About this experience
What to expect.
Africa's top-tier safari lodges and itineraries. Curated by our specialists alongside the editors who set the international benchmark for the category: Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, AFAR, Forbes and Robb Report.
How we built this list
Every lodge and itinerary on this page sits at the genuine top of African safari accommodation. We cross-check our shortlist against the editors who set the international benchmark for the category: Condé Nast Traveler's Hot List and Gold List, Travel + Leisure's World's Best, AFAR, Forbes and Robb Report. The properties that earn their place on those lists year after year are the properties we surface here.
Self-description does not count. Every safari camp in Africa says it is luxurious. The shortlist below is the small set where the editorial coverage, the brand standing and the rate all line up at the top of the bracket. Real booking volume from the past twelve months breaks the tie when two properties are otherwise similarly placed.
Specialists' shortlist
Specialists' shortlist for luxury.
Hand-picked itineraries our specialists return to for this kind of trip. Up to twenty shown. Refine the filter below to see what fits where.
Most requested · 5 days
5-Day MalaMala and Timbavati Luxury Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Simbavati River Lodge in the Timbavati Reserve
- 2 nights at MalaMala Camp in the renowned MalaMala Game Reserve
- Twice-daily game drives in open 4x4 vehicles with expert rangers
- Big Five tracking across two of South Africa's top private reserves
From
R 97 870
per person, complete package
≈ R 195 740 for two · international flights excluded
Most requested · 4 days · South Africa
4-Day Ultra-Lux Safari at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
All meals · All activities · All transfers
- 3 nights at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge in the Sabi Sand
- Stay in one of just eight riverside villas with private plunge pools
- Twice-daily game drives plus guided bush walks with expert trackers
- Evening drives for nocturnal wildlife and exceptional stargazing
From
R 162 050
per person, complete package
≈ R 324 110 for two · international flights excluded
Most requested · 9 days · Botswana
9-Day Desert and Delta Ultra-Lux Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights each at Camp Xakanaxa, Camp Okavango, Leroo La Tau and Chobe Game Lodge
- Game drives and boat cruise in Moremi Game Reserve
- Mokoro and motorboat safaris through the Okavango Delta
- Track zebra and wildebeest migrations along the Boteti River
From
$8,385
per person, complete package
≈ $16,770 for two · international flights excluded
9 days · South Africa
9-Day Victoria Falls, Cape Town, MalaMala Camp Ultra-Luxury Safari
Most meals · Most activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Victoria Falls Safari Club, 3 at Victoria & Alfred Hotel, 3 at MalaMala Camp
- Guided tour of Victoria Falls and sunset cruise on the Zambezi
- Private Cape Peninsula tour to Cape Point and Boulders Beach penguins
- Full-day Winelands excursion through Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
From
$9,015
per person, complete package
≈ $18,030 for two · international flights excluded
10 days · Kenya · Tanzania
10-Day Best of East Africa Migration Safari
Most meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Karen Blixen Cottages with visits to David Sheldrick Trust and Giraffe Centre
- 2 nights at Kichwa Tembo in the Masai Mara for Big Five game drives
- 2 nights at Simbavati Grumeti Camp in the Serengeti with private guide
- Full-day game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater, staying at Melia Ngorongoro
From
$13,085
per person, complete package
≈ $26,170 for two · international flights excluded
10 days
10-Day Exploring Victoria Falls, Hwange & Chobe National Park Safari
Most meals · Most activities · All flights & transfers
- 3 nights at Victoria Falls Hotel, 3 at Camelthorn Lodge, 3 at Chobe Game Lodge
- Guided tour of Victoria Falls and sundowner cruise on the Zambezi
- 12-minute helicopter flight over Victoria Falls
- Game drives and nature walks in Hwange National Park
From
$14,385
per person, complete package
≈ $28,770 for two · international flights excluded
7 days · South Africa
7-Day Ultra-Lux Cape Town and Londolozi Combo
Most meals · Most activities · All flights & transfers
- 3 nights at One&Only Cape Town with Table Mountain views
- Optional Table Mountain hike, Cape Winelands visit, or sea adventures
- 3 nights at Londolozi Varty Camp in the Sabi Sand
- Twice-daily game drives in open Land Rovers with expert rangers
From
R 145 260
per person, complete package
≈ R 290 520 for two · international flights excluded
4 days · South Africa
4-Day Fly-In Londolozi Tree Camp Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 3 nights in a private suite at Londolozi Tree Camp
- Twice-daily game drives across 16,000 hectares with rangers and trackers
- Guided bush walks and daily group yoga at Founders Camp
- Bush breakfasts with river views and champagne deck sundowners
From
R 159 190
per person, complete package
≈ R 318 390 for two · international flights excluded
3 days · Tanzania
3-Day Singita Faru Faru Luxury Fly-In Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Singita Faru Faru Lodge in the Grumeti Game Reserve
- Twice-daily open-vehicle game drives across the Grumeti plains
- Tennis at neighbouring Sasakwa Lodge
- Dinners and sundowners on open-air decks under the stars
