What’s New in 2021

The prospect of sitting on the rooftop of your Little Kulala suite eating African tapas under a Namibian night sky is very appealing as we begin more weeks of confinement. This desert hideaway, set on a 27,000-hectare private reserve near Sossusvlei was pretty amazing even before they refurbished it.

Now it’s reopened complete with roll out beds for starry sleepouts, a spa, new activities — including e-bikes, quad bikes and walks — where you can be introduced to the fascinating desert wildlife and plants which share secrets of survival. You can even borrow state-of-the-art Olympus camera equipment which offers your best chance of capturing to some degree the magnificence of the landscapes.

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Far to the north, encased in awe-inspiring desert scenery, Little Kulala has a sister property, Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. There you can experience the profound remoteness and haunting beauty of Kaokoland and the Skeleton Coast. The site is shared with the Hoanib Research Centre, a base for researchers dedicated to long term studies of desert-adapted lion, elephant and brown hyena.

It is now possible for guests to meet and hear presentations by researchers such as Laura Brown and Rob Ramey, who have researched the lives of desert-adapted elephant since 2005. Dr Philip Stander’s desert lion project started even earlier in 1998, while Emsie Verwey is pioneering a more recent study of the fascinating lives of brown hyenas of the Skeleton Coast.

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Rwanda is steadily developing its safari potential beyond her magnificent mountain gorillas. In May 2019 Magashi Camp opened in the heart of the 1,000-square-kilometre Akagera National Park. This beautiful area of grassland, lakes, forest and hills borders Tanzania and is flourishing after decades of neglect. Lion, black rhinoceros and herds of sitatunga are among the growing populations of animals. You feel that you have the park to yourselves and Magashi’s six spacious tents overlook a lake teeming with hippos and many of Rwanda’s 520 bird species.

If you enjoy pioneering, add a few days at the Forest of Hope Guest House, which opened last month beside Gishwati-Mukura National Park. The National Park has some of the few golden monkeys, mountain monkeys and chimpanzees. It was neglected, but great efforts are being made by local communities to reforest and restore it. The accommodation is basic, but if you want to see a beautiful park coming back to life, this would be an inspiring experience.

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Ol Lentille in Kenya’s Laikipia region sits at the other end of the luxury scale from the Forest of Hope Guest House! Each villa is so gorgeously relaxing that we often include a few days here as a place to restore tired minds and bodies — the safaris being a bit of an extra. However, things have recently livened up on the reserve with regular sightings of wild dog packs, big herds of rare Grevy’s zebra and the reserve’s first lion has decided to take up residence.

Another encouraging first has taken place in the Western Serengeti’s Grumeti Private Reserve.The first eastern black rhino was born in June 2020. This follows 18 years of patient work by the Grumeti Fund culminating in the relocation of nine rhino from South Africa in 2019. You might see them during a stay at one of the luxurious lodges owned by Singita, who are partners in this conservation work.

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To our mind, the camps of African Bushcamps are a near perfect blend of authentic simplicity and stylish comfort. The emphasis is always on providing a top quality, superbly guided safari experience in a prime, private location. In September 2020 they were delighted to open their most recent camp, Khwai Leadwood, on the Khwai Private Concession on the edge of the Okavango Delta.

The camp overlooks the Khwai River and guests have sat spellbound in camp as elephant, lion, hippopotamus and other creatures are drawn to this principal water source, sometimes crossing over to the Moremi Game Reserve. Khwai is an exciting game viewing area with big herds, diversity and plenty of cats. There are six tented rooms and a family suite, and you can enjoy safaris on foot, by open vehicle and seasonally by mokoro canoe.

Additionally, their African Bushcamps Foundation is doing some excellent ground-level work among local communities which you can learn more about during your stay.

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