Latest news with #RalphBousfield
What's On
18-07-2025
- What's On
8 luxury safari stays around the world to check out in 2025
In the world of experiential stays, safaris are perhaps the first choice for the discerning traveller. They come in with built-in storytelling, and immerse you into nature's gifts in that sort of salt-of-the-earth way that no other landscape can. You see it all unfolding in real time – the wildlife, the vegetation, the roots, all breathing collectively. If this year, you're looking to explore the safari experience, this list of luxury safari stays will start you off. Happy spotting! Jack's Camp in Botswana Jack's Camp is located in the Makgadikgadi salt pans of Bostwana, a time caspule ironically tucked away in a land so vast and open and somehow still hidden. This 1940s camp is all about the safari life, and every feature so personal and individual, it's unlike anything you'll experience. Founded by Ralph Bousfield in the '90s in honor of his father, Jack, the camp drips a mix of colonial style and archaeological treasures with the bare-earth, exhilarating air of pure, unadulterated nature. Each of the nine canvas tents come with campaign desks and hand-carved beds and, on the outside, broad wood decks, swings, and plunge pools. You spend the day bouncing along on safari jeeps and quad bikes and horseback, exploring the great (truly) outdoors of the surroundings, interacting with the wildlife, and evenings at a communal 36-seater table with guests and guides to sample fine local cuisine. It's a desert dream. @jackscampbotswana The Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari Camp in Kenya Steeped deeply in the air of Masai Mara, this is The Ritz Carlton's first foray into luxury safari stays, and in the Sub-Saharn African region, set to open in August of this year. The treetop safari camp gives guests a real chance to fully immerse themselves in the surrounding nature, escaping to a different way of life and living in the savannah. The hotel features 20 luxurious tented suites (including a four-bedroom Presidential suite) and will be elevated amongst the trees on a secluded island surrounded by the famous Sand River near the Tanzanian border, and a breathtaking window into the majesty of the Great Migration. Each tent comes with a separate living area, private sunken lounge, infinity plunge pool, and indoor and outdoor showers. Guests will also get a chance to experience exclusively curated game drives as well as other bespoke cultural experiences. @ritzcarltonmasaimara Suján in India Sujan, a property of Relais & Châteaux, has a beautiful story of origin, dating back more than 40 years and centered around a unifying love for the big cat – the tiger – and it's home, Ranthambore. A long history of family entrepreneurship and a love affair with the great outdoors birthed the Sujan chain of hotels in 2000, and they've been showcasing the best of Indian safari life since. Sujan Sher Bagh was the first, and features 12 beautiful tents, designed to evoke the feeling of a life on safari. The Serai will take you into the heart of the Indian desert, on a 100-acre expanse of indigenous desert scrub. This is where you'll find peace, quiet, an expected oasis, and it's a true taste of desert life. There is also the Jawai, set in a spectacular, sprawling dramatic wilderness and fusing luxury with the great outdoors. @thesujanlife Our Habitas in Namibia Set within a private reserve just 45 minutes from Windhoek Airport, at Habitas Namibia you can get up close and personal with The Kalahari desert, one of the largest in Africa, sprawling into Botswana and South Africa with expansive sand dunes, salt pans, and diverse wildlife. The star? The black-maned Kalahiri lion. With 40 luxurious tented suites spread across the savannah, the lodge offers a sense of barefoot luxury in the bush. Think handwoven textiles, outdoor showers, and private decks that open onto vast views. Evenings bring storytelling around the fire and stargazing under Namibia's famously clear skies. The desert is also the spiritual and physical home of the San/Bushmen, who have lived here for approximately 20,000 years and can be visited during specially-curated excursions arranged by locals. @habitasnamibia Wild Coast Tented Lodge in Sri Lanka Yala National Park, known for it's dense leopard population, sits on the Southern coast of Sri Lanka, where the land meets the Indian Ocean. Made up of 28 cocoon-like tents with four-poster beds, freestanding copper bathtubs, luxurious amenities, air conditioning, and private pools, this is luxury personified. Game drives into Yala, led by the lodge's expert rangers twice daily, reveal the park's teeming wildlife: elephants, spotted deer, mongoose, water buffalo, rare birds, and much more. Drinking and dining unfold in the breezy open-air restaurant, where an eclectic selection of Sri Lankan and international dishes is served. Swimming and lounging take place at the stunning infinity pool, which flows down the middle of the bar and restaurant, while sun loungers spill down the sand dunes overlooking the sea. @wildcoastlodge Londolozi Private Game Reserve in South Africa Londolozi Private Game Reserve is located in the heart of South Africa's Sabi Sand. Family-run for five generations, the property began as a hunting camp in 1926 and has transformed into one of Africa's most pioneering luxury safari experiences, guided not just by conservation, but by connection and