Of course, when we say ‘sleepout’ in safari parlance, we don’t mean an uncomfortable, restless night on a thin piece of foam with just a sleeping bag for warmth and a toilet roll for emergencies. We’re talking ‘sensationally sexy’ sleepouts with the levels of luxury you’d expect from the gorgeous camps and lodges we use across Africa, in custom‐designed treehouses, on amazing viewing decks and platforms, and even in lovingly recreated, oversized ‘nests’!
There’s nothing quite like a star-splendrous sleepout under the African sky!
Grab your PJs and toothbrush and enjoy one of the most thrilling and special experiences in the African bush ‐ a sleepout under a canopy of twinkling stars, surrounded by the incredible African wilderness and serenaded by the unique soundtrack that only nighttime Africa can provide.
Let’s take a look at a few of our absolute favorite safari sleepout destinations, starting with three brand‐new overnight offerings…
BOTSWANA: Tuludi Sky Suite
‘Pampering’ takes on new meaning at Tuludi Camp’s new Tuludi Sky Suite. Located in the Khwai Private Reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, this open-air sleepout deck offers the ultimate romantic Okavango experience, including a private vehicle for the afternoon and morning activities, a dinner basket with wine and drinks of your choice and a gorgeous continental al‐fresco breakfast.
BOTSWANA: Leroo La Tau Salt Pan Sleepout
Botswana’s breathtaking Makgadikgadi Pans can be experienced in a new and exciting way with Leroo La Tau’s Salt Pan Sleepout. This immersive bivouac features fewer frills and more thrills as luxurious bedrolls are laid out on the vast salt pans alongside your safari vehicle, allowing you to enjoy a camping experience par excellence under the magnificent Milky Way. With a bush toilet and hand basin on hand and the Leroo la Tau team a short distance away, this experience is truly life‐changing.
BOTSWANA: Camp Okavango Sleepout Deck
The heart of Botswana’s Okavango Delta is yours for the taking at Camp Okavango’s new elevated sleepout deck. Featuring an expansive double bed beneath a mosquito net and private toilet facilities, this is where you connect directly with the wilderness, laying back to gaze at a myriad twinkling stars while listening to the calls of the African night. You’ll awaken with the rising sun and wish you could stay a week!
KENYA: Elewana Loisaba Sky Beds
The “grand‐daddy” of African sleepouts, Elewana Loisaba’s Sky Beds in Kenya’s Laikipia region feature sumptuous, plush four‐poster beds that can be rolled out from under a protective thatched canopy on a raised viewing deck. The views are breathtaking and you get to interact with the Star Beds team of traditional Samburu and Laikipia Masai warriors, learning about their culture over dinner around a crackling log fire.
NAMIBIA: Little Kulala
Experience the Namib Desert in Namibia like never before with an incredible sleepout at Little Kulala near Sossusvlei. Each of the 11 thatched suites at this breathtaking little camp on the dry Auab River bed in the heart of the Kulala Wilderness Reserve has an expansive deck with a private plunge pool and its own beautiful and inviting star bed, giving you the option to sleep under the stars throughout your stay, without leaving your suite!
ZIMBABWE: The Dove’s Nest at The Hide
One of the best ways to experience the majesty of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park at one of its most lauded camps, the Dove’s Nest treehouse at The Hide is located just 10 minutes away from camp and features an expansive, elevated viewing deck with an ‘upstairs’ bedroom – under canvas, offering incredible panoramas of the Hwange wilderness.
Recline and relax on a colorful kelim with plush cushions and flickering oil lamps as you stargaze and absorb the magic of the African night, before climbing the rustic stairway to your treetop bedroom with views of forever…
ZAMBIA: Chisa Busanga
The stunningly different Chisa Busanga camp which overlooks the vast expanses of the Busanga Plains in Zambia’s Kafue National Park takes the concept of the safari sleepout to a whole new level!
Each of the four ‘rooms’ is a sleepout sensation in its own right, having been designed to imitate weaver birds’ nests. These ‘nests’ have been built four meters off the ground and are shaded by tall fig trees. Lined with tent canvas, they offer amazing views from luxurious beds and private, intimate viewing decks and bathrooms.
KENYA: Nay Palad Bird Nest
The breathtaking wilderness of Segera in Laikipia is one of Kenya’s most beautiful safari destinations. The Nay Palad Bird Nest is the perfect way to experience this incredible location, built alongside a river that’s teeming with wildlife. It offers a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the surrounding bush and is designed, as its name implies, to replicate a giant bird’s nest which offers one of the most unique sleepout spaces in Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA: Malori & Naledi Sleepout Experiences
The Malori and Naledi sleepout decks are Tswalu Kalahari’s overnight sensations, offering guests at this globally lauded lodge in South Africa’s jaw-dropping Northern Cape the opportunity to immerse themselves in the spirit of the Kalahari with unique and absolutely luxurious sleepout experiences.
Built to maximize the incredible views out over the Tswalu Kalahari wilderness and the impressive Korannaberg mountains, this is an African adventure like no other.
Malori
Naledi
ZAMBIA: Puku Ridge
Named for the antelope that dot the floodplains of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, each of Puku Ridge’s eight luxurious tented suites has its own rooftop deck and four‐poster star bed, giving guests the option to have a sleepout under the stars whenever they wish for the duration of their stay. You can never have too much of a good thing, after all!
A billion‐star experience!
