Imagine waking to the distant call of a lion and the golden light of an African sunrise spilling through your window. A luxury safari in Africa is not just a vacation; it is an immersive journey into the wild, paired with world-class accommodations, exquisite service, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. If you are dreaming of the best African luxury safari, look no further than these top new safari resorts that deliver adventure, relaxation, and connection to nature all-in-one.

Have a look at the newest luxury safari lodges of 2025 and 2026 here!

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New safari lodges to put on your last-minute booking list in 2025

2025 has seen some incredible revamps and new luxury lodges, and here’s why you should be excited!

Chichele Presidential Lodge, South Luangwa, Zambia – March 2025

Chichele Presidential Lodge boasts 360-degree views and a prime wildlife location surrounded by rivers, forests, and floodplains. This historic lodge, originally built in 1972 for Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, has been completely rebuilt to set new standards of comfort and hospitality in Zambia. Dubbed "Valley of the Leopards" thanks to the virtually guaranteed sightings of the typically elusive cats, plentiful lions and over 400 recorded bird species, South Luangwa has it all. And yet it’s really the sense of untouched wilderness that makes this such a special safari destination.

Highlights:

• Located in the "Valley of the Leopards", Chichele offers virtually guaranteed leopard sightings
• 360° views from all suites in a prime wildlife location with rivers, streams, floodplains, and forests
• Ultimate luxury in the untouched wilderness, characteristic of Zambia

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andBeyond Suyian — Laikipia, Kenya – July 2025

&Beyond Suyian Lodge is a new luxury lodge within the Suyian Conservancy in Kenya's Laikipia region. It's the only lodge in the 44,000-acre conservancy and offers stunning views, abundant wildlife, and a focus on sustainable tourism. Elusive black leopards slip through shadows. Samburu guides trace ancestral trails. And at its heart, the sacred Rock Sanctuary keeps silent vigil.  

Highlights:

• Unique architectural design, reflecting the natural surroundings of undulating granite kopjies steeped in history, including ancient rock art.
• Part of a vital wildlife corridor, offering possibilities for rare, iconic wildlife encounters, including the black leopard and wild dogs
• 44,000 acre private conservancy offers ultimate privacy and exclusivity

Masiya's Camp, Royal Malewane, Greater Kruger National Park – June 2025

Masiya's camp the latest addition offering from Royal Malewane, bring a highly luxurious and brightly colored under-canvas experience to the Greater Kruger National Park. Named after the late Wilson Masiya, one of just eight master trackers in the world and a beloved figure at Royal Malewane, this tented camp is a tribute to his special bond with the African wilderness and its incredible wildlife.

Highlights:

• Exclusive conservation activities to enrich your safari experience
• Colourful, classically designed luxury tented suites - unique to the Greater Kruger Region
• A wealth of historically renowned guiding expertise ensures world-class Big Five gameviewing

Have a look at the newest luxury safari lodges of 2025 and 2026 here!

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Azura Marlin Beach, Benguerra Island, Mozambique – May 2025

Located on Benguerra Islands west coast, Azura Marlin is actually a reincarnation of the old Marlin Lodge, which unfortunately suffered a destructive fire back in 2012 and has been closed ever since. This newly renovated, luxury villa resort now offers a blend of modern and traditional Mozambican design with a focus on privacy, ocean views, and access to water-based activities.

Unlike its sister lodge Azura Benguerra Island that offers barefoot luxury and serene seclusion, the newly relaunched Azura Marlin Beach blends vibrant island energy with modern comfort, best for those looking for a more social atmosphere, suitable for families and groups seeking a lively island experience.

Highlights:

• Island paradise escape located on a one-kilometre-long stretch of white-sand beach, perfect climate year-round
• Close proximity to the African mainland from Vilankulos Airport ensures easy transfers
• Dedicated PADI 5-Star dive centre equipped with high-quality scuba-pro gear. Fishing centre with a fleet for tag-and-release fishing, including excursions for the prized Black Marlin that the Bazaruto Archipelago is famed for.

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Wilderness Magashi Peninsula, Akagera National Park, Rwanda – Sept 2025

Wilderness Safaris is opening a new, eight-bed luxury safari camp on the Magashi Peninsula in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, in September 2025. Magashi Peninsula camp will feature a four-bed villa and two separate twin suites, all positioned to offer stunning views of Lake Rwanyakazinga and the Mutumba Mountains. The site lies within Central Africa’s largest protected wetland and Rwanda’s only savannah-based wildlife reserve.

