a touch of class n luxury safaris
a touch of class n luxury safaris
n Rhinos and cocktails at Kenya's Solio Lodge
LION KINGS T africa Although safari holidays are now available across the world and generally relate to any trip which features a significant amount of wildlife activities, Africa was the birthplace of the safari and continues to offer the biggest range of destinations and options for this unique type of holiday. Safaris began life in East Africa more than a century ago when visitors from Europe and the United States, famously including US president Theodore Roosevelt, came to the plains
n A Serengeti lion
The choice of safari destinations within Africa is huge and growing all the time as new upmarket camps open across the continent. The most famous safari region remains Kenya’s Masai Mara, which is one of the best places to see the “great migration” of wildebeest from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains every autumn. Tour operator Abercrombie & Kent (www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) has been one of the pioneers of East African luxury safaris since the 1960s and still offers a comprehensive range of trips and properties in the region. Opening at the end of July in the Serengeti National Park, luxurious retreat Singita Serengeti House accommodates just eight guests and offers exclusive-use stays and safari activities with access to 350,000 acres of private land including its own watering hole. Another major area for upmarket safari lodges is South Africa’s Sabi Sands (www.sabisand.co.za), a collection of private game reserves on the edge of the iconic Kruger National Park. Some of the best and most established luxury lodges such as Singita (http://singita.com), Mala Mala (www.malamala.com) and Sabi Sabi (www.sabisabi.com) can be found here, as can Sir Richard Branson’s exclusive Ulusaba (www.ulusaba.virgin.com). For families looking for a safari experience without having to worry about taking malaria medication, the
private reserves of South Africa’s Eastern Cape are a good option. Shamwari (www.shamwari.com) is the most well known, with seven lodges all offering five-star accommodation and service. Tailor-made, luxury safari tour operator Pure Safari (www.puresafari.co.uk) offers family safaris at malariafree, high-altitude camps in Kenya and at Tanzania’s Amara Selous lodge, where the Amaradillos Club offers educational and interactive activities including scavenger hunts and footprint track casting, as well as in Botswana, where families can book exclusive use of the six-bedded Footsteps Camp with activities tailored to children’s ages. Honeymoon safaris and a new rhino-tracking safari experience in Malawi are among other options, while a stay at a suite at the Royal Malewane resort in South Africa includes your own private butler and optional arrival by helicopter or executive jet. The Okavango Delta and Botswana’s Chobe National Park have some of the best game viewing in Africa, and the wilderness has been brought even closer to guests staying at Orient-Express Hotels’ (www.orient-express.com) luxurious Savute Elephant Camp, in the heart of Chobe, with the introduction of glass sliding doors to its 12 thatched tented residences. It is one of three Orient-Express camps in Botswana, and holidays can involve a six-
Kuoni
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
of Kenya and Tanzania to go big game hunting and attempted to “bag” one of the Big Five game creatures – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. Thankfully, now, safaris are linked to conservation rather than the slaughter of these animals, although there is still an element of competition between tourists over getting to see all of these five species during their holiday. Another major evolution in the safari holiday is the vast improvement in the quality of the accommodation; guests can now unwind in luxurious lodges and tented camps offering modern conveniences and top-notch service just a few yards from the wildlife. While the idea of staying under canvas may not appeal initially to anybody who has been camping in the rain-soaked UK, these tents would put most hotel suites to shame with their impressive size and plush furnishings, often including outdoor showers or plunge pools. But probably best of all are the views of the surrounding savannah and you may even get to observe a few animals from the comfort of your private veranda. The advantage of top-notch safari accommodation is that each camp or lodge is small with only a handful of rooms, cottages or tents – normally less than 10 and frequently only five or six rooms – so there is a feeling of exclusivity. This also allows them to offer a more intimate style of service, with many providing personal butlers who can arrange private alfresco dinners, individual game drives or spa treatments.
n Coffee break in Baghvan Pench National Park
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
here can be few more memorable holiday experiences than watching some of the world’s most magnificent creatures in their natural habitats, and these days you can enjoy the best safari experiences without having to “rough it” – in fact, safari holidays offer some of the most luxurious and intimate accommodation to be found anywhere on the planet.
