Full list of Lodges, Parks, and Activities in Africa we’ve visited

Seychelles

Hilton Labriz Seychelles
Definitely recommend, large island with hiking opportunities to view the giant turtles of Grand Barbe. You can see the island Kate & William honeymooned from the resort. :)

Kenya

The Giraffe Center - Nairobi
Highly recommend, connected to Giraffe Manor. Hand feed rehabilitated giraffes and learn more about the species. We stayed one night at Giraffe Manor. (warning, it’s very pricey but we found it to be worth it)

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - Nairobi
All-time favorite non-profit in the world! Visit during the 5pm orphaned parent option (there’s a noon feeding with a larger group of people) and interact closely with the orphans. You’ll have an hour to talk to the “green coats” and find a new baby to adopt.

Tour Organizer - Explorer Kenya
We don’t really recommend this company. While our guide in Kenya was good, the guide in Tanzania wasn’t and we had a few issues that showed us they are not a well run company.
*Note - unless you plan to stay at one park only, you’ll have to use a tour company to get around. It’s almost impossible to get around without one solely from a transportation perspective. I found all of the lodges on our own and simply had the tour company book them and get us from point a to b.

Basecamp Explorer Eagle View - Naboisho Conservancy
Highly recommend, in a private concession of Maasai Mara. Beautiful, modern lodge with incredible views over the conservancy. Recommend staying at least 2 nights.

Entim Camp - Maasai Mara National Park
Somewhat recommend. We found the Basecamp lodge to be much nicer and half the price. Meals were excellent and game drives were done by our tour company guide. It looks as though the rooms have been updated since we visited in 2016.

Maasai Mara National Park
Hands down our favorite park in all of Africa. This is the Kenya side of the Serengeti National Park. I do NOT recommend starting here as it will spoil you for wildlife everywhere else. Best time to visit is in the height of winter, June/July, to witness the great wildebeest migration. It’s a massive park so allot 3-5 days here. It’s the best park to do a hot air balloon ride ($$) since it’s so open and you can view tons of wildlife from the basket.

Tanzania

Lake Manyara
Good park with the potential to spot tree climbing lions. Dense trees so harder to spot wildlife but sits on a large lake and therefore has a lot of game near the water. Great place to spot hippos walking around.

Kirurumu Manyara Lodge - Lake Manyara
We were only here for one evening and night but the camp was great with incredible views for sundowners.

Ngorongoro Crater National Park
Run here! Best park in Tanzania, even outside of the Serengeti. The wildlife is trapped inside of the crater so many animals are showing behaviors unlike their natural ones outside of this park. Photogenic and easy to cover the entire crater in a day.

Ngorongoro Farm House
Loved this lodge. The rooms are very large with a fireplace, setup by a Masai warrior each evening. Food was great and the lodge is larger, giving you a chance to exchange stories with fellow travelers.

Tarangire National Park
Second favorite park and best park for elephants. They are everywhere! Somewhat dense but plenty of wildlife to see with minimal searching.

Mada Tarangire Balloon Camp
Would not recommend. Very far from the entrance of the park and not nice enough to warrant the drive.

Madagascar

Madagascar Tour Guide - Tour Company
Definitely needed in this country. The driver and guide spoke minimal English but were kind and led us to the lemurs and chameleons. I recommend them.

Andasibe National Park - Home of the Lemurs
The main forest the lemurs live in and one of the only places in the world to see them in their natural habitats.

Vakona Forest Lodge
The nicest lodge in most of Madagascar, outside of Nosey Be. (it’s not overly nice but definitely nice by Malagasy standards) The lodge is set on a gorgeous nature reserve and nearby to the parks.

Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls
Definitely recommend visiting. The best side to visit is the Zimbabwe side but you can get a visa on arrival to go to the Zambia side if you’d like. (around $40) Devil’s Pool was closed when we visited otherwise I would have been the first one there!

Elephant Hills Hotel - Victoria Falls
Do not recommend. We moved from our first hotel to this one due to a lack of mosquito nets and this one was a massive hotel and felt like it. I recommend saving up and staying at The Victoria Falls Hotel as the location is excellent and it’s a gorgeous historic hotel.

Botswana

Chobe National Park
Amazing park on the Chobe River. We arrived to Zambia and did an overland crossing to the border since the lodge was at the convergence of Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana. Highly recommend visiting.

