10 beautiful luxury safari lodges, from treetops to shipwreck cabins

A safari holiday has long been a premium bucket-list break, but deciding exactly where to splash your hard-earned cash can pose a challenge.

While wildlife is indisputably front and centre of any safari, choosing which animals you’d like to get up-close-and-personal with is a matter of taste. Whether it’s tracking leopards in Sri Lanka, puma-spotting in Patagonia or ticking off the Big Five in Africa, there’s plenty to stimulate the senses and get close to nature without sacrificing on comfort.

But the best safari lodges offer more. Think private watering holes, Michelin-starred food, one-to-one service and bespoke excursions that are tailored to your personal tastes.

And whether you’re seeking a tented village that supports a conservation project, or a desert sanctuary where you can enjoy jeep rides rolling with the pride, there’s something for everyone.

We’ve selected some of the best lodges on the planet, from India to Chile, to make wilderness feel wonderfully wild and deliciously luxurious.

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1. Madikwe Safari Lodge, South Africa

Best for: Spotting the Big Five

The South African bush provides one of the best safari settings in the world, and at Madikwe Safari Lodge the chances of seeing the Big Five are high. There are three treetop lodgings – family-friendly Lelapa, intimate Kopano and deluxe Dithaba – as well as a spa, restaurant and bar. All-inclusive dining experiences are plenty beneath the thatched roofs, while plunge pool dips promise unrivalled views of the plains.

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2. Shipwreck Lodge, Namibia

Best for: Desert discovery

For a stay on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, Shipwreck Lodge features wooden rooms that mirror stranded ships. Even in the desolate environment, hardy elephants, lions and brown hyenas wander near the eco “wreck” of 10 cosy cabins, while sandboarding, quad biking and beach lunches are all on the itinerary.

3. Puku Ridge, Zambia

Best for: Leopard lovers

If it's leopards you’re trying to spot, Puku Ridge could be your perfect stay – it sits in the South Luangwa National Park, otherwise known as “Valley of the Leopards”. Local art blends with classic safari-style furnishings – plenty of khaki and beige – in the Zambian lodge’s eight tents with plunge pools and a communal campfire overlooking the plains and lively local watering hole.

4. Wilderness Jao, Botswana

Best for: Bush interiors

Botswana’s Wilderness Jao has unrivalled game-viewing on land and water in the Okavango Delta. Here, antelope meet zebra, and hippos swim in shallow lagoons. Inside, recycled wood and glass designs bring the wild to the five safari suites, the library and the museum, and there’s even a “star bed” experience to get some shut-eye under the African sky after a mokoro canoe ride.

5. Mara Plains Camp, Kenya

Best for: Wildlife photographers

In the Olare Motorogi Conservancy on the boundary of the Maasai Mara, Mara Plains’ safari suites ooze old-world opulence with rich accents, canopied ceilings and copper bathtubs. Budding photographers will find a professional camera and a selection of lenses for shooting images of wildlife – hippos and leopards abound here – and you won’t have to go far before a big cat poses on your path.

Read our full review of the Mara Plains Camp in Kenya

6. Cherero Camp, Tanzania

Best for: The Great Wildebeest Migration

Forget the king of the jungle: Tanzania is often hailed as the king of the safari, with the Serengeti a stage for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration to and from the Maasai Mara. At Cherero Camp, six tented suites champion a slow safari experience with tipples on their private verandahs. Think guided walks, golden hour drives and campfire stories deep in the Musabi Plains.

7. SUJÁN Sher Bagh, India

Best for: Trekking with tigers

Ranthambore in India is a haven for wild tigers. Here, game drives travel the ancient forest past ruins and palaces in search of the ultimate big cat. Better still, SUJÁN Sher Bagh’s 12 tented jungle suites have private verandas to search the surrounding canopy for the swish of an orange tail, while waiting to feast on an Indian farm-to-table dinner cooked in a clay oven.

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8. Tembo Plains Camp, Zimbabwe

Best: Conservation camp

On the Zambezi River, the Tembo Camp – or elephant camp in Swahili – sits within 118,000 hectares of wildlife conservation land. Aside from the show-stealing trunked giants, you’ll find painted dogs, lions and leopards paddling the waters of the Zambezi, and guests can spend afternoons playing games of cricket on the river banks before cosying up in one of four spacious double suites.

9. Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Sri Lanka

Best for: Foodies

There are a multitude of marvellous animals to see in Sri Lanka. Situated on the southeastern coast next to Yala National Park, the Wild Coast Tented Lodge is located where the jungle meets the Indian Ocean. The headline animal is the Sri Lankan leopard, but Asian elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, monkeys, water buffalo and a vast number of birdlife are also on the viewing menu. There’s also a host of curated experiences to try, from game drives and nature walks, to a Junior Ranger programme for kids and cooking classes. The main building is open-sided with a swimming pool at its centre and there’s also a spa and a library. Cast aside any assumptions about tented dining; the Wild Coast Tented Lodge has earned two Michelin keys for its food and drink offerings.

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10. Awasi Patagonia, Chile

Best for: Getting away from it all

If discretion and one-to-one service is a priority, Awasi Patagonia is an excellent choice. There’s plenty to revel in here, from some of South America’s most spectacular scenery – think glacial lakes, big skies and mountains – to exclusive accommodation. There are just 14 villas, each with their own private guide and 4x4. Patagonia is the land of the puma and dedicated puma-spotting excursions are an integral part of the stay. Expect to see condors, foxes, guanacos, horses and Ñandú in this pristine wilderness.

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