“Love and marriage, go collectively like a horse and carriage,” Sinatra crooned. Not precisely a present selection, however the music does drift to thoughts when requested concerning the deserves of a bush-n-beach trip—as a result of that’s one slam-dunk mixture. Spending time in Africa’s primordial wilderness areas is at all times an eye-opener, from the ethereal sight of a valley filigreed in spider webs made seen by daybreak’s dew to watching a leopard cuff a hyena as her cub scrambles up a tree, or pied kingfishers diving into reed-fringed swimming pools deep with hippos. You always remember your first safari, and in the event you’ve booked in the fitting place, it’s unlikely to be the final. That stated, the every day regime—from predawn wake-up calls to postprandial fireplace chats—will be tiring. So following it up with a powder-soft seashore—the lapping of a heat Indian ocean appearing as your night lullaby—is a fairly good ending. However the place on this vast continent would you land? Listed below are a few of our favourite safari-and-beach journey concepts that mix the perfect of each.
Grumeti Serengeti, Tanzania | Mnemba Island Zanzibar, Tanzania
Bush
Grumeti, in Tanzania’s western Serengeti, is archetypal Africa: savannah plains with flat-topped acacias beneath large blue skies—at all times beautiful, at all times secluded, no matter if you go to within the migration cycle. It’s additionally the place you’ll discover Singita Sabora Tented Camp, arguably essentially the most opulent and romantic tented camp in Africa, and simply mixed with Singita Sasakwa Lodge. A game-drive distance away, Sasakwa is perched on a hillock with expansive views; a stunning distinction with Sabora, and Singita’s mycelium-style service means the crew right here already know whether or not you favor glowing or nonetheless, cheese or dessert, sauvignon or chardonnay.
Seashore
Simply three clicks off the northeastern coast of fast-developing Zanzibar, Mnemba is lengthy feted essentially the most romantic seashore lodge in East Africa, and an enormous overhaul in 2024 has solely cemented this. Its 12 “bandas”—all-natural cocoons privately situated within the casuarina forest’s cool depths; tiny duiker antelopes foraging as you make your means alongside personal pathways to a startlingly white seashore—are exhausting to go away. And with fashionable conveniences, fabulous snacks, and a butler at your service, you actually don’t should.
Connectivity: Coastal Air provide a straightforward trip from Grumeti airstrip to Stone City airport; you’ll doubtless cease to select up passengers however there’s no disembarking, and may get there in three hours. From right here andBeyond might be ready to whisk you throughout to the north-east coast—a 1.5-hour drive on the most adopted by a fast 10-minute boat trip.
Extra price contemplating: Fully overhauled in 2022, andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti presents the sort of lodging and repair one expects from this class-act outfit, and mixing it with extra of their Tanzania or Kenya camps (all nice) can provide important financial savings. And regulate Laba Grumeti Art Lodge. A recent-chic tackle the tented camp, full of up to date artworks by 10 African artists, classic Land Rovers tailored to run on diesel, ethanol and electrical, elevated views, and no scarcity of contemporary conveniences, it opens September 2025. Pair this with Zanzibar Sunrise, a perennial Zanzibar favourite, with its prime place overlooking a lush garden-beach cove, the perfect on Zanzibar’s east coast. Or head north to Matemwe, the place the rustic-romantic Zanzibar Sunrise contains 14 barefoot-chic-Crusoe-castaway bungalows, constructed proper on the seashore.
South Luangwa Nationwide Park, Zambia | Nostril Be Archipelago, Madagascar
Bush
Named after the broad expanse of water that flows alongside its southern boundary, beneath pillowed clouds and crepuscular skies, South Luangwa Nationwide Park presents nice sport viewing (Zambia’s largest populations of lions; one of many highest leopard densities in Africa) alongside beautiful landscapes, negligible customer numbers, and one of many continent’s finest strolling experiences. It’s a real immersion in untrammeled wilderness, strolling between any of Time + Tide’s camps—every solely two to 4 hours aside, whereas baggage is transferred by street. Do decide to spend at the very least one night time sleeping beneath the celebrities.
Seashore
Combining the perfect of the Indian ocean—floating above a kaleidoscope of fish; swimming with turtles—with fascinating wildlife within the verdant forests (lemurs; chameleons; boa constrictors!), the Nostril Be archipelago presents ‘bush and seashore’ in a single, and is comparatively undeveloped and completely unmarred by tourism. Fortunate then, to search out probably the most particular lodges on the continent: Time + Tide’s Tsara Komba on Nosy Komba, a forested mountain-island only a brief boat trip from Nosy Be. Comprising eight timber cocoons, thatched roofs peeking out the lushly landscaped hillside overlooking a crescent of sand, the glittering ocean backdropped by the inexperienced hills of the mainland, the water heat, and calm—it’s merely idyllic.