Chobe Bakwena Lodge (this link is excellent and lists all lodges in and around Chobe)
Cool eco-lodge about 20 minutes from the park. The lodge itself is really great but the location make me less likely to recommend. We drove at 5:30am each morning to the park entrance in the open safari vehicle in 40-50 degree weather so it was uncomfortably cold. The guide wasn’t great either and acted more like a “bad” tour guide by cutting in front of other vehicles and approaching animals too quickly and too closely. We had one great guide but the main guide left a poor taste in our mouths. Chobe Game Lodge had electric safari vehicles (so smart) so next time we go, we plan to stay there to support eco-friendly practices.

Mozambique

Tofo Beach
Gorgeous area well known for diving and very close humpback whale sightings. The whales hang out in the bay and can easily be seen from the shoreline. Tofo is a diving town with little to do otherwise. We had very low visibility diving in this area due to changing currents the days we were there but it was incredible to hear whales singing underwater while diving!

Pura Vida - Air BnB
Highly recommend for the view and setup of the house. The bathroom is outside, which is great, until a thunderstorm hit. It’s about a mile walk to any restaurants but a straight shot either by beach or road to get to what you need. The host was so nice and very proud of his home, which was evident in the finishings and small details that made this a wonderful place to hang out.

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa
Currently the fastest growing city in Africa, we had higher expectations in terms of city conveniences. The airport is highly inconvenient so plan your flight times with lots of padding. (we missed a connecting flight with a 45+ window due to the poor setup of the airport) Everything was closed when we were there due to New Years (celebrated Sept 11) but we did see the famous Lucy remains. The museum is run-down but it’s definitely worth paying a visit.

Radisson Blu Addis Ababa
Beautiful hotel, definitely one of the nicest, if not the nicest, in the city. We used points to stay here but I would recommend to anyone visiting Addis.

Danakil Depression with ETT Tour Company
The Danakil Depression encompasses the region in far northeast Ethiopia at the Eritrea border. It is known as the most inhospitable place on the planet due to its average yearly temperature hovering near 95 degrees. Very few people live near here and facilities are non-existent. We did the 2-day option, selecting to visit Dallol over Erta Ale, but wish we would have had time to visit both. Erta Ale is a volcano that you’re able to stare right into and watch lava bubbling at night. A group we met up with said the fog was too thick when they were there and they were unable to see the lava so be aware that’s a possibility. (nature!) The tour company is only of only a few in the region but it felt disorganized and a little too laid back for my liking. We left really early the first day but stopped multiple times along the way to “allow the rest of the groups to catch up,” (you’re only allowed to travel as a caravan with all tour companies) but that ended up killing over 5 hours of time. I wish we could have simply left later in the day as it only takes 2-3 hours to reach Lake Assal and the only thing on the agenda for the day was visiting the lake at sunset. Dallol was incredible but unbearably hot - it was hard to enjoy when you’re at black-out level of overheating but still worth it. With relations with Eritrea being good for now (a peace treaty was just signed for the first time in decades) I would hold off on visiting until a few stronger, more reliable tour companies come in and create healthy competition.

Uganda

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
This was a happy accident! The permits for gorilla trekking fill up YEARS in advance. We were supposed to trek in Congo at Virguna NP but the park recently closed temporarily after a tourist incident back in May. As a result, we scrambled to find permits and this was the only park with permits available. (we scored the last permits for entire month of Sept) It’s a park that spans across Rwanda and Congo, on the border of all three countries. The park had much nicer trails so it was an easy trek compared to Bwindi and they only have 1 family of gorillas to track. The guide was awesome and our porters and guard were kind and very happy to help with whatever we needed. We had my friend’s 71 year old dad with us and his need to take it slow actually make the hike even more enjoyable as we got to spot chameleons, bushbacks, and more on the way up. Highly recommend this park as it’s smaller, easy to navigate, and more personal.

Mount Gahinga Lodge
Beautiful high end lodge at the entrance of the park. Location was fantastic for trekking! The “road” to the park was horrendous though so not something you can drive on your own and absolutely forbidden for non 4x4 vehicles. The rooms were large with a fireplace setup at night for warmth. Food was amazing. This lodge is owned by Volcanoes Safaris and is the most affordable lodge out of their entire portfolio. The only reason for the lower price is simply the location as it’s not next to the more famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Extremely recommend.

South Africa - My favorite country on the planet!

Kruger National Park
Highly recommend after you’ve done a few safaris elsewhere. Very easy to self-drive (I don’t recommend hiring a guide) as most of the roads are paved and the gravel roads are well-maintained. Definitely know the rules before heading into this park though - you’ll see a lot of rule breakers but make sure you know proper animal etiquette to prevent an accident from happening. One tip - break the rule of having your windows down though, unless you’re near lions. It gives you the opportunity to hear so much more and you’ll begin to learn the behaviors, grunts, and nods an animal gives when they’re happy, scared, pissed, etc. The Kruger website is full of information on driving routes, where to spot certain animals, and more.