n Botswana in style
n Tented suite at Banjaar Tola, in India’s Kanha National Park
Kenya Tourist Office
n Wildebeest at sunset
Safari Collection
While safaris have traditionally involved getting down to basics in order to experience nature in the raw, these days you can enjoy close encounters in comfort without having to slum it. Rob Gill looks at how you can be king of the jungle on safari holidays in Africa and beyond
Singita
48 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
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Summer 2012
Summer 2012
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a touch of class n luxury safaris
flying safaris One way to elevate your safari holiday to another level is to get an aerial view of the wildlife and scenery from a small aircraft, hot-air balloon or even a helicopter. Kenya’s Masai Mara is one of the best places to do this, with operators such as Escape Worldwide (www.escapeworldwide.co.uk) offering a range of different itineraries flying around the area in light aircraft. These air safaris also have another advantage of allowing holidaymakers to combine several game reserves and lodges in one trip by saving time on what can be
along the eerie Skeleton Coast where wildlife vies for attention with the wrecks of numerous ships. If you really want to push the boat out, the East African Extravaganza safari from luxury tour operator Brown + Hudson (www.brownandhudson.com) involves travelling for 14 days exclusively by helicopter through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, tracking the Big Five as well as taking in a gorilla trek through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to half the world’s mountain gorilla population. It costs from £225,000 for two, but that includes your own bespoke documentary produced wildlife film-making legend Alan Root, who also acts as your personal guide.
Tropic Air
arduous and lengthy transfers by road. Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk) offers fly-in safaris between Kenya’s Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara wildlife areas, as well as to the Governors’ Camp, also to Kenya. Scenic hot-air balloon excursions are also offered around the region while guests staying at the Safari Collection’s (www.thesafaricollection.com) Solio Lodge can take a helicopter day trip which includes trout fishing on Mount Kenya and trying to spot the area’s most famous inhabitants – black and white rhino. Further south, Namibia is known for its spectacular desert landscapes which are best appreciated from a light aircraft. Abercrombie & Kent offers a flying safari
Wilderness Safaris
n Arriving in style in Uganda with Brown + Hudson
nNew camps offer gorilla tracking
night stay at one or a combination of all three with intercamp transfers by light aircraft. Game-viewing vehicles also now carry a maximum of just six guests, so everyone is guaranteed a window seat. Namibia’s Etosha has seen the opening of several new upmarket lodges in recent years, including Little Ongava (www.ongava.com), which is regarded as one of the country’s finest properties with just three suites, all with views of a nearby waterhole and plains as well as individual infinity plunge pools. Further north, both Uganda and Rwanda have become known for their gorilla-tracking safaris where visitors can see these great apes in their natural jungle habitat while staying in eco-lodges. Lodge operator Wilderness Safaris (www.wilderness-safaris.com) is also due to open two new camps this summer in the Odzala area of the Republic of Congo.
50 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
asia-pacific While Africa will always be king of the safari jungle, the Indian sub-continent is the one region that can give it a run for its money – thanks to the huge range of diverse landscapes that are home to a variety of fascinating wildlife.
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The star turn of the Indian jungle is undoubtedly the Bengal tiger, which has been threatened with extinction due to hunting. But they can still be seen in some of the country’s national parks such as Bandhavgarh, Panna and Kaziranga, as well as Chitwan in neighbouring Nepal. Kaziranga is also home to India’s one-horned rhino. Luxury accommodation in these areas tends to revolve around stylish kutiyas, which are traditionally built jungle suites with mod cons and large verandas. Upmarket Indian hotel group Taj (www.tajsafaris.com) has four of these properties spread across four national parks in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Sri Lanka has also developed a reputation for its wildlife, which includes elephants, bison, macaques and tracking the rosette-spotted leopard in Yala National Park. The country has undergone a luxury makeover in recent years, bringing its properties up to the level expected by upmarket travellers with sumptuous lodges such as Aditya (www.aditya-resort.com) offering guests proper pampering. Further east, Malaysian Borneo is famed for its orang-utans and proboscis monkeys. Seeing these animals in the jungle forms a major part of tours around the island offered by luxury operators such as Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com), while the
Summer 2012
a touch of class n luxury safaris
n Furry visitor at Manitoba’s Seal River Lodge
luxur y safari facts sample packages: kenya
n Mara Buhtops, Kenya
Churchill Wild
Shangri-La Rasa Ria (www.shangri-la.com) offers an upmarket resort experience.