For those seeking adventure,  water-based excursions aboard a luxurious pontoon or swamp cruiser offer scenic cruises, gourmet picnics, and sunset toasts. There’s also the opportunity for catch-and-release fishing, guided day & night drives, and rooftop Star Beds, inviting guests to drift off beneath the constellations, with breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding landscape.  

Akagera’s wildlife encounters pair seamlessly with gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park, which guests can access from the newly opened Wilderness Bisate Reserve – creating a truly unparalleled Rwandan adventure.  

Highlights:

• A four-bed villa and two separate twin suites offer unmatched privacy and exclusivity
• Situated within Central Africa’s largest protected wetland and Rwanda’s only savannah-based wildlife reserve
• Combine water-based activities with classic game drives and gorilla trekking, all within Rwanda!

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Bisate Reserve, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda – Sept 2024

A brand-new sister camp to the multi-award-winning Wilderness Bisate, Bisate Reserve is located just a stone throw away from it's original namesake, albeit out of sight. It's got a similar bird's nest architectural design but is grander, bigger and more polished in every way, the rooms are double the size and the corresponding 30% higher price is worth it. The lodge caters more for couples than families, a truly romantic escape and would pair fabulously with Magashi Peninsula.  

Highlights:

• The first of its kind in Rwanda, Bisate Kwanda (day lounge) accommodates earlier arrivals and later departures in comfort and style
• Award-winning, sustainable lodge with breath-taking views of six volcanoes, adjacent to Volcanoes National Park
• Enjoy gorilla or golden monkey trekking, birdwatching, scale Mount Bisoke, visit the Dian Fossey gravesite, & explore nature trails

Have a look at the newest luxury safari lodges of 2025 and 2026 here!

Wilderness Mokete, Mababe Depression, Botswana – Sept 2024

This property may have opened in 2024, but it remains one of our top picks when it comes to "new” lodges to consider for travel in 2025/26. Located in the Mababe Depression between the Linyanti and Okavango Delta, this unique seasonal floodplain transforms into a wetland during the rainy season and is synonymous with vast herds of buffalo & elephants, hundreds of Tsessebe, and large prides of lions following in their wake.

It is raw, remote, and one of the most untamed places on the planet, and the lucky new staying at Mokete camp get the 193-square-mile concession all to themselves. The tented camp itself is chic & unfussy, comfortable with all the luxuries one would need. While many safaris in Botswana are accomplished over both water and land, Mokete’s activities are accomplished exclusively by land. T

wice daily game drives will have you enthralled and in the mix of the action, and the camp's eye-level'elephant hide will give you the best view of the countless elephants slurping, splashing, and cavorting in the permanent water channel that runs near camp, an area aptly named “Elephant Paradise.”

Highlights:

• Location Location Location: unique seasonal floodplain transforms into a wetland during the rainy season
• Exclusive use of the 193-square-mile private concession
• The permanent water channel ensures year-round sightings of vast herds of buffalo & elephants, hundreds of Tsessebe, and large prides of lion

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Kutandala Camp, Northern Luangwa, Zambia – Mid 2025

Opening in 2025, Kutandala Camp is nestled along the banks of the Mwlaeshi River in the northern Luangwa National Park, offering adventurous travellers the chance to explore this remote area on foot with quality guides. The wildlife viewing in and around Kutandala is phenomenal. North Luangwa is home to the highest density of elephant in whole of Zambia, not to mention the only stronghold of wild-roaming Black Rhino. This is Big 5 country and there is nobody else around!  

Highlights:

• Situated in Zambia's walking safari heaven
• Experience the unspoilt wildness of Zambia at eye-level
• The only stronghold of wild-roaming Black Rhino in Zambia

We do not yet have an online brochure for Kutandala Camp, email us to enquire!

Natural Selections Mbamba, Okavango Delta  – April 2025

A new tented safari camp with old-world style, Mbamba Camp is located on the 220,000 acre NG12 concession in the northern Okavango Delta, right where the Okavango River begins to spread out. The camp’s location offers guests access to a wide range of landscapes, from open grasslands and floodplains, to forested islands and little lagoons. Wildlife can be experienced by both land and water, with superb game viewing year round.  

