An African safari is a bucket-list experience for many travelers. Whether you’re trekking with gorillas in the mountains or driving across the savannah in search of lions, elephants, and more, the excitement is almost indescribable. 

There are countless ways to experience Africa’s wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities, but staying at an eco sustainability safari lodge can help you stay more eco conscious, and limit your carbon impact while supporting conservation efforts.

Experience it With Luxury Gold: We invite you to seek out the Big Five in Kruger National Park on Luxury Gold’s Spectacular South Africa Journey. You’ll spend two nights in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve near a waterhole where animals roam day and night. Go on game drives and bush walks where you may spot the Big Five, hippos, crocodiles, and cheetahs.

Top Safari Lodges For Eco Sustainability 

Discover the wonder of Africa’s wildlife while staying at these eco conscious safari lodges that prioritize sustainable practices. As with any stay around the world, do your diligence to determine how truly an eco sustainability property truly is. Taking the extra steps to research the property’s sustainability credentials, its conservation projects, and eco conscious actions such as supporting local communities can help ensure that your travels are limiting your carbon footprint while helping to regenerate our world.

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Cheetah Plains | South Africa

 

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Within the Sabi Sands Nature Reserve, Cheetah Plains is the first eco friendly business to offer a zero-emission game drive in the reserve. Their safari lodge runs entirely on solar power and a carbon negative property, which means you can offset part of the carbon footprint your travels create just by staying at Cheetah Plains. 1200 solar PV panels offset over 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by generating an average of 550WMh per year.

Campi Ya Kanzi | Kenya

 

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Accountability is critical in maintaining a true eco friendly business, which is why every night spent at Campi Ya Kanzi directly benefits the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. The trust benefits local Maasai communities through actions like reimbursing tribes when they lose livestock due to predator attacks; this encourages the tribe not to retaliate by hunting the predator, thus keeping the human and animal populations sustained. From an eco sustainability perspective, the lodges at Campi Ya Kanzi are 100% photovoltaic. Harnessing solar power to cut carbon emissions to zero, which leads to carbon neutrality via offsetting with the Chyulu REDD+ Carbon Project.

Usangu Expedition Camp | Tanzania

 

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Similar to the way the Cheetah Plains uses solar power to lead its safaris, the Usangu Expedition Camp in Tanzania is the safari lodge in Ruaha National Park to prioritise eco sustainability by creating safari vehicles that run on ethanol instead of diesel fuel. The ethanol is taken from the molasses production in the south of the country, giving the vehicle a candy-like scent as they drive. This eco conscious camp is near the Douglas Bell Eco Research Station and encourages travelers to help in the wildlife conservation efforts by placing camera traps, tracking lions, and identifying predators in the area. 

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Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp | Namibia

 

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Eco sustainability in all of Africa is important, including places like the Namib Desert where an astounding number of biodiverse species thrive. The Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp is a luxurious desert oasis and leverages its sun exposure to operate 100% on solar power. Guided walking safaris are an available alternative to game drives to further reduce your impact in one of the world’s oldest deserts. An on-site research center allows you to assist conversation efforts by helping staff track the endangered desert-adapted black rhinoceros. 

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Mount Gahinga Lodge | Uganda

 

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Eco sustainability discussions tend to focus around our natural world, and while the protection of the mountain gorillas is a priority, Mount Gahinga Lodge is also working to sustain the native Batwa tribe that was displaced when the Virunga Mountains were annexed for conservation. The Lodge’s founder built a permanent Batwa settlement where 150 people live off of the land in their own, safe community. You can visit this settlement and support the Batwa people when you stay at Mount Gahinga Lodge, with opportunities to also track gorillas and golden monkeys. 

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Don’t limit your safari to one continent. Venture into Ranthambore National Park in search of Bengal tigers on the Luxury Gold Essence of India journey. 

Not only does this 8-day adventure check-off bucket-list visits to the Taj Mahal and the Pink City of Jaipur, it also offers the chance to see tigers in the wild. Your safari through the former private hunting grounds of the maharajas of Jaipur takes you across lakes and palace ruins where the elusive tigers roam. 

The Golden Age of luxury train travel evokes old-world images of opulent carriages, mahogany-lined cars, and slow-moving scenery at your fingertips. But this is no bygone era. Train travel is celebrating a revival with record numbers of people embracing luxury train rides. The world’s 5-star train journeys are elevating the experience, with everything from personal butlers and Michelin-star fine dining to luxury suites with bathtubs and marble floors. If you love the journey as much as the destination, here are 10 of the world’s most famous luxury train rides to inspire your next adventure.

