It’s a brand-new year, so that must mean it’s time for some brand-new travel dreams too! And if some inspiration is required, you’re in luck – we’ve had a sneaky peek into the best new safari lodges of 2018, and it’s certainly shaping up to be a bumper year for all things Africa. Best start planning your next trip now…
1. Shipwreck Lodge
Skeleton Coast, Namibia
Up until now, there hasn’t been much scope for visiting Namibia’s eerie Skeleton Coast (unless you won the lottery over Christmas) – but that’s all set to change. Shaped to look like the enigmatic shipwrecks that line the beach, Shipwreck Lodge is the first camp to be built inside the Skeleton Coast Central Concession Area, creating an exclusive gateway to incredible area. Activities will include 4×4 drives to the Clay Castles, G&Ts and sunset-viewing from atop the dunes, and game drives to find desert-dwelling elephant – and none of it will break the bank either.
Opens June 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
2. Sanctuary Kichakani Migration Camp
Serengeti, Tanzania
Before you cry, ‘Another camp in the Serengeti?’, have a look a Sanctuary’s latest offering, Kichakani, one of our best new safari lodges of 2018. Raising the standard for mobile camps across Tanzania, the ten tents are a blend of explorer-style nostalgia and quirky, Afro-chic design. You won’t be disappointed at the main area either, an extravagant construction with plenty of ‘winged’ corners for dinners-a-deux. Even better, the whole camp moves three times a year to ensure the best possible viewing of the wildebeasties as they traverse the plains.
Opens December 2017: Read more about this lodge here
3. Lion Camp
South Luangwa, Zambia
We were thrilled to hear that old favourite Lion Camp was undergoing a spot (lot!) of sprucing up and that we could safely include it on our list of best new safari lodges of 2018. Whilst the camp itself might not be new, visitors in 2018 can expect a sprinkling of bush-chic furnishings in the newly-built, stilted rooms, state-of-the-art ‘Evening Breeze’ cooling units, and a brand new main area for daytime sun worshipping and night-time star-gazing. Here’s to another 10 years of fabulous game viewing in the South Luangwa, in even more fabulous surroundings!
Opens May 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
4. La Cle Country Lodges
Cape Winelands, South Africa
There’s always something new happening in Cape Town and the Winelands, and this year the hot contender for the best new safari lodge of 2018 is La Cle Country Lodge. Sister property of top-notch La Cle des Montagnes, the five-bedroom farmhouse is all about laid-back luxury (think modern styling meets classic, South African charm with a personal butler to boot) in the most picturesque of settings. The lodge can be booked exclusively or on a per-room basis, so round up the family or grab a loved one and book your spot amid the vines now.
Opens February 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
5. Hoanib Valley Camp
Kaokoland, Namibia
Namibia is already causing a bit of a stir for 2018, and with lodges like Hoanib Valley Camp on the agenda, we’re not surprised. The six-bedroomed camp is a haven amongst the sky-scraper dunes and deep river valleys of Kaokoland, right in the north of the country. Expect to encounter long-limbed, desert-adapted giraffe, as well as desert elephant and endangered rhino on game drives and nature walks with some of the top guides in the business. And we hear there’s a rather nice view from the deck of the lounge area that’s perfectly complemented by a crisp G&T…
Opens June 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
6. Zuri Zanzibar
Zanzibar, Tanzania
If you’ve made it to Tanzania, then it would be rude not to hop over to the tropical island of Zanzibar – and you couldn’t do better than the brand-spanking-new Zuri Zanzibar. The 54, Jestico+Whiles designed rooms all face Kendwa Beach, a non-tidal stretch of powder-white sand allowing for swimming all day – and night if you fancy! Amid other surprises, there are rumours of a heavenly spa and wellness retreat, four lip-smackingly good restaurants, and a 32-metre infinity pool. Heaven.
Opens May 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
7. Sossus Under Canvas
Sossusvlei, Namibia
To finish our list of best safari lodges of 2018, we’re returning to top hotspot Namibia, this time to the apricot-dunes of Sossusvlei. The newest kid on the block is Sossus Under Canvas, a comfy, semi-permanent camp dedicated to all things authentic. There’s also a firm focus on a fantastic, dune-themed experience and to help you achieve it, you’ll be able to embark on bush walks and desert game drives, fixed-wing flights, heli jaunts, hot air balloon trips, and sleep outs under the twinkling night sky. Sounds right up our street!
Opens April 2018: Read more about this lodge here.
