2016 Safari Awards

The 2016 Safari Awards were held recently, awarding winners in 18 categories ranging from best safari experience to best community focused properties in Africa. The winners are some of the best in the business, and we’re proud to partner with many of the properties to bring you the best safari.

Last week we looked at Zarafa Camp, winner of the ‘Best Safari Experience’ for the 2016 Safari Awards. Today, we’re taking at look at some of the other 2016 Safari Award winners, who we’re proud to partner with to bring you the best safari experience each time you travel with us.

Singita Serengeti House | Best Family Safari Experience and Best Safari House

The Singita Serengeti House in the Serengeti National Park is a favorite of Ker & Downey’s for both multi-generational travel and private, exclusive use lodges in the bush. The private retreat sleeps up to eight people and sits above a popular watering hole on Sasakwa Hill so you can view game from the loungers on the main deck. During your stay, a dedicated chef prepares all the meals, house staff is on hand to attend to needs and wishes, and safaris in open 4×4 vehicles are conducted with a private guide and vehicle.

Tswalu Kalahari | Best Ecologically Responsible

Tswalu Kalahari is situated in the heart of South Africa’s Northern Cape Province on the country’s largest privately-owned game reserve. Its mission is to restore 386 square miles of the Kalahari savanna to itself through the restoration of the natural environment, re-establishing and protecting the biological diversity, and maintaining the ecological processes that naturally occur in the Kalahari. The reserve is a haven for endangered and rare species and through its tourism, socioeconomic development, conservation, and environmental management, Tswalu Kalahari is able to meet their conservation objectives of the property, ensuring it is enjoyed for years to come.

Singita Pamushana Lodge | Best Community Focused

Singita Pamushana Lodge in Zimbabwe’s Malilangwe Private Reserve exists to help fund conservation projects and better the lives of the people who live in the communities bordering the reserve. It’s an excellent example of the harmony that can exist between conservation initiatives, community outreach, and tourism, which invests all profits generated by the lodge back into local projects. The Malilangwe Reserve is also the site of the most successful black rhino protection programs in Africa. While at the lodges, guests have the opportunity to track rhinos in an effort to learn more about the endangered creatures, as well as visit local communities in the area that the lodge supports.

Chem Chem Safari Lodge | Most Romantic Safari Property

Chem Chem Safari Lodge is an elegant retreat in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park. Set between the savannas of the park and the waters of Lake Manyara, it’s an oasis of palms and stunning views of the Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The eight ensuite tented villas are a sanctuary, designed with a vintage style and natural color palette to compliment the African bush. Chem Chem’s philosophy of a slow safari means guests enjoy a relaxed safari experience – from 4×4 jeeps safaris and day trips to national parks, or time spent enjoying spa treatments, private picnics, and romantic dinners, Chem Chem has it all.

Norman Carr Walking Safaris | Best Walking Safari

Explore the South Luangwa Valley, widely regarded as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, on foot with Norman Carr Walking Safaris, voted ‘Best Walking Safari’ in the 2016 Safari Awards. Norman Carr pioneered the now famous walking safari in the area. The Luangwa River and lagoons attract some of Africa’s largest concentrations of wildlife, including 400 bird species and 60 different animals, including plains game like waterbuck giraffe and buffaloes, leopards and herds of elephant in the woodlands and marshes, and hippos in the river waters. With a limited network of roads in the park, most of the game viewing is done on foot, walking among the brush and experiencing the pristine wilderness firsthand.

Footsteps Across the Delta | Best Safari Guiding Team

At Footsteps Across the Delta, the emphasis is on an authentic bush experience – a safari that gives you glimpses of the Africa of old. One of the things that makes it so authentic is its excellent team of guides who lead you through the Okavango Delta where animals roam freely. It’s one of the great, untamed regions of Africa best explored by mokoro or on foot with some of the best guides in the business.

For more information about the winners of the 2016 Safari Awards or to book your next safari, contact your Ker & Downey Luxury Travel Consultant. To stay up to date on all of our online content, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.