African safari season
The most popular time for Africa’s safari season is May through October, when dry weather drives wildlife to migrate in spectacular numbers or seek out watering holes close to camps. But due to the logistics and costs involved, now is the time to plan a safari, especially to experience one of the new or newly renovated lodges listed below. (Note: Rates are nightly, based on double occupancy and typically include all meals, drinks, game-viewing drives and park fees.)
Botswana: A favorite destination of newly engaged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the former British colony hosts numerous camps in the Okavango Delta. This month, Wilderness Safaris will open Qorokwe Camp, nine tented suites in the 65,000-acre Qorokwe Concession, next to the Moremi Game Reserve. The presence of water year-round attracts lions, elephants, Cape buffalo and numerous other animals. From $846.
Wilderness’ two flagship Botswana camps, Mombo and Little Mombo, on an island in the Moremi Game Reserve known for big-cat sightings, are due to reopen in March after extensive renovations. Meanwhile, Wilderness has opened Mombo Trails, a luxury camp with eight tents, to serve the area. From $1,930; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Tanzania: Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti is actually a portable camp with three locations, allowing guests to follow the migration of a million-plus zebra and wildebeest across the Serengeti Plain, where permanent residents include cheetahs, wild dogs and giraffes. The 10 premium tents with wooden decks and classic bucket showers open this month in the southern Serengeti, then move in late May to the central plain and again in July to its northern reaches. From $446; www. sanctuaryretreats.com.
Zambia: After the Serengeti, the next largest wildebeest migration takes place in Liuwa Plain National Park. Travelers, however, found the unpaved park relatively inaccessible before the April start of direct flights from Lusaka, the country’s capital, on the national airline Proflight.
That’s also when the park’s first permanent safari camp opened. The solar-powered, eco-luxury King Lewanika Lodge offers six tented villas on the fringe of floodplains, where lion prides, packs of hyenas and an increasing number of cheetahs roam. From $1,070; https://timeandtideafrica.com.