Best Sundowner Spots

You are enjoying your afternoon game drive or maybe a walk in the bush on one of our amazing luxury safaris and the sun is beginning to set on another magical day in Africa when your guide stops at a spectacular place and chairs and a travelling drinks cabinet appear, as if by magic, containing all the ingredients for a special cocktail out in the open air before the return to your camp for a hot shower and a delicious dinner. You sit, gin and tonic in hand (or whatever takes your fancy), hopefully a few snacks by your side and listen to the sounds of Africa beginning to retire for the night. Maybe there will be a herd of plains game grazing peacefully or you will hear the roar of a lion or maybe you are near a river pulsating with a pod of hippos who are getting ready to come out of the water to graze, but wherever you are it will be a very special moment in your day on luxury safari.

One of the most spectacular spots for sundowners is at Saruni Samburu (one of our favourite luxury lodges in all of Africa), only a short stroll uphill from your tent or the swimming pool you arrive at a view that is truly breathtaking. Lazing on a kilim cushion, drink in hand, delicious samosas by your side, you cannot fail to be awestruck by what you can see – this is the epitomy of our luxury safaris, being in a remote and wild place with no people and stunning views. Distant hills, the plains below and the colours changing as the sun goes down. There is also an amusing troop of baboons on an adjoining hillside, but it is hard to be distracted from the 360 degree vista.

The Masai Mara offers endless possibilities for sundowners and due to the flat nature of the plains here and the escarpment the sunsets within this luxury safari area are often dramatic – there is a seemingly never ending horizon offering some of the most spectacular sunsets. Sitting beneath an acacia tree with the vast plains spread before you is an iconic African experience. At Richard’s River Camp you might prefer to have your sundowners by the river or maybe round the camp fire watching the colours on the hills change and still being able to see the animals wandering freely around in the dusk. This is such a special time as everything seems to quieten down after all the excitement of the day.

The Ngorongoro Crater is renowned for the prolific numbers of animals that live on the Crater floor, but at Sanctuary Ngorongoro, a new luxury tented safari camp situated on the very rim of the Crater, sundowners here offer an unparalleled view deep in to the Crater itself while the sun sets over the edge of the Crater. What a perfect way to end your day and to sit and talk about what you have seen.

Tswalu on the edge of the Kalahari desert in South Africa is surrounded by rolling mountain ranges and these can offer glorious sunsets. Maybe you will transported to a special sundowner spot by Pedro and Don Juan, Tswalu’s resident donkeys, pulling a traditional Kalahari cart or maybe you have been on a gentle late afternoon horse ride. But wherever you end up at the end of the day will allow you to fully appreciate the incredible quiet and stillness that defines the Kalahari.

If one of your dreams is to feel alone in an extraordinary landscape, sundowners at San Camp, Botswana may fulfil your dreams! Situated on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, here you can really explore and understand the Kalahari. Take a quad bike ride to what seems like the middle of the earth and experience the heightening of all your senses as the desert works its magic on you. This has to be one of the most exceptional and sensational places to enjoy an early evening drink waiting for the night sky to explode with stars.