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The Lion King. That is all.
Just joking, but the above sentence does speak volumes, especially those born during the late 80’s and early 90’s, this movie was our childhood and if you haven’t seen it… then you need to question your childhood! The Disney story focuses on a pride of lions, ruled by the majestic Mufasa. It tells the story of love, compassion, bitter rivalry, revenge, faith and friendship, through the eyes of the young, adolescent and then growing into adulthood. Of course, we are extremely excited to see the faces of Simba (Swahili for Lion), Nala, Scar, Rafiki, Zazu and most definitely Timon and Pumba!
We thought it would be the right time to highlight some of the most sensational camps and lodges where you are almost guaranteed to set your sights on your own Lion Kings.
Firstly, we need to start with Borana – One of the rock formations within Borana’s conservancy is actually where Disney based Pride Rock on! Borana is located within the shadow of Mount Kenya just north of the equator. It is a completely private conservancy with completely fantastic game viewing opportunities. Consisting of only 8 luxuriously spacious rooms, overlooking the breath-taking scenery of the Borana conservancy, with superb guides and wonderful staff to look after you – they will make sure you will be within metres of your own Lion King sure enough.
Alternatively, you may want to consider the Serengeti and stay at the wonderful Lamai Nomad – set in the northern Serengeti, very close to the border to Kenya, this wonderful camp is set snuggled into the side of a kopje, nestled into the rocks. The resident lion prides who have their territories around this stunning camp can be heard resonating through the night air, roaring ‘Whose King? Whose King? Me, me, me.’ The small intimate camp has incredibly spacious, private and very comfortable accommodation and the rock hyraxes Lamai rent their space from will always be there to keep check, being ever cheeky – a bit like Timon!
If Kenya isn’t for you, how about heading down to South Africa and enjoy a few days at the wonderful tented camp that is Tanda Tula. This relaxed and informal luxury tented camp is the literal safari dream. Traditional (albeit a lot more luxurious than the first explorers) tented camps line the dried up river bed, frequented by tonnes of wildlife who use the open expanse of the rivers sand bed as a sort of highway, you are in for a treat. The tented rooms are all equipped with en-suite bathrooms, with flushing facilities and an outside shower so you can bath under the clear African skies. The food at Tanda Tula is beyond incredible and the staff that will wait on you hand and foot are sensational – very friendly, happy and always there to help and have a laugh and joke with.
Finally, we must stress that Zambia should never EVER be ruled out when considering your ultimate safari. We are not sure why it isn’t the top of every one’s list to be honest?! When you have the superb views, sounds and wonderful smells of the Lower Zambezi, combined with the South Luangwa, these two locations are just a recipe for something exquisite. Stay at Chiawa and Old Mondoro on the lower Zambezi or perhaps the decadent Sausage Tree with your own personal private guide. If these two aren’t for you, then Anabezi and Amanzi are the two properties for you – located on the banks of the softly flowing Zambezi River, the views from this camp are sensational. Not to mention seeking out your own personal pride of lions, which you can most definitely find here.
I have failed to mention Timon type safaris – if all you would like to see are cheeky meerkats, then look no further than Botswana’s Makgadikgadi salt pans & Kalahari and stay at Jack’s Camp or San Camp. You only have to look at the images of these two properties to understand why we mention how fantastic they are, even before meeting the habituated meerkats who will most definitely use you as a spying post to seek out predators – or even to watch Pumba disappear into a nearby shrub with his tail poking up like an aerial!
Have you been inspired enough before even seeing the movie? Well, if you haven’t, go and see the movie, come back to us once you have been bitten by the African bug and we can help you plan your Lion King adventure.