From
$5,700
per person, complete package
≈ $11,400 for two · international flights excluded
11 days · South Africa
11 Day Cape Town, Tswalu and Kruger
Most meals · Most activities · All flights & transfers
- 4 nights at Ellerman House in Cape Town with time to explore the city
- 3 nights at Tswalu Kalahari Lodge in South Africa's largest private reserve
- Track desert black rhino and habituated meerkats in the Kalahari
- Game drives on horseback and walking safaris across semi-arid grasslands
From
R 347 880
per person, complete package
≈ R 695 770 for two · international flights excluded
12 days · Kenya
12-Day Bush to Beach Luxury Safari through Kenya
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Sasaab in Samburu, tracking the Samburu Special Five
- 2 nights at Solio Lodge for black and white rhino viewing
- 3 nights at Sala's Camp in the Masai Mara with bush lunches
- 3 nights at Kinondo Kwetu on Diani Beach with kite surfing and diving
Special offer available
From
$16,335 normally $20,370
per person, complete package
≈ $32,670 for two · international flights excluded
5 days
5 Day Promotion with Malamala Camp
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 4 nights at MalaMala Camp in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve
- Twice-daily open-vehicle game drives with expert guides and trackers
- Big Five tracking across 37,065 acres of exclusive traversing land
- Guided bush walks to learn the fauna and flora on foot
Special offer available
From
R 90 420 normally R 116 520
per person, complete package
≈ R 180 850 for two · international flights excluded
5 days
5-Day Singita Kruger Park Promotion
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 4 nights at Singita Lebombo Lodge on the N'wanetsi River
- Twice-daily game drives in a private Kruger concession
- Big Five sightings with expert Singita guides
- Walking safaris through the Lebombo wilderness
From
R 166 700
per person, complete package
≈ R 333 410 for two · international flights excluded
9 days · Namibia
9 Day Ultra-Lux Fly-in Namibia
Most meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights each at Fish River Lodge, &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Shipwreck Lodge and Ongava Lodge
- Aerial views of Fish River Canyon on the safari flight in
- Stargazing through suite skylights between the red dunes of Sossusvlei
- Sundowners on deck at Shipwreck Lodge on the Skeleton Coast
From
R 199 920
per person, complete package
≈ R 399 850 for two · international flights excluded
3 days · South Africa
3-Day Mala Mala - Best Big 5 Safari in the World
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at 5-star MalaMala Camp in MalaMala Game Reserve
- Twice-daily game drives in open 4WD vehicles with expert rangers
- Big Five tracking across a 19-kilometre boundary with Kruger National Park
- Guided nature walk and bush coffee stops in the wilderness
From
R 66 200
per person, complete package
≈ R 132 400 for two · international flights excluded
3 days
3-Day Tswalu The Motse Fly-In Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Tswalu The Motse in the Kalahari
- Private game-viewing vehicle with dedicated guide and tracker
- Habituated meerkat encounter, nature walks, horse riding and birding
- Dinner at Klein JAN with Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen
From
R 141 800
per person, complete package
≈ R 283 600 for two · international flights excluded
7 days · Botswana
7-Day Ultra-lux fly-In safari Okavango Delta to Vic Falls
All meals · All activities · Most transfers
- 3 nights at Karangoma Lodge in the Okavango Delta
- Helicopter transfer from Vumbura Airstrip to the lodge
- Mokoro safari through the Delta's waterways with a bush breakfast
- 3 nights at Camp Hwange with twice-daily game drives and walking safaris
From
$6,425
per person, complete package
≈ $12,850 for two · international flights excluded
8 days · Botswana
8-Day Fly-In Ultra-Lux Botswana Safari
All meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 2 nights at Jack's Camp, 2 at King's Pool, 3 at Sanctuary Chief's Camp
- Quad biking or Bushman walk across the Makgadikgadi Pans
- Eye-level elephant viewing from King's Pool underground hide
- Mokoro safari through the lily-laden channels of the Okavango Delta
From
$18,215
per person, complete package
≈ $36,430 for two · international flights excluded
8 days · South Africa · Botswana
8-Day Ultra-Lux Fly-In Madikwe to Chobe Safari
All meals · All activities · All transfers
- 3 nights at Jamala Madikwe Royal Safari Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve
- Big Five game drives across Madikwe with optional guided walking safari
- 4 nights at Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in Chobe National Park
- Twice-daily drives through the Savute region's vast elephant herds
Special offer available
From
$14,525 normally $15,080
per person, complete package
≈ $29,055 for two · international flights excluded
9 days
9-Day Opulent Cape Town & Sabi Sand Safari
Most meals · All activities · All flights & transfers
- 4 nights at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel in Cape Town
- Full-day Cape Peninsula tour with Boulders Beach penguins and Cape Point
- 4 nights at Cheetah Plains in the Sabi Sand on a fully inclusive basis
- Twice-daily Big Five game drives in private zero-emission vehicles
Special offer available
From
R 254 750 normally R 304 620
per person, complete package
≈ R 509 500 for two · international flights excluded
No safaris matching these criteria.
