A&K Travel Group said it will rebuild its safari-style luxury tourism properties in Botswana and Uganda in 2025, upgrading and adding to their appeal.
The Gorilla Forest Camp in Uganda, soon to be Gorilla Forest Lodge, offers unparalleled proximity to mountain gorillas. Baines' Lodge in Botswana is renowned for its Okavango Delta adventures.
Both fall under A&K's Sanctuary Retreats subsidiary, which owns and operates 12 luxury safari camps and lodges across Eastern and Southern Africa and four riverboats in Egypt. Both will reopen after renovations in mid-2025.
What's getting upgraded?
The Gorilla Forest Camp is the only luxury lodge within the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Each of its 10 suites is being significantly enlarged and reimagined. Floor-to-ceiling windows will complement expansive veranda-like decks. Design elements include clay-look, textured-plaster walls, woven banana leaf ceilings and elongated framed vistas.
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The lodge dates to a 1985 meeting between Geoffrey Kent, the founder of Abercrombie & Kent, and the then-president of Uganda, which resulted in a joint effort to create a sustainable model for tourism that benefited both the gorillas and the local Batwa people.
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Baines' Lodge, in the heart of Botswana's Okavango Delta, a Unesco World Heritage Site, offers a retreat for those seeking an authentic safari experience on a private concession. Each of the six newly designed suites feature extended private decks, star baths and inviting daybeds.
Game drives in open 4x4 vehicles explore the Okavango Delta and its abundant wildlife. When water levels allow, guests glide through tranquil waterways in a traditional mokoro.