consciousness. Spanning 35,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Londolozi is part of the Greater Kruger National Park ecosystem, where leopards roam free, lions prowl at dusk, and elephants wander through ancient riverbeds. Much attention is put to detail, from the locally inspired cuisine to the hand-carved furnishings. Days begin with dawn game drives led by expert rangers and Shangaan trackers, followed by bush walks, meditative moments in the Healing House, and evenings filled with fireside stories under star-strewn skies. @londolozi Tierra Attacama in Chile A desert safari, for a change, and one set in the otherwordly magic of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Perched on the edge of the small town of San Pedro de Atacama, this surreal retreat is designed to immerse guests in the dramatic contrasts of the high-altitude plateau: salt flats that shimmer under the sun, jagged volcanoes on the horizon, and lunar landscapes carved by wind and time. Built on the site of a former cattle corral, the lodge was envisioned with sustainability and authenticity at its core. Local materials, traditional adobe techniques, and indigenous details come together in each of the 32 rooms and suites, all offering sweeping views of the Licancabur Volcano and desert beyond. Guests can choose from guided hikes through rainbow-hued valleys, sunrise visits to geysers bubbling with geothermal energy, horseback rides across salt plains, or soaks in natural thermal springs. @baillielodges Longitude 131° in Australia Longitude 131° is Australia's most iconic outback retreat, set at the edge of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This lodge offers front-row views of the sacred red monolith, Uluru, rising from the desert floor. Here, you get a deep immersion into the cultural and natural heartbeat of the Red Centre, rooted in Indigenous heritage, storytelling, and a powerful sense of place. Sixteen luxury tents, each featuring floor-to-ceiling glass, private decks with daybeds and fireplaces, and uninterrupted views of Uluru that shift with the light. Inside, curated artworks and artefacts honour the Anangu people, the land's Traditional Owners. For experiences, think guided walks through Walpa Gorge and private viewings of Bruce Munro's Field of Light. Meals are a celebration of native ingredients, paired with fine Australian wines and served under starlit skies at the Dune Top or around a flickering campfire. @longitude131 Images: Socials
Travel Daily News
22-05-2025
- Travel Daily News
Natural Selection introduces Mbamba in Northern Botswana
Natural Selection opens Mbamba safari camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta, offering luxury tents, expert guiding, wildlife experiences, and conservation-focused community initiatives. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Natural Selection announce the opening of Mbamba, its newest safari camp in the lush northern Okavango Delta, Botswana. Opened in April 2025 and named after the Bukakhwe San Bushman word for 'hello,' Mbamba welcomes guests to experience a classic safari adventure in the private NG12 concession, an area celebrated for its year-round wildlife viewing and remarkable birdlife. Mbamba is set within a vast, 220,000-acre private concession adjoining the renowned Moremi Game Reserve, neighboring Vumbura and Duba Plains. This untouched wilderness offers an authentic Delta experience, featuring tawny grasslands, shimmering channels, ancient woodlands, and ilala palm-islands. The camp is designed in the iconic Ralph Bousfield safari style, featuring 12 spacious canvas tents-including four doubles, six twins, and two family units, nestled beneath large leadwood trees on raised wooden decks. Each air-conditioned tent exudes vintage charm with plush fabrics, mahogany sideboards, Persian rugs, and four-poster beds, offering spacious en-suite bathrooms and private verandas with panoramic views. The camp stands out for its exceptional guiding team, widely regarded as among the best in the industry. These experts provide guests with insights into the region's rich ecosystems and wildlife, including large herds of buffalo and elephants, as well as predators like lions and the endangered African wild dogs. The area is also renowned for its 350 recorded species of birds, including the endangered wattled crane, carmine bee-eater, Pel's fishing-owl, and African fish eagle. The camp's main area features two lounges, a library, a swimming pool, and a family-style dining space, creating a welcoming atmosphere for families and groups. Activities at Mbamba take full advantage of the Okavango Delta's diverse habitats, offering day and night game drives, mokoro excursions, boat safaris, fishing, and visits to Tsodilo Hills, famed for ancient rock art. Mbamba directly supports and funds impactful initiatives focused on fostering human-wildlife coexistence and conservation in the Okavango Delta. One key partner is CLAWS (Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainability), which plays an integral role in protecting both lions and livestock. By collaring and tracking lions, CLAWS facilitates a return to traditional herding practices, thereby alleviating conflicts between farmers and predators. Additionally, the Elephant Express provides safe transportation for schoolchildren and clinic patients through an elephant corridor, helping to lower the risk of human-elephant encounters in the region.
