Room with a View

These camps do not move, but they still have canvas walls. They will be spacious and comfortable with an ensuite bathroom – flush toilet, showers (either piped or safari bucket showers) and basins. Electricity of some kind, either solar or generator, in your tents. Wide verandas to watch nature grow. Hair dryers are probably not on the menu but excellent service, food and laundry will be. Some may have a swimming pool but do not count on it. Most will have some kind of wifi connectivity. Some may have a shop. These are often bigger camps and usually are anything between 10 and 20 tents

These camps do move but probably only once or twice a year. Because of this, they have fewer of the creature comforts of a permanent camp but you will still be amazed at how comfortable it is. En-suite bathrooms with flush toilets, although it will be a safari bucket shower. Electric light in the tents but usually solar so many have charging stations in the main area, rather than your tents. Hairdryers are a no-no and so are swimming pools. Many will have basic internet options. The cuisine will be surprisingly good, given the more basic kitchen and the bar will have a generous selection of standard drinks. These are usually smaller camps with 6 – 10 tents

These are mostly used for mountain climbing, walking safaris, fly-camping and wilderness mobile camps. The key is that they are lightweight and easy to move quickly. Typically, they will be Dome Tents, sometimes big enough to stand up in the centre but definitely roomy. The beds may be bed rolls on the floor or raised on a small frame. There is a simple canvas wash-basin by each tent, and separate shower / toilet tents nearby, sometimes shared between 2 tents. Lighting usually consists of individual solar torches (flashlights) and lamps. For the wilderness mobiles, there will be a generator which allows charging of devices in the central area, but for the climbs, walks and fly-camps there will be no added power. Internet is not available. Hair dryers are not an option. Some will not have bars or drinks may be available by prior arrangement. For climbs, the only drinks will be tea, coffee, cocoa, milo etc and water. Laundry is usually not available in these camps.

These camps fit somewhere just below the seasonal tented camps but most importantly, they are just for you – the old-fashioned, exclusive, mobile safari. The tents are large, with en-suite bathrooms, but there will be bucket showers and often low-flush eco-toilets. There will be solar lighting in the tents but usually any devices have to be charged in the main area when the generator is on. Internet is much less likely. Food and service will be excellent, and the bar will have all the standard choices and have cold drinks, but definitely no swimming pool or hairdryers to be seen. These camps do move but cannot move in one day, as they are more substantial than the Wilderness Mobiles. Typically, you would schedule two nights in a lodge or fixed camp while the camp is moved. These are exclusive camps and can have up to 6-8 tents.

The higher-end lodges tend to be smaller, up to 20 rooms The cheaper lodges tend to be larger, so up to 30-60 rooms and in the more central areas of the parks. The luxury end can have lots of extra amenities such as swimming pools, plunge pools, spa, gym, games room, library. The more reasonably-priced lodges may only have a pool. There will be lighting and charging facilities in your rooms and usually the shower is plumbed in and the toilet is a flush toilet. Internet connectivity and a wider selection of drinks plus a shop are usually provided.

You will be on familiar territory, so I do not need to describe these. We have a range of hotels from 2.5 star to 5+ star to choose from.

With very few exceptions, these are not tented. However, there still is a huge variety from the full-on active water sports right down to the quiet retreat and just about every step in between. So, we need to know what kind of beach holiday you enjoy before we offer our suggestions. Some may have their own water sports centre but many use services of water sport experts nearby. Some locations are better for serious diving and snorkelling enthusiasts, such as Mafia or Pemba, and others are more suited to a general beach holiday.