Africa, Exclusively: Some of our Favorite Exclusive-Use Safari Properties
Go on safari once, and it’s all but guaranteed you’ll want to return and bring your loved ones along - after all, the only thing more magical than your first rhino or elephant sighting is watching someone else experience the same awe. And while sub-Saharan Africa is home to more excellent lodges than you can shake a stick at, the ultimate way to travel as a group in the bush is to book something exclusively yours. Exclusive-use safari villas appeal to travelers who want the magic of safari without the common experiences of a more conventional hotel: no set meal times, no coordinating game-drive schedules with other guests, and no need to lower the volume on a multigenerational trip. The best of them feel less like booking out rooms and more like being handed a fully staffed private home in a spectacular wilderness setting. Read on for a few of our favorites, and remember there are more where these came from (and we’d love to help you find the one that fits your group perfectly.)
Best for Bringing the Kids:
Cheetah Plains | Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, South Africa
Sleek, chic Cheetah Plains is home to three four-suite private villas, each with their own child-minding options, private chef, spa therapists, and dedicated safari vehicle with guide and tracker, making the property especially strong for multigenerational groups who want a high-design, highly flexible Big Five safari without sharing any space or schedule with other guests. The exclusive-use format matters here because the experience is inherently tailored: families can set their own rhythm, allowing photographers to linger at sightings or dedicate a day to finding their favorite animal; groups can move between game drives, bush walks, spa treatments, and fireside dinners without ever plugging back into a communal lodge timetable. Cheetah Plains coexists gently with the surrounding environs, with silent, fully electric game-viewing vehicles and an off-grid, solar-powered approach, which gives the property a more modern, lower-impact feel than the classic safari formula. For travelers who want the serious wildlife of the Sabi Sand but also the design language of a contemporary private residence, Cheetah Plains is one of the clearest expressions of why exclusive use can be worth it.
Best for a Milestone Birthday:
Singita Kataza House | Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Set at the edge of Rwanda’s misty and magical Volcanoes National Park, four-bedroom Kataza House is ideal for a milestone family or friends’ trip built around gorilla trekking. Beautifully designed, with volcanic stone walls and ceramics handcrafted by local villagers, the benefit of exclusive use here is not just privacy, but emotional space to process an experience that is often described as deeply transformative. Mornings can be shaped entirely around trek logistics and fitness levels, while afternoons can become host to whatever the group needs: restorative massages, a long lunch, a film in the cinema, time around the fire pit, or retreating with a book to one of the four suites. The house also includes a fitness center, wine cellar, interactive kitchen and a two-bedroom staff residence, and guests retain access to the facilities and broader lodge ecosystem at adjacent Singita Kwitonda, which adds flexibility without sacrificing privacy. We generally recommend saving a Rwanda trip for a group without the smallest kids, as the minimum age for trekking is 15, but if your stop in Volcanoes National Park is part of a wider Africa itinerary, little ones can hang back with babysitters while the grownups head into the jungle.
Best for Romantics:
Arijuju | Borana Conservancy, Kenya
Rather than a villa attached to a traditional camp, Arijuju is a fully private home on a hillside in Kenya’s Borana Conservancy, looking across the Borana-Lewa landscape toward Mount Kenya. Central to the home is a courtyard modeled on a 12th-century Provencal abbey, and indeed, the entire property feels both simple and spiritual. Bush walks (and runs, if you’re so inclined) are possible from the house, as is horseback riding and mountain biking. Game drives are of course by private vehicle, so you can spend the whole day in pursuit of one of the conservancy’s 100+ black rhinos. The five suites are arranged for multigenerational use, and the cinema, games room, large resident team, included spa treatments, hammam, plunge pool, tennis and squash courts, gym, yoga shala, hot tub, and dramatic infinity pool overlooking the valley mean everyone can choose their own adventure. This is why Arijiju works so well for families and mixed-interest groups: one person can spend the morning tracking wildlife while another does yoga, has a treatment and meets everyone later for lunch by the pool. The result less like a safari lodge and more like an extraordinary private estate in wild country, which is exactly the point.
Best for Appreciating the Little Things:
Tswalu Tarkuni | Kalahari Desert, South Africa
Tarkuni is a five-suite homestead in a secluded valley of the southern Kalahari, with all bedrooms under one dramatic thatched roof, a dedicated host, private chef, and your own guide, tracker, and safari vehicle. That set up is especially valuable for families, because it turns the house into a genuine home base, rather than a cluster of separate individual rooms. Kids can move easily between suites and shared spaces, while adults can settle into long lunches and fireside evenings (and dip into the excellent wine cellar). The experience beyond the walls of the lodge is also unique, thanks to Tswalu’s desert landscape - all 291,000 acres of it, comprising the largest private reserve in southern Africa. The southern Kalahari is home to habituated meerkat colonies, and you can spend time tracking elusive species such as pangolin, aardvark, or brown hyena. There’s also the opportunity for horseback riding, visits to ancient rock engravings, and the Malori sleep-out under the stars.
Best for Taking in the Views:
Singita Milele | Grumeti Reserve, Tanzania
Brand-new and sparkling, Singita Milele is located high on Sasakwa Hill in Singita’s Grumeti Reserve, with the savannah fanning out below. The villa accommodates up to ten guests across five bedrooms, including a two-bedroom family suite, and is fully staffed with a field guide, chef, butler, and housekeeping team. The practical benefit is obvious: an entire multigenerational group can stay together without fragmenting across separate suites and common areas, while still having enough indoor-outdoor space to spread out. But Milele’s real advantage is that it lets the Serengeti become the backdrop to a private house party of sorts, with an infinity pool, four spa pools, outdoor sala, fitness center, cinema room, firepit, boma, all-day bar-delis, private dining, and wine tastings all folded into the experience. Because the house is yours alone, the safari can flex around the group’s mood: dawn drives for some, a slower breakfast and swim for others, movie night for children, celebratory dinners on the terrace for everyone - the Singita team are masters at surprising and delighting.
