VENUES WITH A DIFFERENCE
Spectacular Safari Accommodation Around the World
Your home away from home is vital to your entire vacation experience. Even the most breathtaking destination can be undermined by inferior safari accommodation.
The scenery may be stunning, the animals abundant, your guides and staff charming and professional, but these can all be negated by uncomfortable beds, drab decor and wholly forgettable hotels or lodges.
Fortunately, we have visited venues across the world, selecting only the very best for your comfort and satisfaction.
While all are exceptional, leading the market in luxury, location and service, some are quite simply in a realm of their own.
Join me as I take you around the world to share some of my very favorite, quite extraordinary safari accommodation venues that offer the most exquisite complement to an unforgettable experience:
CHALKLEY TREEHOUSE, LION SANDS
There’s a little part of us all that wishes we could have joined the Swiss Family Robinson, dwelling deep in the wild, sharing a oneness with nature, our lofty treehouse home offering a wonderful vantage point in safety and comfort.
There are numerous luxury treehouse venues to choose from across the world, but Chalkley is one of the most famed and recognized, and for very good reason.
Cleverly crafted around a majestic leadwood tree, this stunning, completely secluded venue offers panoramic views across Lion Sands Game Reserve. Enjoy a gourmet meal and champagne delivered to your door from the master lodge as a blanket of stars emerges to offer you the most breathtaking nocturnal canopy.
The handcrafted bed is swathed in fly nets, assuring you a comfortable night’s sleep, while the beautiful viewing platform presents a dawn display so stunning you will wonder if you have, in fact, woken at all, or that you are still fast asleep and dreaming.
Perhaps not the most ideal long-term safari accommodation, a night at Chalkley Treehouse will be possibly the most romantic, spectacular, simply unforgettable night, and following morning, of your life.
FISH EAGLE VILLA, LION SANDS
Also in Lion Sands, Fish Eagle Villa is ideal for families or two couples. Wake to nature on your doorstep in this exquisitely secluded luxury villa in the heart of the wild. Elephant greet you as you wake, distant lion lull you to sleep, and the sights and sounds of the bush immerse you day and night in this luxuriously-appointed venue. Your private chef caters to your every whim, while two indulgent ensuite bathrooms and your very own private spa ensure that you are completely pampered during your stay.Every creature comfort has been accommodated, with Fish Eagle Villa offering the same first-class quality of any more urban venue, but with views from each and every window that are simply incomparable. For the more adventurous, the location also includes the Kingston Treehouse, an elegant, open-air ensuite bedroom for a remarkable evening immersed in nature.
KWESSI DUNES, NAMIBIA
Many venues whisk you away from the real world; Kwessi Dunes transports you to another planet. Namibia is a landscape like no other and Kwessi Dunes takes full advantage of it, placing you on the borders of Sossusvlei salt pans and the rich, red Namib desert.
This extraordinary destination is complemented by impeccable accommodation, with opulent private cabins surrounding a central living and dining villa, complete with pool and expansive, far-reaching views of the unparalleled grandeur of the rolling Namibian desertscape.
Nomadic gemsbok wander the sands in search of sustenance, while bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, porcupine and Cape fox might be glimpsed after sunset. Open-air bedrooms offer a starlit skyscape to drift away beneath and the main villa gives you plenty of space to lounge, relax and dine in, mingling with the few other guests or find your own secluded nest to while away the peaceful days on the Namib.
ROVOS RAIL
What better way to depart the African continent than by rail? Purely captivating and evocative of the early days of African exploration, Rovos Rail could be described as the Orient Express of Africa. Rolling majestically through the African landscape, the beautifully-restored fleet of trains exude decadent luxury. Private suites offer a glimpse back in time to the colonial era, while providing plenty of quiet space to enjoy the passing landscapes in solitude. Venture to the dining car or viewing deck to mingle with fellow guests and take in the ever-changing views.
Coined ‘the most luxurious train in the world’, it is easy to see why, with every inch of the 15-carriage trains carefully considered and impeccably attended.
Rovos Rail offers a range of tours throughout southern Africa, taking in national parks, Cape Town, coastlines and the magnificent Victoria Falls. However long or short your bucket list, ensure it includes a tour aboard Rovos Rail.
AWASI PATAGONIA
Venturing beyond the African continent, there is quite literally a world of opportunity that awaits you.
Awasi Patagonia is an exquisite luxury destination for the adventurous-at-heart. Set in the expansive Torres del Paine National Park, Awasi has the wilderness of Patagonia right on its doorstep. Hiking, fishing, photography or simply taking in the phenomenal vista, the 14 stunning timber cabins nestle into the hillside, offering safari accommodation that perfectly complements its natural surroundings while leaving nothing to be desired. With each villa appointed its own exclusive 4WD driver and guide, you are free to explore the ranges on your own, or relax in the central lodge with your fellow guests.
The landscape has stimulated creatives for generations, the omnipresent peace and tranquility offering a wealth of inspiration, especially from the sumptuous comfort of Awasi’s impeccably-designed residences.
A ten-hour flight from LA or New York diminishes the long-haul journey to Africa significantly yet, while a very different climate and ecosystem, the immersion in nature remains the same.
JAG NIWAS – TAJ LAKE PALACE
If regal opulence is more to your liking, India is the quintessential destination for you.Though COVID has temporarily closed the doors to India for overseas travelers, its allure is such that it is well worth the wait.
Set in the heart of Udaipur’s Lake Pichola, Taj Palace Hotel has been an iconic, Raj-era venue for centuries. Completed in 1746, the regal palace gained international fame with the visit of one of the world’s most renowned of travelers, James Bond, used as the spectacular home of the eponymous Femme Fatale in the movie Octopussy.
Surrounded by water, offering spectacular, panoramic views of the surrounding hillsides and bathed nightly in majestic sunsets, the palace transports you back through time, the serene lake instilling a dream-like quality to this truly magical edifice.
Many venues can whisk us away from our daily lives, but few have the ability to make us completely forget who, where, even when we are and manifest our wildest fantasies, yet Taj Lake Palace does it with ease, from the moment we set foot on its handcrafted taxi boat to its diminishing into the sunset as we return to the mainland.
LONGITUDE 131º, ULURU (AYER’S ROCK)
Australia’s most celebrated luxury camp, Longitude 131º immerses you in the captivating Australian outback. Set on the rich red landscape of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Longitude 131º takes full advantage of one of Australia’s most iconic sights, Uluru – formerly Ayer’s Rock. Each private tented villa is perfectly positioned to frame the giant sandstone monolith as it rises from the desert. Staff provide information on its cultural significance to the indigenous community and guide you around its base and the surrounding region to enjoy the country’s unique flora and fauna. Longitude 131° – Australian Luxury Defined.As sun sets, the sumptuous, white-canopied villas are bathed in the red red glow of the desert while you enjoy the finest gourmet cuisine. An indulgent spa allows you to completely relax, pampered completely by the ever-attentive staff. Romance lingers on the gentle breeze, both in the creative and amorous sense, making Longitude 131º equally as captivating for single travelers and couples celebrating their love.
We at Rothschild Safaris have gone to the greatest lengths to discover the most unique and inspirational experiences just for you. So whether it is the grand opulence of an Indian palace or the natural immersion of a luxury camp in the heart of Namibia, our Travel Designers will craft the perfect vacation to fulfil your dreams.