Our Top Destinations for 2021 and 2022

If you’ve had Africa’s most exclusive safari destination on your radar for a while, let now be the time to start planning. Botswana has long been one of our favourite places in Africa for private safaris. The Okavango Delta — an area larger than Wales — has just 1,000 beds, all spread across a handful of intimate properties. As bottled-up travel demand builds, so too will the desire for an escape to this great wilderness expanse.

Reopening 17th May 2021 is brand new Xigera Safari Lodge, on the western edge of the wildlife-rich Moremi Game Reserve. In a unique partnership by top safari veterans Great Plains and the prestigious Red Carnation Hotel Group, Xigera promises cutting edge renewable energy tech, sustainable conservation, and the finest hospitality. Not to mention the surroundings; palm-dappled floodplains, teeming with giraffe, hippo, elephant and cats right on your doorstep.

Botswana Documentary Watch List:

• Into the Okavango, Disney+


• The Flood, Disney+

All the signs are showing that Kenya will be one of the most sought after African travel destinations in the next two years. More appealing now than ever are the country’s vast, private reserves. We've seen a surge in demand for remote Kenyan safaris. Add to this all the postponed bookings from last year and you can see how the best places will fill up fast. Now is definitely the time to start planning if a private Kenyan safari is at the top of your bucket list.

We invite you to step back in time with a selection of the best family-run private safari houses and exclusive-use camps. This is an excellent way to bring your family together on an odyssey of the country’s most pristine safari areas. All eyes are on brand new Angama Safari Camp, tucked away in a wildlife-rich corner of the secluded Mara Triangle. Further north, Laikipia is home to a number of sole-use lodges, such as Lengishu and Arijiju, both impeccably designed with outstanding safari guides.

Kenya Documentary Watch List:

• Elsa the Lioness, BBC iPlayer


• Dynasties: Episode 3, BBC iPlayer


• Seven Worlds, One Planet: Episode 7, Africa, BBC iPlayer

With its low population density, Namibia has always been a private travel destination. Over the past year, this has made it all the more alluring. Here you can really get off the grid, leaving all your concerns behind.

If you’ve completed the East African safari circuit or are looking for somewhere otherworldly, Namibia offers an Africa you might not expect. The drifting desertscapes boggle the mind in their scale and are home to a huge variety of desert-adapted flora and fauna. There are all manner of rare and quirky wildlife wonders, including shaggy, scavenging brown hyena, secret nightly rhino meetups and congregations of mismatched species. Don’t worry about turning in early either, as the starscapes are equally awe-inspiring.

Namibia Documentary Watch List:

• Africa: Episode 1, Kalahari, BBC iPlayer


• Big Cats: Episode 1, BBC iPlayer


• Planet Earth II: Episode 4, Deserts, BBC iPlayer


• Seven Worlds, One Planet: Episode 7, Africa, BBC iPlayer

Ready for a secret? We’ve got an alternative to Bali, Tulum and other tropical hotpots. Some 300 miles off Africa’s East coast lie the Seychelles, an idyllic archipelago that includes a handful of some of the world’s most exclusive private islands. Palm-fringed beaches offer a more appealing outlook on isolation. . It's perfect on its own for a beach escape, or as a relaxing end cap to a safari.

Denis Private Island, a 30 minute hop north of Mahé, is an excellent example of sustainable luxury. The accommodation is exquisite, the scenery beautiful and the entire ethos harmonious with nature. This is a self-sustaining refuge and home to a number of endemic bird species and rare sea creatures such as green and hawksbill turtles. Here you can stay in total paradise with the lightest possible footprint.

Seychelles Documentary Watch List:

• Madagascar to the Seychelles with Simon Reeve, BBC iPlayer


• Blue Planet II: Episode 1, BBC iPlayer

Nosy Ankao lies off Madagascar’s north coast. It’s home to Miavana — aptly named to describe ‘Madagasgan Nirvana’ — a white-sand wonder off the beaten path.

A chain of four islands is exclusive to the residents of the resort’s 14 villas and offers a lavish taste of tropical seclusion. You’ll wake to sea views and a number of ways to fill your time including fly fishing, kayaking, snorkelling and lemur treks. Or perhaps indulge in sumptuous spa treatments. Stay seven days and enjoy exclusive savings of $5,400 per person or combine with Chinzombo in Zambia for an exhilarating 10 day safari + beach combo. Don’t leave the kids at home — they stay free!

