Drink a cocktail at sunset, in front of a wood fire in the silence of the bush.
Waking up with the sun and the wild immensity in front of you.
Being surrounded by noble materials with harmonious shapes and living in the heart of nature while enjoying the wonders of civilization.
The art of living in the bush has, in recent years, been elevated to an “art”.
These African lodges, each in their own style, reinvent the art of living in the bush.
Read the fileSafari: travel guide, information and advice from Le Figaro
The most immersive: Feline Camp Botswana
The tents of the Feline Fields Camp allow you to live the experience of African solitude.
Feline Fields/Press Photo
The situation:
in the Khwai region of Botswana
The pitch
: Feline Fields Camp is located in the heart of the Okavango Delta.
This is a real camp, private, made up of large tents set up just before your arrival.
Equipped with bedding worthy of a grand hotel and antique objects, it allows its guests to live an ultimate African experience, that of solitude.
Just for you: tents, attentive staff and a dedicated dining area that would make many permanent lodges blush.
Facing the river, this experience is ideally lived over three days.
The first may be one of the worst in your life: the surrounding animals rubbing against the tent in the dark, lonely night.
But from the second night, you get used to it.
The noises leave you insensitive, you sleep well, curled up in your comfortable bed a few meters from the roaming felines.
The last night will surely be one of the most beautiful of a lifetime: we fully appreciate the limpid starry sky, the aperitif at sunset and the evening around the fire, not to mention the excellent meals prepared just for you.
Good to know:
you can access this private camp in two ways: by road, which is rare enough to be mentioned at the gates of the delta, or by helicopter.
If the second option is less "green", it nevertheless allows you to fly over the Okavango at a few tens of meters above sea level.
A rare privilege, ideal for observing wildlife.
Feline Camp Botswana, from €1800 per night.
The greenest: Grumeti Hills
The Grumeti Hills in Tanzani are greenhouse gas neutral.
Tanganyka Expeditions / Photo press
The situation:
in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania
The pitch:
imagine a lodge isolated from the world but with its swimming pool, air conditioning, running water, without using a generator.
Imagine 4X4 vehicles that would not consume a drop of oil.
Impossible in an area as remote as Grumeti, at the far west of the Serengeti Park?
And yet.
This prodigy is the work of Denis Lebouteux who launched a small chain of lodges, charming and neutral in greenhouse gas emissions.
Solar panels supply the electricity needs of the lodge and the vehicles.
Large reservoirs collect the water during the rare but abundant rains: it is recycled to supply the swimming pool, the water needs and the maintenance of the abundant flora which surrounds the estate.
The thermal 4X4s have been transformed into electric 4X4s thanks to French technology supported by the company Carwatt.
This lodge demonstrates that life in the bush is not incompatible with the preservation of nature.
Good to know:
even if we are talking here about the most “green” lodge on the continent, the swimming pool with a view and the massages also make it a well-being address.
The table is tasty, fed by the only permaculture vegetable garden in the country, located a few hours away.
Grumeti Hills.
From 500 € / night
Read alsoCap on a confidential Tanzania, in the footsteps of wildlife
The most luxurious: Singita Lebombo
Singita lodges offer elegant luxury without ostentation.
Singita / Photo press
The situation:
in the Kruger National Park in South Africa
The pitch:
The quintessence of African luxury could be summed up in one name: Singita.
Carved local wood, large bay windows that magnify the designer furniture: luxury but without ostentation, all in elegance and harmony.
Add to that the best rangers in the world, trained in the greatest American universities and the greatest chefs.
Here, everyone feels exceptional and has the feeling of traveling out of time.
Good to know:
despite their price, Singita lodges are booked almost a year in advance by American customers.
A stay must therefore be prepared a long time in advance.
Singita LeBombo Lodge, from €3000 per night.
The most inaccessible: Tswalu Safari Lodge
Tswalu can be reached in an hour and a half by plane from Johannesburg.
Tswalu Safari Lodge / Photo press
The situation:
in the Kalahari in South Africa
The pitch:
the Kalahari is not the dream of first-time buyers but it becomes so after a few safaris.
An environment as hostile as it is inaccessible, it is home to a jewel that safari enthusiasts know well: Tswalu.
This Relais & Châteaux can be reached in a 1h30 flight west from Johannesburg.
Arrived on the spot, the airport is an elegant hut.
Then crossing the arid but rich bush, we discover Tswalu.
Here, luxury is elsewhere.
The rare fauna which is offered to the eyes of visitors (felines, reptiles, meerkats and other pangolins) would in itself justify your presence.
But the view and the serenity of the place are increased tenfold by the exclusivity.
Only a few rooms in this end of the world allow you to have a reservation all to yourself.
Good to know:
Accessible by small plane (very comfortable) from Cape Town or Johannesburg.
Two nights are a minimum, four are preferable.
The concession being private, safaris on foot are offered but also on horseback (which is quite rare).
Tswalu, from €1500/night (in low season).
Read alsoConfidential and unforgettable, ten Relais & Châteaux hotels to stay in once in a lifetime
Trendiest: Zannier Sonop Lodge
From the bed of the Zannier Sonop lodge, the view of the Namib lunar plains is endless.
Thibodermy for Zannier Hotels
The situation:
Namib desert in Namibia
The pitch:
Zannier is a unique brand.
Here, there is no desire to create a “chain” but rather unique addresses around exceptional natural places.
Already present in Megève, Vietnam or Cambodia, they have arrived with a bang in the most cinematic of African countries, Namibia.
More precisely in the Namib Rand.
Everything is there, and better: the view and the site are extraordinary, exclusive (necessarily) and almost inaccessible.
The tents on stilts are posed in the middle of gigantic rocks left here by millions of years of erosion.
The furniture is made of wood, copper and noble textiles.
From the bathroom or the bed, the view of the lunar plains is endless.
The precious wood and copper spyglass placed on the desk invites you to take up your pen and try to match Agatha Christie.
But there is also a unique table, placed on a giant natural promontory, designed by nature and only lit, at night by the Milky Way, here, dazzling with light.
Good to know:
Sonop is difficult to access so the stay must be long enough (3 to 4 nights minimum).
Here, everything is done to entertain you, even in the evening with an open-air cinema, gastronomic or musical evenings.
Zannier Hotels Sonop.
From €1500/night (in low season).
