Private Safari Villas - Safari at your own pace

As we head towards the end of the year, it is time to think of Festive Family & Friends Getaways. Africa gives you the space you crave, the connection with nature you seek, and the wildlife encounters you’ve dreamed of. Dedicated guides and exclusive-use vehicles mean tailor-made game viewing; personal chefs, babysitters and housekeepers make it a hassle-free holiday. A completely individualized safari holiday is a true luxury.

Cheetah Plains offers an exclusive-use, luxury, sustainable safari in South Africa’s most celebrated wildlife area, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Each of the three exclusive-use Plains Houses accommodates up to 8 guests per house, offering you and your safari companions the ultimate safari experience. Each exquisitely appointed, boast a formal lounge, living room, dining area, expansive sun deck, heated swimming pool, wine gallery, chef’s kitchen, and sumptuous Private Suites. Twice-daily game drives are taken in Land Cruiser Electric safari vehicles. Bespoke children’s safari program, Cheetah Plains’ Cub Club, for children under 12 years old ensures younger guests are well catered for.

Just 40 km upstream from the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Victoria Falls and inspired by its spectacular location on the mighty Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, Matetsi Victoria Falls combines dramatic architectural design and luxurious interiors with the vibrancy of the Zimbabwean people. Set on 15km of private Zambezi river frontage, your arrival at Matetsi Victoria Falls will signal a slow retreat into the senses with exclusive access to 55 000 hectares of Matetsi Private Game Reserve. For those in search of the ultimate in seclusion and privacy, there’s River House – an exclusive-use, four-bedroom villa that is ideal for a large group, family or multi-generational group travelling together. River House is equipped with a full kitchen and indoor and outdoor dining areas that lead out to a spacious veranda with a private swimming pool and fire pit bowl. River House also comes with the dedicated services of a private chef, butler, guide as well as a dedicated game drive vehicle. For larger parties, River House may be booked in combination with Family or Luxury Suites.

Nestled under a shady canopy of magnificent jackalberry and sausage trees, across from Mombo on the other side of Chief’s Island, sited in the Okavango Delta’s renowned Moremi Game Reserve, lies Little Mombo. This magical camp overlooks a floodplain that is host to an astonishing variety of wildlife. With just four suites, Little Mombo is a smaller, more intimate version of its sister camp. With its own lounge, dining area, kitchen, and boma, it connects to Mombo by elevated wooden walkways. With other facilities such as a Safari Boutique, spa, gym, and lap pool shared with Mombo. Its design expresses unashamed (yet appropriate and sustainable) luxury under canvas, incomparable hospitality, and world-class wildlife encounters.

Vast herds of wildebeest pass just outside your tent, following a migratory path worn over millennia. Far-ranging herds of wildebeest make the iconic Great Migration travelling a never-ending circuit from the southern Serengeti in Tanzania, up northwest towards the mighty Mara River, and back again. Mobile migrational camps are perfectly situated in the Serengeti and move with the migration so you never miss any action. Each camp has eight en-suite tents and a family tent. Plains of golden grasslands stretch to distant horizons under never-ending blue skies as millions of hoofbeats drum the earth. Recommended three to four nights’ stay, immersed in the wild with all the sophisticated comforts you need.

A contemporary, elegant private villa, Cottar’s Private Bush Villa borders the Maasai Mara and Serengeti game reserves. The Bush Villa provides a luxury private stay option for 10 guests and comes complete with its own private 25 meter swimming pool. Cottar’s Bush Villa has a breath-taking view onto the savannah plains that carry the great annual wildebeest migration and is set amidst a backdrop of the Olderkesi Hills. Guests can enjoy privately guided game drives, night game drives, bush walks, swimming and fishing. The villa is over 10,000 square feet in size, and features a large living room, dining room, a magnificent viewing deck, and 5 en-suite bedrooms, all with stunning views. The villa has internet access throughout, satellite TV and DVD, and is powered with electric and solar energy. Offering an abundance of wildlife, a guarantee of privacy, and the highest standards of professional guiding, this is a luxurious and elegant safari.