Types of Safari Accommodation: What to Expect

Welcome to Camp!

What can you expect from your safari accommodation in Africa? In cities and non-safari areas, hotels are rated much as they are at home: a five-star hotel in Cape Town broadly feels like a five-star hotel in other cities.

But safari accommodation is harder to compare at a glance, so here’s a simple guide to the main styles. And what they really mean in practice.

A quick caveat: these are generalisations. There are always exceptions, so do read each camp’s description for the details that matter. And don’t be afraid to ask our personal opinions as we visit the camps regularly.

Quick “which style suits you?”

Want classic safari atmosphere + comfort → Tented camp or lodge

Want simple, wild, low-footprint → bush camp

Want the most adventurous / pioneer feel → mobile tented safari

Travelling with kids / a multi-gen group and want everyone together → safari house / private bush home

Luxury Safari Accommodation

1. Traditional Lodge Accommodation

This can mean many things: from a classic thatch-and-stone safari lodge to contemporary bush chic. The common thread is that you’ll usually stay in individual chalets or cottages with en suite bathrooms and similar appointments as in a hotel room. Though the safari ambience gives it a remarkably different feel, and the experience is much more “lodge-like” than “camping-like”.

What it feels like: communal mealtimes are common, (occasionally shared tables, mostly private), and there’s usually a central lounge and bar area with a strong sense of safari atmosphere.

Best for: first-time safari visitors, families, anyone who loves comfort without “roughing it”.

2. Safari Tented Accommodation

These are not the tents of your childhood! Yes, you still get the safari romance – the canvas, lanterns, sounds of the bush – but with proper beds, furniture such as desks, carpets, hanging space and chairs, plus an en suite bathroom. In fact, some tented camps can be every bit as stylish and luxurious as any hotel suite. (They range from super-luxurious to more classically comfortable.)

Tented or traditional Lodge is more a matter of personal preference. And also destination. As some safari destinations, think Botswana, are virtually ALL tented. And others, think South Africa, only have a few tented camps.

The important reality of remote luxury:
However, in more remote areas, some modern conveniences aren’t always possible even at a high price point. Power may be solar-sourced (enough for lights, not always enough for charging multiple camera batteries, or hairdryers). Bathrooms may be shower-only to conserve water and can even be alfresco. Air-conditioning is common in South Africa but rare elsewhere in tented camps.

So it’s always worth checking the specific camp details to check it works for you.

Best for: that “classic safari” feel; romantic couples; photographers; anyone who wants atmosphere.

3. Bush Camp

Bush camps are often seasonal: rebuilt at the start of the dry season and removed afterwards to keep a low human footprint. This means a simpler, more “in-the-wild” style of living.

Instead of a traditional lodge building, the main areas may be “mess” tents for dining/lounging, and the tents are often a little smaller and less luxurious. You’ll still have en suite facilities, but these may be semi-open.

Best for: people who value wilderness, authenticity, and a lighter footprint over extra facilities.

4. Mobile Tented Accommodation

On a mobile safari, tents are set up in one location for a short stay (often 2 – 3 nights), then the camp moves. These tents are smaller and closer to “proper camping but still upgraded with a proper bed (or occasionally a stretcher bed), more limited space, you usually have en suite facilities, but sometimes a shared shower (depending on which mobile safari you choose).

This is safari in the footsteps of the early pioneers: dining around a campfire, deeply immersed in the bush. It can be utterly magical, but it doesn’t suit everyone.

However note that even mobile tented camps now vary considerably in levels of luxury. Some are now designed to be combined with traditional lodges or tented camps so that you stay in a ‘’Mobile” camp for a few days and then a traditional camp. This allows them more time to erect and take down the “mobile camp”.

A mobile camping safari can be enchanting for a private family or multi-gen family group.

SEE BLOG ARTICLE ON MOBILE SAFARIS

Best for: adventurous travellers, repeat safari-goers, people who love “wild first, luxury second”.

5. Safari House or Private Bush Home

These are like a lodge but taken on an exclusive-use basis so it feels like your own home in the bush. Often there are several bedrooms under one roof (ideal for families who don’t want children in separate chalets). Sometimes there are extra exterior rooms which can be added to the core house for larger multi-gen groups. This can be great for grandparents to keep their afternoon siesta sound-proofed!

Best for: families, multi-generation travel, friends travelling together.

Link: Private Safari Houses

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Cedarberg Accommodation Ratings

Our Cedarberg ratings cover the full range of safari accommodation (including the lodge styles above).

Top of Class

Reserved for “best in class” properties: standout ambience, refinement, food and wine – and, for safari lodges, the very best guiding, lodge design and game viewing opportunities.

Luxury

In cities this broadly indicates five-star. In safari areas, luxury lodges may not have “hotel-like” facilities in remote places – but the experience, guiding and setting are exceptional. These would be our higher priced lodges and tented camps.

Premier

Premier indicates a good standard of accommodation – think four-star hotels, boutique lodges, upmarket guest houses. Plus many of the more affordable private game lodges and tented camps fall in this category.

Comfortable

Our lowest rating: simple (sometimes rustic). Often used for rest camps in national parks (where location trumps the alternatives), moderate B&Bs or country inns in South Africa, some Namibian guest farms. Some bush camps may also be “comfortable” even if the quality of the guiding/location/price are high.