Sanctuary Retreats

Sanctuary Retreats is one of several safari companies whose camps and lodges we often include in our clients' itineraries.

Background information

Sanctuary Retreats is a luxury adventure travel company. It originated in 1999 when its first Lodge, Sanctuary Okenana, was opened in Kenya. The company has grown steadily since then, and now owns and operates an additional 12 lodges and camps in Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda.

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Sanctuary is an extremely high-end company with a focus on the US market. It has some very good camps in Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya, and has recently bought camps at Saadani, on the coast of the Tanzanian mainland. Our favourite of the camps is Swala in Tarangire, Tanzania.

Sanctuary Retreats camps:

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp is located in the south of Botswana’s Okavango Delta within Stanley’s Reserve. It is a luxurious camp and the smallest of those owned by Sanctuary Retreats. Surrounded by papyrus beds, the main area of Sanctuary Baines' Camp consists of a very pretty building elevated on stilts above the Boro River. This river enables the camp to offer water activities virtually all year.
Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp

Stanley’s Camp lies in Stanley’s Reserve, in the south of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and is situated beautifully, under ebony and sausage trees. It’s a classic tented safari camp with eight rooms. The design of the rooms, with their antique furniture and decking areas complete with hammocks, supposedly harks back to the explorers’ and colonialists’ haunts of the nineteenth century.
Sanctuary Chief’s Camp

Sanctuary Chief’s Camp is located on Chief’s Island, at the centre of the Moremi Game Reserve, within the beautiful Okavango Delta. It occupies the north-western side of the island and is surrounded by tall trees and boasts amazing views out over the Delta. The newly refurbished communal areas are described as ‘safari chic’.
Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero

Situated above the Chobe River in the Kasane area of northern Botswana, Chobe Chilwero is Chobe’s most luxurious property. With a great location overlooking the floodplains of Chobe National Park, Chobe Chilwero offers guests some of Africa’s finest river safaris as well as good game viewing on the riverfront at any time of year.
Sanctuary Olonana

Sanctuary Olonana was established in 1999, the first property in the portfolio of luxury company Sanctuary Retreats. It has a fabulous location on the banks of the River Mara, in its own concession within the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Since its beginnings, the camp has won numerous awards, including Africa’s Leading Eco-Lodge (World Travel Awards, 2015), and it has achieved a place in the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame.
Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge

This is a lovely lodge with very good game viewing. Guests can even spend a night sleeping in a hide under the stars. Makanyane sits on a small concession of 1,800 hectares within the non-malarial Madikwe Game Reserve. Madikwe is home to a great variety of animals, including the Big Five and over 340 species of bird. The lodge sits under a canopy of trees on the edge of a ravine, with spectacular views of the waterhole below and the plains beyond it.
Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, Sanctuary’s new Ngorongoro Crater Camp is one of the only luxury tented camp options on the Crater rim. The camp itself is made up of 10 luxury private safari tents with en-suite facilities including an indoor bucket shower and viewing area in front of each ‘room’. It is a wonderful tented camp that’s designed to be the perfect balance between luxury and adventure.
Sanctuary Kusini Camp

Kusini Camp is at its best between January and March, when the herds of the Great Migration pass through. It is one of the best lodge options in the whole park at that time of year. Hidden away in the quieter south-west section of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, it offers one of the most exclusive game-viewing areas within the park boundary.
Sanctuary Swala Camp

Located in the south-west of Tarangire National Park, Swala enjoys a remote location away from the crowds. It has 12 spacious rooms, which run off to the side of the main lodge. The entire camp looks over an artificial watering hole that draws in an impressive diversity of animals, including very good elephant, for which the park is so famous.
Sanctuary Chichele Presidential Lodge

As its name suggests, Chichele Presidential Lodge was originally built as a presidential retreat in the 1970s. The lodge has a spectacular location on the top of Chichele Hill, looking down on South Luangwa National Park.
Sanctuary Puku Ridge Camp

Puku Ridge is the sister camp to Chichele Presidential Lodge, but it offers a completely different style. The views from the rooms and the main area are of the floodplains – and this region is always full of wildlife. The camp has been built to blend into the natural environment of South Luangwa National Park and has a very low carbon footprint.
Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma

Sussi & Chuma is located in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, just 12km upstream from Victoria Falls. This is the only lodge in the area that is able to offer walking safaris with two walking guides available. The lodge is made up of 12 tree houses, all connected by raised wooden walkways. Each of the tree houses has a private deck that offers amazing views of the river.
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp is situated within the beautiful forest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Of all the properties in the region, this one is closest to the gorillas – sometimes, gorillas even visit the camp.

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Sanctuary Retreats

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Sanctuary Retreats camps:

"The trip they planned for us was beyond expectation. Transfers between the different locations came off without any problems. We highly recommend them, and if we have an opportunity to travel to Africa again, we will use Yellow Zebra!"

"Everything was terrific. Kelly Mattin, our Safari Specialist, was great. Attentive and thorough with our many questions. A first time safari is a daunting experience to plan. YZ made it easy. From picking the right itinerary, guest houses, and lodge to ensuring all transfers went flawlessly..."

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