8 stunning lodges for a luxe safari, from treetops tents to shipwreck cabins

It’s the bucket list break with wildlife and wilderness – and the safari holiday continues to elevate game reserve glamping to new levels of luxury.

But with big-name safari destinations spanning Africa and treks to see tigers and jaguars in Asia and South America, choosing the right canvas to tuck in for the night can be a challenge.

There are tents supporting conservation projects, desert sanctuaries and treetop lodges to zip into after jeep rides rolling with the prides, herds and packs.

Think private watering holes, sundowner cocktails and barbeque campfires with high-end creature comforts weaved into close encounters with the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo).

With grand lodges from Kenya to India, here are the top camps to go wild for on your next safari.

Read more on safari, wildlife and nature holidays:

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 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.

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 and sandboarding, quad biking and beach lunches are all on the itinerary.

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 – of course, 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.

Book now

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 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.

Book now

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 – particularly hippos and leopards – and you won’t have to go far before a big cat poses on your path.

Book now

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 the stage for the annual Great Wildebeest Migrations to and from the Masai Mara. At Cherero Camp, six tented suites champion a slow safari experience with tipples on their private verandas. Think guided walks, golden hour drives and campfire stories deep in the Musabi Plains.

SUJÁN Sher Bagh, India

Best for: Trekking with tigers

Away from Africa, 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 verandahs 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.

Tembo Plains Camp, Zimbabwe

Best: Conservation camp

On the Zambezi River, the Tembo Camp – or elephant camp in Swahili – sits within 128,000 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’s banks before cosying up in one of four spacious double suites.

Book now

Read more: How to safari in Botswana on a budget