subject: Choosing the Correct Lodgings for Your Luxury Safari Holiday [print this page] Your luxury safari holiday isn't limited to what kind of tent you can bring with you. You needn't sleep on the ground or even share facilities with other guests. It really depends on what you're willing to spend and how you're willing to spend it; more luxurious accommodations are available at standard cost and only those who would really like to "rough it" will be sleeping on the floor in a tent.
You have a few choices for your accommodation on a safari. Here are the options:
Lodges
If you'd like a typical resort experience with safari attached, a lodge will be the right choice for you. They are simply regular hotels scattered throughout the landscape, often with fantastic views and safaris that depart right from the lodge, so you shouldn't have to go to any extra effort to make your safari happen. They'll also offer typical resort facilities, like swimming pools, shops, spas, and restaurants, more so than a camp focused on roughing it. It's important to determine whether your lodge is close to the wildlife you'd like to spot, as you won't be able to travel as far as you would if you were changing location more readily.
For example, Botswana's Chobe Game Lodge is situated in the midst of the Chobe National Park, which means it offers amazing views and you may get up close and personal with the abundance of wildlife that ranges around the park. The resort is all-inclusive, with a pool, great views of the Chobe River, and game drives included in the price.
Tented camps
Many of the most popular accommodation choices in Africa are tented. Despite the fact that you'll be sleeping under a canvas tent, you'll still enjoy as much luxury as you can afford. A tented lodging is generally just a luxurious hotel room inside a tent; you'll still have a large bedroom with a real, plush bed, and a private bathroom; it's more or less the same with a tent to remind you that you are indeed in Africa. Some tented camps do move around a bit in order to keep track of the migrating wildlife, but this will all be made clear to you before you book your time there.
Bush camps
If you're not after a luxury hotel, but instead a unique African experience, it's likely that a bush camp is for you. This is the perfect way to experience the remote African bush, because many bush camps are located in the most remote of places and can really make your trip more personal. That's because quite a few of the bush camps are privately owned, so you'll often have the luxury of meeting the owner and having your needs attended to more closely than you would in a larger chain resort. Bush camps are free of all the cookie cutter design and fuss, so you'll have personalised friendly service from people who just really love the African wilderness.
For a more luxurious bush camp, try the Mchenja Bushcamp in Zambia. The area is full of amazing wildlife and is a perfect stop or setting off point for a walking safari. Its design is pleasingly rustic, so even though you'll have all the amenities you're used to, you'll really be reminded that you're in Africa throughout your stay.
Choosing the Correct Lodgings for Your Luxury Safari Holiday
