What are the best safari lodges you can book with VIP perks?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Grounded in the Base Camp Living Atlas
From the 61 safari and wilderness lodges in our Atlas, the ones we send travelers to first: Jack's Camp in Botswana's Makgadikgadi (the great eccentric — Kalahari meerkats, desert-Baroque tents), Belmond's Botswana camps in the Okavango, Bushmans Kloof in the Cederberg (rock art, no malaria, family-friendly South Africa), Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp on Kenya's Laikipia plateau, and the Fairmont pair — Mara Safari Club and Mount Kenya Safari Club — for the classic Kenya circuit with big-hotel polish.
On safari, advisor value is less about breakfast credits (everything's included anyway) and more about the itinerary spine: which camps combine, private-vehicle guarantees, guide requests, charter logistics between airstrips, and the green-season pricing that halves rates in months that are often better game viewing than the brochure months.
Standouts from the Atlas, by trip type
| Trip | Lodge | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The surrealist safari | Jack's Camp, Makgadikgadi, Botswana | Salt pans, habituated meerkats, museum-tent glamour — pairs with an Okavango water camp |
| Classic Kenya | Elewana Loisaba + Fairmont Mara Safari Club | Laikipia exclusivity plus the Mara river-crossing theater |
| Malaria-free family safari | Bushmans Kloof, South Africa | Cederberg wilderness, ancient rock art, kids welcome |
| Okavango water-and-land | Belmond Safaris (Eagle Island, Savute, Khwai) | Mokoro canoes, elephants, Belmond service — Bellini Club perks apply |
| Green-season value | Anantara Kafue River Tented Camp, Zambia | Emerging Kafue at pre-fame pricing |
The 61 'lodge/safari' tagged properties also include wilderness lodges beyond Africa — Clayoquot in British Columbia, Blancaneaux in Belize, Cristalino in the Brazilian Amazon, Huka Lodge in New Zealand — for travelers who want the safari rhythm (guides, wild luxury, all-inclusive days) on other continents.
What to actually optimize on safari
- Camp combinations over camp names: two contrasting ecosystems (water + land in Botswana; Laikipia + Mara in Kenya) beat two famous lookalikes.
- Private vehicle on at least the photographic legs — the single upgrade that changes the trip most.
- Green/shoulder season: January–March Botswana and November Kenya price 30–50% below peak with dramatic skies and newborn everything.
- Charter weight limits (often 15kg soft bags) — plan camera gear accordingly.
- Book 9–15 months out for dry-season marquee camps; they sell by the tent, not the hundred rooms.
Frequently asked
Botswana or Kenya for a first safari?
Kenya for spectacle and value breadth (the Mara migration July–October); Botswana for exclusivity and water-based variety at higher cost. Both in 10–12 days is the honeymoon classic for a reason.
Are safaris all-inclusive?
At this tier, nearly always: meals, drinks, twice-daily game drives, and often laundry. The bill's variables are park fees, charters and premium extras (helicopter legs, private vehicles) — which is where itinerary design earns its keep.
When do lodges discount?
Green season (roughly Nov–May southern Africa, Mar–May and Nov East Africa) and long-stay/pay-3-stay-4 offers your advisor sees before they're public. Peak-season marquee camps essentially never discount — book those early instead.