As if you needed another reason to travel to Africa, these new safari lodges are sure to draw you in with their intriguing landscapes and luxurious amenities. From desert escapes in Namibia to legendary lodges across Botswana, check out our list of the best new safari lodges opening in 2020 and 2021.

DUMATAU & LITTLE DUMATAU

DumaTau, in northern Botswana’s Linyanti region, has been a favorite for many years. Its location on the fringes of a lagoon, with access to the unique “stolen river” of the Savuti Channel, provides unparalleled game viewing throughout the year. For 2020, DumaTau will be upgraded from a “classic” to a “premium” camp and will be accompanied for the first time by a smaller sister camp to be named Little DumaTau.

  • Reopening late 2021
  • DumaTau: 7 tents and 1 family unit
  • Little DumaTau: 4 tents
  • From $1600 pp/day

MASHATU EUPHORBIA VILLAS, BOTSWANA

The private Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana is set to welcome an exciting new addition in June 2020: the new Mashatu Euphorbia Villas. Rather than the more typical tented accommodation, this lodge will feature distinctive stone-built guest villas, each with sweeping views between the baobab trees and out across the Majele River. It’s not just the lodge’s clifftop position that’s getting elevated: the safari experiences on offer (all led by expert local guides) promise to set new standards. Activity offerings will naturally include game drives and guided walking safaris, as well as mountain biking and spending time in an exciting underground hide.

  • Opening June 2020
  • 8 villas
  • From $860 pp/day

JACKS CAMP, BOTSWANA

Africa has many renowned safari lodges, but few attain legendary status. Even fewer lodges were established by legends – but Jack’s Camp was. There’s an otherworldly feeling to the Makgadikgadi Pans – this lunar landscape demands nothing less than an extraordinary safari camp. That’s what the “old” Jacks Camp was, with its Bedouin-inspired, dazzlingly white marquee tents and heaps of cushions. The new camp will tap into this same epic narrative to create a reinvented legend for the 21st century. The new-look Jacks Camp will draw on the heritage of its predecessor while reinventing the classic look for a new generation of fans.

  • Opening Early 2021
  • 10 rooms
  • From $1,290 pp/day

KWESSI DUNES LODGE, NAMIBIA

Located in Namibia’s NamibRand Nature Reserve, this new lodge promises an immersive desert experience, including being surrounded by incredible scenery, and looking up at a star-spangled sky each night. The focus here is the landscape in addition to the unique wildlife that survives in these seemingly inhospitable habitats. With the towering dunes of Sossusvlei within range for a day excursion, Kwessi Dunes is ideally placed to let guests experience the very best of Namibia’s breath-taking dry country vistas. The intention is to offer multiple ways to explore the area, from hot air balloon scenic flights to quad biking.

  • Opening March 2020
  • 12 rooms
  • From $500 pp/day

SAYARI CAMP, TANZANIA

Inspired by the colorful culture of the Kuria tribe who call the northern Serengeti home, Sayari Camp‘s bold new look was conceptualized by the mastermind behind Jabali Ridge and Namiri Plains. It’s a favorite lodge for East Africa safari aficionados thanks to its location directly in the path of the Great Wildebeest Migration. The 15 spacious tents, including a redesigned family suite for 5 guests, all have striking views of the rolling plains. And when Sayari reopens next summer, it will be home to the first solar-powered microbrewery in Africa.

  • Reopening Summer 2020
  • 15 tented suites
  • From $815 pp/day

LITTLE KULALA, NAMIBIA

The unique “beach villa” vibe of Little Kulala has long made this one of Namibia’s most sought-after safari destinations. The refurbished lodge will retain this sense of being cast adrift (albeit luxuriously) in a sea of sand. The new Little Kulala will also benefit from an exclusive access point to Sossusvlei, making dawn excursions to the world’s oldest and tallest dunes a very real option. It’s certainly worth the early start to watch the colors seep into the landscape and to feel the fresh desert breeze as it blows away yesterday’s tracks and makes the ancient dunes new again.

  • Reopening November 2020
  • 11 villas
  • From $800 pp/day

SABORA TENTED CAMP, TANZANIA

The reimagined Singita Sabora Tented Camp strikes the perfect balance between classic East African safaris and timeless modernity. Located right on the Serengeti plains in the 350,000-acre private Grumeti Reserve, it’s the ultimate luxury experience under canvas, and with tents set close to the ground, every sight, sound, and smell of the bush is amplified. The nine suites feature private pantries, dining areas and fitness areas, as well as meditation decks, allowing guests to rest, relax and immerse themselves in wellness activities like outdoor yoga. Secluded salas with daybeds overlooking one of Sabora’s two waterholes make for uninterrupted game-viewing.

  • Reopening November 2020
  • 9 suites
  • From $1,700 pp/day

XIGERA SAFARI LODGE, BOTSWANA

Xigera has long been one of the Okavango’s most popular property and has always offered a perfectly pitched balance between water and land-based activities. Deep in the Moremi Game Reserve, it provides access to both game-rich islands and winding channels where hippos cavort, and the calls of fish eagles echo. Xigera will become 100% solar-powered and reopen with 12 fully air-conditioned suites.

  • Opening December 2020
  • 12 suites
  • From $2,475 pp/day

Contact hello@alluringafrica.com to plan your dream safari!

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