Down at the southernmost tip of Africa, expansive farms converge with vine-friendly slopes and teeming seas – not to mention dishes shaped by arrivals from all over the globe. The resulting rich and unexpected food scene makes South Africa the ultimate destination for a gourmet foodie road trip, whether you’re sampling a 10-course tasting menu on a wine estate, or tucking into a rustic braai (barbecue) in the bush. 

Guests on Luxury Gold’s nine-day Spectacular South Africa tour, for example, will tuck into seafood at the sea-view Harbour Restaurant in Kalk Bay, before enjoying a locally-sourced dinner at the world-renowned Boschendal Wine Estate – then dine under the stars in Kruger National Park.  

The sheer beauty of South Africa’s scenery – from wave-lashed coastline to green mountain slopes and dry savanna – means dramatic views from many of its most famous restaurants, while the contents of your plate are often firmly rooted in the terrain around you. Here are some of the culinary stops that have made this country the food destination it is today. 

Fine dining capital 

The perfect place to start any foodie road trip is Cape Town. One of the world’s great gourmet cities, Cape Town is teeming with innovative chefs both homegrown and imported making headlines with their menus. Here, Luxury Gold guests enjoy a visit the Old Biscuit Mill, once a series of factories but now transformed into trendy bakeries, boutiques, jewelers and cult restaurants. One such eatery, The Potluck Club, is an upmarket local favourite, with modern, arty small plates from star chef Luke Dale Roberts (most famous for the now-shuttered Test Kitchen). Expect dishes like springbok tataki and mussels with braised beef tongue, with a down-to-earth atmosphere and great sunset views over the Lion’s Head peak. The Old Biscuit Mill’s food market, Neighbourgoods Market, is a hit with trendy locals, and a must-see on your visit. 

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A taste of the Winelands 

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Sitting among acres of vines glowing gold in the sunlight, you swirl your first jewel-bright taster of wine around the glass. A vineyard visit is a standout moment of any South Africa tour, and its Cape Winelands are not only a ravishing place to do it – all imposing mountains, undulating vineyards and quaint towns of boutiques and restaurants – they’re also a hub of exciting chef activity. Take Boschendal Estate, a working farm between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek where you can go horse riding, tour the kitchen gardens, indulge in a picnic or just come for the main event: a glorious farm-to-table lunch. Sitting out at the Werf Restaurant, a highlight of any foodie road trip with its incredible views of the countryside, you’ll taste the likes of flame-cooked asparagus, forest-reared Duroc pork and tandoor cauliflower – all part of what chef Eric Bulpitt calls “soil to fork” cuisine.  

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Destination restaurants  

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South Africa is a country of destination restaurants worth the detour. Venturing outside of Cape Town, you might head to the coastal suburbs for a slap-up seafood meal. The iconic Harbour House restaurant in Kalk Bay is on your South Africa itinerary, where head chef Ryan Lee Van Rooyen dishes up elegant sushi rolls, dressed oysters and show-stopping seafood platters. But you might also linger for La Colombe in Constantia, one of the world’s best fine dining restaurants where you’ll try intriguing dishes such as the Dove’s Nest, featuring eggshells you uncork to eat with a straw, and a tuna starter served in a tuna tin with the lid peeled back. Or travel to pretty Franschhoek in the winelands for salt-sugar-cured pork belly and amarula panna cotta at stylish local’s favourite, Reuben’s.  

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A braai in the bush 

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Safari trips aren’t renowned for their food, but a luxurious reserve like Kruger National Park’s Lion Sands will host some of the most memorable meals of your trip. One highlight at Lion Sands Tinga Lodge – the base for game drives on the Spectacular South Africa tour – is the Celebration Dinner, an atmospheric barbecue grilled up in the wilderness near the camp.

As part of a full-board stay, you and the other guests at this upmarket lodge will follow staff to a lantern-lit spot in the reserve, where expert chefs will grill game and fish over a traditional South African barbecue while you chat in the light of a roaring log fire. It’s served in the traditional style, with pap (polenta), salad and sheba (a traditional tomato-and-onion sauce). And don’t worry about big cats or wild dogs intruding on the feast – staff are discreetly positioned to look out for any carnivorous visitors attracted by the aroma.  

To enjoy a gourmet foodie road trip and taste the best of South Africa, along with magnificent hotels and exclusive experiences take a look at our Spectacular South Africa luxury journey.