Highlights:

• Superb game viewing year-round
• Situated on a 220,000 acre private concession that is home to an impressive density and variety of wildlife
• Experience the classic Okavango Delta safari style with a variety of land and water-based activities

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FIRST LOOK: Soon-to-open luxury safari lodges for your 2026 travel radar

Wilderness Mara, Masai Mara, Kenya – June 2026

Formerly Little Governors' Camp, Wilderness Mara is located in Kenya’s legendary Mara Triangle; a place of thunderous river crossings, predator-stalked plains, and rare solitude. It is set to be a 12-suite tented camp rebuilt for those who crave space, stillness, and the raw theatre of the wild. Superior not just by location, but by access, Wilderness Mara is uniquely positioned to bring guests to both sides of the Mara River, unlocking more game-viewing territory with fewer crowds.

Highlights:

• Wilderness Mara is the only camp that allows guests across to both sides of the Mara River, opening up more space, more wildlife, and fewer crowds.
• The Mara Triangle is known for its extraordinary wildlife density, particularly during the Great Migration.
• With fewer lodges and vehicles, sightings are exclusive and unhurried, especially during the Great Migration’s dramatic river crossings.

We do not yet have an online brochure for Wilderness Mara, email us to enquire!

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Erebero Hills, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda – early 2026

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to over half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, and the new Erebero Hills combines sustainable luxury with the thrill of observing one of the world’s most endangered species in their natural habitat. Erebero Hills, meaning “a place where you can see far”, is far more than just a new luxurious lodge. Their aim is to restore large tracts of indigenous vegetation, allowing the forest to reclaim the hills and to create lasting and sustainable economic opportunities for local Bakiga communities in the surrounding area. Establishing a new reforested buffer zone around the existing park will not only further support wildlife but will also create a future accessible extension of the forest for the Batwa people, helping to preserve their cultural heritage and historical connection to the land. The reforestation project is underway, and 25,000 indigenous trees are already being planted.

Highlights:

• Restore large tracts of indigenous vegetation and to create lasting and sustainable economic opportunities for local, marginalised Batwa communities
• Situated in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to over half of the world’s mountain gorilla population
• OPENING OFFER: Bookings for Erebero Hills are open from 2026. The first 20 bookings will receive one free gorilla trekking experience per person valued at US$800. Enquire about this offer!

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Singita Elela – Okavango Delta, Botswana – Nov 2026

Located on the old Abu Concession on the western side of the Okavango Delta, Singita Elela will be Singita's first property in Botswana. We visited the Abu concession a few years ago and we can contest to the fact that the area is very productive in terms of game viewing! We cannot wait to experience Singita's touch combined with the incredible surroundings of the Delta.

Made up of ancient meandering waterways that fill when the rains arrive and recede as the seasons change, the Delta is an ever-shifting patchwork of species-rich islands, lagoons, grasslands, and swamps. Opening in 2026, Elela, meaning 'to flow' in Setswana, is a natural continuation of all that Singita holds true. Operating year-round, Elela will be a place of rest and restoration, that immerses guests in the Delta’s diverse landscape.

Highlights:

• Singita's first property in Botswana promises world-class service, guiding and accommodation all-in-one
• The Abu Concession is a pristine pocket of riverine forest in a private reserve of 180 000 hectares.
• Highly productive game viewing area with a low density of beds ensures privacy and exclusivity

We do not yet have an online brochure for Singita Elela, email us to enquire!

FAQs About the Best African Luxury Safari

Q: When is the best time to go on an African luxury safari?

A: The dry season (June to October) offers the best wildlife sightings, while November to April showcases lush landscapes and migratory birds. These seasons vary between Southern and Eastern Africa, from country to country, and even year on year – so be sure to gain expert advice before planning.

Q: How much does a luxury African safari cost?

A: Prices range from $1,500 to $3,000+ per person per night, depending on the lodge, season, and included amenities.

Q: Which country offers the best African luxury safari?

A: South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania are top destinations, each offering unique landscapes and wildlife experiences.

Q: How long should a luxury safari be?

A: A minimum of 7–10 days allows enough time to explore multiple reserves and experience varied ecosystems.  

Q: What should I pack for a luxury safari?

A: Pack lightweight, neutral-colored clothing, comfortable shoes, a wide-brimmed hat, insect repellent, a good camera, and your sense of adventure! Find our PDF packing list here.

Have a look at the newest luxury safari lodges of 2025 and 2026 here!

Ready to plan the best African luxury safari of your life? Contact our travel experts today to start crafting your unforgettable journey!

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Written by Michelle Pengilly & Evelyn Poole