Protea Kruger Gate
Located at the entrance of Kruger Gate, this hotel is an excellent place to spend hotel points as it’s very cheap. It’s a Marriott property, and large, so you have the conveniences of a hotel, but they also have a small shop on site so you can load up before heading into the park. Definitely recommend for Kruger.

Sabi Sands Game Reserve
One of my absolutely favorite parks in South Africa. Located on the west side of Kruger. Excellent leopard spotting and consistently featured on National Geographic’s “Safari Live” show. (we met multiple guides who are on the show) It’s a small park and because it’s not a national park, the vehicles can off-road and they absolutely do. As a result, you can stunning, very close encounters with leopards, lions, elephants, and more. Above all, their conservation story is phenomenal. They are one of the least poached parks in Africa because they’ve taken such extreme measures to combat it. Highly, highly recommend.

Arathusa Safari Lodge
One of the most affordable lodges in Sabi Sands. (fyi, safaris are insanely expensive so start saving!) Beautiful lodge on a watering hole (if there’s water) with lots of game spotting from your room or main area. Request a bush room - leopards and elephants will drink from your pool during the day so always be on the lookout. Game drives are done by the lodge in a full open vehicle and the guides are extremely knowledgable. (our guide was Jamie) The food was fantastic, served at a set time so everyone dines together, but it’s such a small lodge that you can easily chat with everyone staying there to compare photos and safari spottings. (literally it’s a 3-course menu dinner menu with options between a few meat dishes or a vegetarian dish) Rooms are massive with everything you could need and laundry is included, as is it as most safari camps, since you’re covered in dust when you return. Getting here took some time as you cannot cut through Kruger (despite what it looks like on a map) so if it’s in your budget, I would fly from Skukuza to the Arathusa landing strip to shave hours off of your day. Our favorite safari lodge so highly recommend!

Mjejane Game Reserve
The only private concession to Kruger National Park, located on the south side of Kruger near the Mozambique border. There’s wildlife to be spotted here and the games drives are comically cheap but it’s few and far between on animals. The location of the reserve is 1.5 hours from Nelspruit, the town you fly into for all things Kruger and surrounding game reserves. It’s also 30+ minutes from any gate into Kruger (the gate that connects within the reserve has been closed indefinitely due to poaching) so it’s not a convenient location. I wouldn’t recommend this reserve because of it.

Mjejane Bush Camp
Massive house we rented (didn’t realize it was 4 rooms) with an excellent view of the Crocodile River. Lots of animals spotted drinking from the river but we weren’t here long enough to enjoy the house or views. While the house was awesome, location was not, and the only restaurant within the reserve was awful. They had a small shop they claimed was for groceries but it literally had a few boxes of crackers and some cans of beans. I had to drive 20 minutes to the nearby grocery store just to get a few basics like water and easy meals. If you plan correctly and have time, it could be nice, but the area just lacks a few key things to make it excellent. This reserve/camp is a timeshare so it’s almost exclusively locals who have second properties and want to get away with their families.

Cape Town
I could literally go on forever about the greatness that is Cape Town! It’s my favorite city on the planet with a billion things to do. The city surrounds Table Mountain and my favorite area is Camps Bay, a suburb that scales the 12 apostles on the west side of the city. The sunset views are ridiculous and the houses are insane. The ZAR is weak to the dollar so you can literally live like royalty in this city. The wine region in Cape Town (known as Constantia) features the best Sauv Blancs we’ve ever had due to the coastal temperatures and healthy soil in the area. Further east is Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, both sitting at the base of multiple mountain ranges, all available to hike and explore. The cities are world-renowned for their wines, including Pinotage, a varietal only found in South Africa. Further down the coast is Hermanus, the whale-watching capital of the world, and close to the main hub for great white shark diving. Keep going and you’re on the Garden Route, a stunning drive where mountains meet water, all the way up to Port Elizabeth. The hardest thing about Cape Town is leaving. It has historically had a bad reputation for crime, and there are plenty of areas where crime is rampant, but once you learn the areas and get a game plan, you’ll laugh at the fear people have of this city. There are a plethora of Townships, which is where most crime occurs, so just simply try to avoid when you can. We ended up in the dead middle of a riot once and had no idea and were perfectly fine. (they really don’t want to hurt tourists because they know the value they bring to the city) The city is experiencing growing pains, and rightfully so with Apartheid ending just 30 years ago, so I encourage reading up on the history and being aware of where you’re going. The City Sightseeing bus, as touristy as it is, has excellent routes throughout the city and explain a lot about why things are the way they are. This is where we hope to move someday soon - that’s how much we love it!