Kuoni
Four nights staying in a luxury tent at the Mara Bushtops camp is priced from £2,598 per person with Kuoni. This price includes all meals, international and domestic flights, plus game drives. www.kuoni.co.uk
tanzania Africa Odyssey is offering a four-night stay at the brand-new Singita Serengeti House in the Serengeti from £6,200 per person, including international and internal flights, exclusive-use of the property on a fullboard basis, game-viewing drives and park entrance fees. www.africaodyssey.com
americas south africa
Rob Gill has been writing about travel for over a decade, with regular trips to see some of the world’s most fascinating creatures. Highlights include the lions of southern Africa, Sri Lanka’s elephants and the jungle-dwelling orang-utans in Indonesia.
52 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
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Audley Travel has a 12-day trip combining the Kruger National Park in South Africa with the beaches of Mozambique. It is priced from £3,260 per person including flights. www.audleytravel.com
congo Rainbow Tours offers a six-night package to Wilderness Safaris’ two new Odzala camps in the Republic of Congo for £4,695 per person including all flights, full-board accommodation, plus daily guided walks, game drives and gorilla-tracking groups. www.rainbowtours.co.uk
namibia An Abercrombie & Kent 12-day tailor-made safari holiday to Namibia is priced from £5,898 per person, based on two adults sharing with flights from the UK. www.abercrombiekent.co.uk
india A 13-day safari tour with Cox & Kings visiting the Bandhavgarh and Kanha national parks is priced from £3,445 per person, including flights, safari drives with tiger tracking, and all meals at the safari lodges. www.coxandkings.co.uk
other safari operators: Africa Collection: www.africacollection.co.uk Bridge & Wickers: www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk Brown + Hudson: www.brownandhudson.com Carrier: www.carrier.co.uk Cedarberg Travel: www.cedarberg-travel.com Elegant Resorts: n Serengeti www.elegantresorts.co.uk Expert Africa: www.expertafrica.com ITC Classics: www.itcclassics.co.uk Kirker: www.kirkerholidays.com Pure Safari: www.puresafari.co.uk Scott Dunn: www.scottdunn.com Sunvil: www.sunvil.co.uk Transindus: www.transindus.co.uk
Singita
Costa Rica in Central America has fast developed a reputation for the diversity of its animal experiences packed into a relatively small country. Sights include turtles laying their eggs at Tortuguero National Park, howler monkeys flying through the jungle, brightlycoloured toucans and parrots, plus a range of resident wildcats such as jaguars and pumas. The destination is also well known for its high-quality eco lodges, particularly around Arenal Volcano National Park; it features some of the most stylish properties such as Arenal Nayara (http://arenalnayara.com), where guests can enjoy views of the volcano from their private outdoor plunge pools and balconies. Another iconic wildlife destination is Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, which have been traditionally visited on small cruise ships. However, the Galapagos Safari Camp (www.galapagossafaricamp.com), on the island of Santa Cruz, has tried to recreate an upmarket African-style safari experience with nine spacious tents built on wooden platforms. In North America, some of the best luxury wildlife experiences can be found on the coast of British Columbia, where bears and whales can be seen from resorts such as Clayoquot Wilderness Resort (www.wildretreat.com) and King Pacific Lodge (www.kingpacificlodge.com) or you can enjoy varied eco-adventure wildlife tours at the Relais & Chateaux Sonora Resort (www.sonoraresort.com). Further east, polar bears are the iconic inhabitants of Churchill in northern Manitoba. Head for Seal River Heritage Lodge (www.churchillwild.com) on the Hudson Bay – a 30-minute flight from Churchill – where these huge beasts can be spotted as well as the similarly-white beluga whales.
Summer 2012