, Botswana – Opening May 2024
This is a small and exclusive tented camp where guests can immerse themselves in the magical wilderness of the Okavango Delta’s secluded northeast, with many land- and water-based safari activities available.
Karangoma’s five spacious ensuite tents and one family unit (comprising two ensuite tents) will be set back on a shaded peninsula with spectacular views across the floodplains.
The camp has intentionally removed unnecessary trappings of urban luxury, allowing guests the space and opportunity to focus on the truly special wildlife experiences and reconnect with nature in a meaningful way whilst supporting the local community.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £515 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes return heli transfers to/from Vumbura (min 2-night stay valid until 31 Mar 2025 – Opening Special), all meals and local beverages, compulsory conservation levy, laundry, emergency medical evacuation to Maun and twice daily camp activities. Included activities: Day and night game drives, mokoro, boating, guided walking and stargazing.
Singita Milele, Tanzania – Opening May 2024
Breathtakingly remote, this ultra-exclusive, fully-serviced villa for a private family or friend group is surrounded by 350,000 acres of pristine wilderness in the Grumeti Reserve in Northern Tanzania.
Set high on Sasakwa Hill, the villa generously accommodates up to ten guests in five individually designed suites, each one inspired by one of the region’s most iconic animals. The spacious suites all include dressing rooms, outdoor showers and large terraces with sweeping views of the savannahs below.
Additional spaces include a boma with a fire pit, outdoor sala, infinity pool and jacuzzi. Beyond the personalised safari activities, guests will be entertained in camp with in-suite wellness treatments, a movie room, a fitness centre, private dining on request and a remarkable wine cellar.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £2,081 pppn based on ten adults sharing. Price includes all meals and beverages, dedicated Villa staff including a field guide, chef, butler and housekeeping team, private game drives in open wildlife-viewing vehicles, return road transfers between the Sasakwa airstrip and Singita Milele, telephone calls, laundry service and WiFi access.
Kibale Lodge, Uganda – Opening May 2024
Perfectly positioned for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, one of the most primate-rich areas in the world, Kibale Lodge is due to open in 2024.
The Lodge will comprise eight deluxe rooms, one villa, spa, sauna and pool, built with local materials by local people to resemble natural bush on a 150-acre site with stunning views of the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon). Three deluxe bandas will open by May, with the remaining five ready for guests by the end of 2024.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £990 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals, beverages, laundry, and compulsory conservation levy.
Kokoko Camp, Tanzania – Opening 1 July 2024
Set in the heart of the prime wildlife region of Ruaha, on the banks of the Mwagusi River, this gem of a camp puts the emphasis on exceptional safari experiences and the natural beauty of the landscape, keeping the accommodation pared back and elegantly simple in style.
With only three tents at the camp and a maximum of six guests at one time, the intimate nature of the exclusive-use camp is designed to remind guests of the true essence of safari: a journey to explore and discover wildlife whilst connecting with the wilderness.
The meals are cooked over a fire, dinners are by lantern light, and the tents can be folded back on clear nights to sleep under the stars.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £1200 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals and local drinks, private vehicle and guide for wildlife drives, night drives, guided walks and transfers to/from airstrip and camp, and laundry.
Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira, Mozambique – Opening 2024
For the ultimate in Bush and Beach final destinations, Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira will offer 40 immaculate pool villas on the private island of Nampula, just 20 miles from the Mozambique mainland. The one-, two– and four-bedroom villas are poetically stylish in their vernacular design and come complete with opulent touches and a Villa Host.
Dotted around the fringes of the lush vegetation of the island’s interior, each luxury villa offers stunning views of the pristine Indian Ocean with its crystal-clear turquoise waters and golden sands. Guests can expect world-class diving in a marine-protected area home to 20% of Mozambique’s intact living coral.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £655 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes dinner, bed and breakfast.
EXCITING & SIGNIFICANT REFURBISHMENTS
Bom Bom, Principe Island – Reopening May 2024
The paradise island resort of Bom Bom on Principe Island, with its 17 hillside and beach bungalows overlooking the emerald waters of the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa, offers the epitome of relaxed beach chic living. Reopening in May 2024, Bom Bom provides an idyllic and authentic base from where to discover this magical tropical island and its remarkable flora and fauna.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £335 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes dinner, bed & breakfast, house drinks and compulsory sustainability levy.
Savute Safari Lodge, Botswana – Reopening 1 June 2024
Enjoying wonderful views of the Savute Channel and its waterholes that attract vast numbers of elephants, Savute Lodge provides a fabulous base from which to explore the Savute Marshes of the Chobe National Park and the second-largest zebra migration in Africa.
Reopening on 1st June 2024 after an eight-month refurbishment, the Lodge’s sleek new look provides comfortable accommodation in twelve thatched ensuite chalets, with generous communal areas including lounges, a library, a bar, an alfresco dining area, a fire pit and a swimming pool.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £514 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals and house drinks, National park fees and levies and airport transfers.
Ngala Tented Camp, South Africa – Reopening 20 September 2024
In the heart of The Ngala Private Game Reserve, best known for its large numbers of elephants, buffalo, wild dogs and rhinos, Ngala Tented Camp benefits from a tranquil and atmospheric setting on the banks of the seasonal Timbavati River.
The sophisticated and intimate safari camp, comprising only nine elegant luxury tents with a private decking area, will close for a six-month refurbishment in March 2024, reopening in September.
Available through Aardvark Safaris £710 pppn based on two adults sharing. Price includes all meals and drinks, laundry, compulsory conservation levy, safari activities, 1-hour nature walks accompanied by experienced armed trackers (subject to availability), emergency medical evacuation insurance, transfers to and from the lodge airstrip, Guides’ Journal with illustrated wildlife, a vegetation checklist, an area map with illustrated Star Birds checklist and Swarovski Optik binoculars.
To make a booking at any of the above-featured properties, visit www.aardvarksafaris.com or call 0131 297 6229.