Madagascar Documentary Watch List:

• Earth’s Tropical Islands: Episode 1, BBC iPlayer


• Zoo Quest to Madagascar, BBC iPlayer

Why pick between city and safari for your next trip when you can do both? South Africa is a great destination for groups and extended families because there really is something for everyone — they call it a world in one country for a reason. The Cape is the culinary capital, with local lunches readily available in trendy street markets, and countless fine dining options for dinner. This European flair carries on into the winelands, where you can sample some of the world’s best vintages in scenically stunning surroundings.

You also have excellent beaches, nature reserves, whale spotting and premier golf courses — all before you even consider a safari! We can charter planes to take you into huge private reserves with exclusive-use lodges, like Tswalu Kalahari or Phinda, which has seven distinct ecosystems. There’s horseback safaris in Limpopo and the wild adventure playground of Leobo. You can even join conservationists in Kwandwe to help monitor endangered wildlife. Diversity really is the spice of life!

South Africa Documentary Watch List:

• BBC Africa series, Episode 4, Cape, BBC iPlayer


• Somebody Feed Phil: Cape Town, Netflix


• My Octopus Teacher, Netflix


• Big Cats: Episodes 1 & 2, BBC iPlaye

We love the private reserves around the Serengeti National Park. They offer exclusive access to nature’s biggest wildlife spectacle, the Great Migration. Grumeti, a 350,000 acre conservation area northwest of the Serengeti, is one of our favourites. The unparalleled Singita manages the five camps and lodges here, each set far apart from each other and offering some of Africa’s finest guiding, hospitality, and cuisine.

Recently reimagined with an impeccable sense of style, Sabora Tented Camp offers the renowned Singita service under canvas. There’s nothing quite like the romantic nostalgia of a tented safari suite, harking back to explorers of old, with the splendour of six-star amenities. Meditation decks and secluded outdoor salas give you private front row seats to the wildlife that sometimes wanders through camp. Talk to us about being one of the first to visit.

Tanzania Documentary Watch List:

• Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Tanzania episode, Netflix


• JANE, Disney+


• Big Cats: Episode 3, BBC iPlayer


• Seven Worlds, One Planet: Episode 7, Africa, BBC iPlayer

If there’s one thing we wholeheartedly believe, it’s not to take our planet for granted. For many savvy travellers, the sustainability of where they go is an important factor. Rwanda has long had this at the forefront of their travel industry. For the past 15 years, the country has welcomed communities bordering national parks into conservation roles. Investment from government and wildlife tourism has led to increased opportunities for people to earn livings as rangers.

To make this possible, Rwanda welcomes visitors with a high value, low volume tourism model. Being one of very few visitors makes a trip here that much more special. There are just a handful of top-end lodges, like Bisate Lodge or the brand new Singita Kwitonda. Built with nature in mind, Kwitonda actively pursues reforesting and conservation initiatives. The highlight of any trip here is a trek to see mountain gorillas and the experience is now even more exclusive. Trekking groups are limited to just six visitors per gorilla family in order to protect these beautiful creatures.

Rwanda Documentary Watch List:

• Seven Worlds, One Planet: Episode 7, Africa, BBC iPlayer

In our mind, there’s no better place for an active safari than Zambia, birthplace of the walking safari. A destination of off-grid luxury and there is more than one national park that you may well have entirely to yourself. It’s also one of Africa’s best places to see elephant, with huge herds congregating on the banks of the mighty Zambezi. The Lower Zambezi also holds the record for being the world’s first climate neutral national park.

For groups, there are fabulous private safari houses, such as Chongwe River House and Luangwa House. Or we could talk to our partners about reserving an entire camp for your family. In the remote Kafue National Park, you could stay at intimate Musekese Camp, before joining their guides in Liuwa Plains on an exciting mobile safari. Liuwa is home to some of the largest wildebeest and zebra herds outside of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, and with only one other permanent camp (the luxurious King Lewanika), you’re not likely to see any other people.

Zambia Documentary Watch List:

• Life: Episode 3 Mammals, BBC iPlayer


• Life Story: Episode 3, Home, BBC iPlayer


• Fish or Die: Episode 2 Eye of the Tigerfish, Discovery Channel


• Predators Up Close with Joel Lambert: Episodes 1 & 2, Discovery Channel