01 · Where you stay
Accommodation moves the price of a safari more than the route does, and it changes the feel of the trip more than either.
The same eight-day northern circuit can be run on a camping budget or at a level where a butler unpacks your bag. The parks, the fees and the driving are identical. What changes is where you sleep and what happens when you get there.
The specific camps and lodges we use are To confirm — we publish names only once the contracts and rates for your travel dates are in place, because a camp listed and then substituted is worse than one not listed at all.
02 · The four kinds
What each one actually means
Mobile Tented Camps
Permanent Tented Camps
Lodges
Budget Camping
03 · How to choose
Four questions worth more than a star rating
How far from the animals do you want to sleep?
A camp inside the park puts you at a sighting at first light. A lodge outside the gate costs you the first and last hour of every day.
How much do you mind canvas?
A good tented camp is more comfortable than most hotels. What it is not is soundproof — and hearing hyena at two in the morning is either the best part of the trip or the worst.
Is there power all night?
Many camps run solar and switch the generator off after dinner. If you need to charge camera batteries overnight, ask.
Is it fenced?
Most bush camps are not, and you are escorted after dark. This is normal and safe, and it is worth knowing before you arrive.
04 · Also
