Africa

Safari camps that bring you up close to nature

Your Guide to Africa

Our Collective

6/6/2023

When you go on safari with Wilderness, you don’t actually need to venture outdoors to experience wildlife up close. That’s because each of our iconic camps has been designed in such a way that oftentimes, the wildlife simply comes to you.

 

Whether it’s elephants swimming across Osprey Lagoon that fronts Wilderness DumaTau, or those that come to forage from the trees shading the tents of Wilderness Ruckomechi, the wildlife is often just a few metres from your breakfast table or spot in the pool.

 

 

Wilderness Ruckomechi Zimbabwe Impact Purpose

 

 

Unique safari experiences

 

 

And when you do want to get out and about and meet some more of the inhabitants of Zimbabwe’s famed Hwange National Park, or the boundless Busanga Plains of Zambia’s Kafue National Park, the Wilderness safari experience isn’t just about hopping on a game drive vehicle and settling down for a ride.

 

Our Wilderness experiences are designed to take you out of your comfort zone and further immerse you in nature. Imagine enjoying a bush brunch in the shallows of an Okavango Delta floodplain, the water gently lapping at your bare feet, or settling down on a blanket for a picnic and sundowner with nothing to see for miles around except endless grasslands and herds of zebra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tactile & sustainable safari environment

 

 

Back at camp, the connection to the world around you, perchance the very reason that you came to Africa in the first place, continues through clever design. Take a closer look at some of the details on the hand-dyed cushions, and they’ll reveal themselves to have been cut from old game-drive vehicle tyres. Put your drink down on a coffee table and wonder if the inlay better resembles a waterlily, or the footprint of an elephant, both visible in abundance just a few metres away. Or take a closer look at the chandeliers and you’ll see the resemblance to local traditional headdresses.

 

It's about thoughtful details and bespoke pieces dotted throughout our camps that pay homage to the surrounding environment through patterns, textures and colours, while also celebrating a sense of place and culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moreover, it’s also about sustainability. Along with our efforts to minimise waste, reduce water usage, and increase our reliance on solar power, we have a long-standing ban on concrete in our camps. What this means is we have flexibility to build around trees or existing natural structures, incorporating them into our design and ensuring that wildlife is never denied access. This also means that should our camp need to be disassembled or relocated, it can be done at any time with minimal disruption to the environments in which we operate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Experience wildlife in our luxury Botswana safari lodge

 

 

Take a look at one of our newly refurbished camps, like Wilderness DumaTau, and you’ll see what we mean. This camp boasts an extraordinary lagoon-side setting, which regularly attracts herds of elephant and other wildlife, and has a floating deck and fire pit in the lagoon. The tents have been orientated to offer expansive views out over the water, the pool at the Osprey Retreat wellness area has been carefully aligned so that it appears to merge with the waters beyond, and the hand-painted tiles on the main bar trace out a map of the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, where the camp is situated.

 

 

 

 

 

Wilderness safari camps wildlife experiences

Other Wilderness camps where up-close wildlife encounters are virtually guaranteed:

Wilderness Kings Pool Botswana Suite Private Pool
Wilderness King’s Pool
An underground hide, a river-side pool or boma area frequently put you nose-to-trunk with elephants.
Wilderness Linkwasha
It’s hard to tell where the camp ends and Hwange National Park’s famed Ngamo Plains begin.
Wilderness Ruckomechi
Here in Mana Pools elephants are frequent visitors to the nutritious albida trees that shade camp.
Wilderness Mokete Guest Tent Render
Wilderness Mokete
Canvas walls & slide-away roof put you in the heart of the drama without needing to leave your room.
Wilderness Shumba Zambia Hero
Wilderness Shumba
A magnificent outlook onto Kafue National Park’s plains of plenty frequented by lechwe, puku & more.
Wilderness Kings Pool Botswana Suite Private Pool
Wilderness Mokete Guest Tent Render
Wilderness Shumba Zambia Hero
Wilderness Davisons Zimbabwe Elephant At Waterhole

Enquire about your up-close animal encounter now

Let’s plan your next journey

Ready?

When we say we’re there every step of the way, we mean it, literally. From planning the perfect circuit, to private inter-camp transfers on Wilderness Air, and easing you through Customs. We’re with you on the ground, at your side, 24-7, from start to finish. Ready to take the road less travelled? Contact our Travel Designers to plan an unforgettable journey.