Try adjusting the filters above to see more safaris.
Specialists' shortlist
Specialists' shortlist of luxury lodges.
Hand-picked by our safari specialists, with properties that genuinely deliver on this. Up to twenty shown. Filter by destination to narrow further.
60 lodges
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The Commodore Hotel
The Commodore Hotel sits in Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, with sweeping views across the harbour to Table Mountain and Robben Island. A stylish, well-located base for exploring the Mother City, with easy access to waterfront dining, shopping, and the boat departure point for Robben Island tours.
From R 2 420 per person · night
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Premium Masai MaraAngama Mara
Inspired by the Swahili word meaning "suspended in mid-air," Angama Mara is a remarkable safari lodge perched high above the floor of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Overlooking the breathtaking Maasai Mara—often regarded as one of Africa’s most beautiful game reserves—this luxurious lodge blends contemporary design with classic safari elegance, offering unforgettable wildlife encounters and world-class hospitality.
From $2,750 per person · night
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MalaMala Rattray's Camp
MalaMala Rattrays Camp is the epitome of classic style and good taste. Each luxurious, freestanding and spacious suite offers an atmosphere of lush seclusion and boasts spectacular views of the Sand River
From R 42 800 per person · night
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The Houghton Hotel
The Houghton Hotel sits on a private golf estate in Johannesburg's leafy Houghton suburb, offering 75 suites and penthouses, an award-winning spa, padel courts and the championship Houghton Golf Course. A polished urban base for business travellers and a comfortable pre or post-safari stopover with quick access to O.R. Tambo International Airport.
From R 1 900 per person · night
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Premium SossusvleiAndBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
andbeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge has an almost surreal quality against the backdrop of the spectacular Namib Desert. The tranquil atmosphere of this unique landscape is a refreshing change of pace from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. With the wilderness stretching out towards the horizon every way you look, the sense of isolation from the outside world is instant and intense.
From R 36 750 per person · night
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Dock House Boutique Hotel
Dock House Boutique Hotel sits beside the historic Time Ball Tower at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, set in the former harbour engineer's 1800s residence. Ranked among South Africa's top 25 luxury hotels, it offers an intimate retreat with chandeliers, ornate cornices, a private pool and the Sanctuary Spa, just 20 minutes from the airport.
From R 5 090 per person · night
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Tintswalo Manor House
Tintswalo Manor House is a five-bedroom exclusive-use villa in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, sharing unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park. Booked on a sole-use basis for up to 10 guests, it comes with a private chef, guide and game-drive vehicle, making it ideally suited to families or groups travelling together in the Greater Kruger.
From R 15 500 per person · night
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Toro River Lodge
Toro River Lodge sits along the Makhutswi River in the Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve, a Big Five wilderness on the western flank of Kruger. The lodge blends modern comforts with rugged bushveld character, offering twice-daily game drives, guided walks and conservation experiences led by expert rangers and trackers.
From R 7 750 per person · night
Rates per person sharing, per night.
Included
Complimentary travel insurance. On trips booked and deposited by 25th August 2026.
- Reply
- As little as 15 minutes during working hours.
- Pricing
- Booking-direct prices, with concierge support included.
- Coverage
- Every flight, transfer, lodge and activity. Before, during and after.
Africa's Leading Safari Company · WTA 2024 & 2025
Imagery
Luxury Safaris, in pictures.
Recent travellers
Word from people who have just come back.
"exceptional service.. Mel Du Toit was everything you could want in a Luxury Consultant. Timely, courteous, knowledgeable, cheerful... She has it all. I'm grateful that we found each other. Thomas White, MD"
"I cannot recommend Anja Meyer at Safari.com enough. This is our 3rd trip in 2 years that we have planned with Anja and we cannot imagine using any other travel planner. As travelers who deliberately seek experiences that go beyond the expected, and a bit of luxury that feels authentic, every single trip that we have booked with Anya has been a complex, mult…"
"I recently booked a trip to Simbavati Hilltop Lodge through Safari.com, and the service has been nothing short of exceptional. Although I haven’t gone on the trip yet, I felt compelled to share how seamless and stress-free the planning process has been. A special shout-out to Shann, who has been absolutely incredible from start to finish. She was patient, k…"
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