Africa’s 14 Most Spectacular Open-Air Suites

1. Chalkley Treehouse, Lion Sands Game Reserve

Where Is It? Greater Kruger Region, South Africa

Best For: Romantic adventurers keen on a splash of luxury

2. Treehouse Suite, Victoria Falls River Lodge 

Where Is It: Victoria Falls , Zimbabwe

Best For: First time safari enthusiasts

3. Star Suite, Kagga Kamma

Located a mere three hours drive from Cape Town in the hauntingly beautiful Cederberg Mountain range, the Star Suite at Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve is a honeymooner’s dream come true. The Star Suite is true open air bedroom nestled underneath a gargantuan overhanging boulder, and boasts all the comforts of a spacious luxury suite, and yet guarantees complete intimacy. Forget about 5 star, this special suite allows you to enjoy million star hospitality while admiring the spectacular views surrounding you. The Cederberg region is famous for its ancient San rock art, and Kagga Kamma is essentially an open-air gallery with hundreds of these beautiful paintings, with some of the art dating back as much as 20,000 years.  

For more details about the Cederberg, including the best times to visit and what to see, click here for The Travel Cafe destination guide.

One of the more rustic lodges in this list, we absolutely love these three-story Skybeds, located in one of Botswana’s prime safari destinations – Moremi. What makes these rooms so amazing, is that they’ve been built in front of an incredibly active waterhole, hidden deep in the Khwai Private Reserve in Botswana. Imagine watching the sun set over the Botswana bush with a glass of something bubbly in your hand, while you watch from your private viewing platform as a heard of elephants come for their own sundowner sip at the waterhole just metres away. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll get the best night’s sleep of your life with all the animal activity around, we can promise you will leave with memories to last a lifetime. 

For more details about Moremi, including the best times to visit and what to see, click here for The Travel Cafe destination guide.

The Namib Desert is just about one of our favourite places in the world – wild, timeless and utterly remote. It’s hard to describe the feeling of awe when taking in the highest dunes in the world, in the oldest desert of the world, with sand that almost shimmers in a kaleidoscope of colours. Combine this with a night under the stars and you have a winning combo. Little Kulala offers just that with their 11 beautifully furnished suites, that also boasts a rooftop skybed for a night of glamping under the stars. Treat yourself to a hot air balloon experience and you will 48 hours of day and night magic in Sossussvlei.

For more details about Sossusvlei, including the best times to visit and what to see, click here for The Travel Cafe destination guide.

This experience is for the true adventurer at heart. You will quadbike your way to the ancient and remote Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in order to reach your basic little sleep out camp, set up right on the vast shimmering expanses of crusted salt. While very rustic, this will be one of the wildest most magical experiences you will ever live! No need to worry, the lack of water in this region makes life too unhospitable for most animals including even mosquitoes, so you will be absolutely safe and will instead focus on your cultural immersion surrounded by your San bush guides. However, don’t forget to pick your season carefully for this experience, as during the summer rains from December to March those same barren expanses suddenly turn into lush wetlands and a favourite flamingo breeding hotspot!

For more details about Makgadigadi Pans, including the best times to visit and what to see, click here for The Travel Cafe destination guide.

Forming part of the world-renowned Tanzanian safari circuit, the staggeringly gorgeous Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is situated in the national park it takes its name from. Famous for amazing elephants and lion sightings, this stunning eco-friendly lodge consists of nine spacious and luxurious treehouse suites, suspended high off the ground amongst the tree canopy. If you are looking for sophistication and elegance while conducting a spectacular East African safari, this is the treehouse for you. From the safety of your suspended deck, you can enjoy a private gourmet dinner, paired with an extraordinary selection of wines and liquors, while watching as elephant and other visitors go about their lives below you.  

Whereas the other experiences in this list are more accommodation focussed, Tok Tokkie is a three-day hiking trail that leads you to some of the most pristine and remote corners of the staggeringly beautiful Namib desert. The trail is not physically demanding, and can easily be done by anybody with a reasonable amount of fitness, and you only carry a light daypack. During the day your expert guide will point out fascinating facts about the nature and wildlife, while at night you’re treated to a sumptuous feast amidst the dunes, surrounded by desert wilderness and utter quiet. Falling asleep in your cozy campbed as you watch the Milky Way tilt from one horizon to the other, and watching a lonely oryx saunter through the dunes at sunrise, helps make this one of The Travel Cafe’s most unforgetable experiences in Africa. 

For more details about Sossusvlei, including the best times to visit and what to see, click here for The Travel Cafe destination guide.

Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe , where Rukomechi is located, is the up and coming star in the African safari circuit. For now it is still a hidden gem, largely unknown by the greater public, but Rukomechi has perfected the art of the armchair safari. The area is so rich in game, guests at Rukomechi often choose to forego the safari drives altogether and just spend lazy days at the lodge, sipping on G&Ts, and observing the wildlife all around you. 

Our favourite way of spending an evening at Rukomechi is to first spoil yourself with an outdoor bath with a view of the surrounding bush, before retreating to your romantic starbed – perched among the branches of a gorgeous Ana tree and overlooking a busy waterhole. 

10. Baines' Camp Botswana

Romantic and yet unassuming, Baines' Camp is blessed with one of the best locations in Botswana, right in the heart of the spectacular Okavango Delta, The Travel Cafe’s number one favourite safari destination. The lodge consists of six suites, all raised on stilts and wooden walkways, for sublime views of the Boro River below, home to a pod of hippos and the main source of water for dozens of other species coming to quench their thirst, which makes for first class game viewing. Each of the suites not only boasts a beautiful outdoor bathtub, but allows you to wheel your bed out onto the deck, for a unforgettable outdoor Okavango Delta experience. Baines' Camp’s rangers have become friends with the local elephant herd, so don’t miss out on some friendly elephant interaction during your safari of a lifetime.

11. Bisate Lodge 

While the six stunning thatched forest villas at Bisate Lodge do not technically qualify as treehouses, they blend into their lush forest setting that we felt they deserved an honoury mention in this list. 

12. Malori Starbed, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve 

“Malori” is the Tswana word for “dreamer”, and there is no denying that the Malori Starbed is one of the most dreamy destinations on the African continent. This truly is the epitome of African romantic luxury. Not only are you spoilt with top-end service and accommodation, but you also get to enjoy the ultimate luxury of raw nature, endless space and starry skies that stretch from horizon to horizon. Priceless! Located deep in the remote und unexplored Northern Cape of South Africa, this is the best place in the world to see the extremely endangered pangolin, along with aardvark, cheetah, brown hyena and some other rare desert species you seldom (if ever!) encounter at other safari destinations. The Malori Starbed will offer you a truly decadent under-the-stars experience with every detail lovingly taken care of by your private butler. Pictures truly cannot do justice to this once in a lifetime treat. 

13. Milky Way Star Bed, Samara Private Game Reserve 

The Great Karoo is a vast arid semi-desert that takes up most of central South Africa. It is a hauntingly beautiful part of the country that many visitors never get to experience, but definitely deserves your attention. At first the Karoo might appear harsh – barren, vast, almost inhospitable. But beneath this severe outer shell is a magical charm that will truly bewitch you, and at The Travel Cafe we are huge Karoo fans. Samara’s Milky Way Star Bed is the ultimate destination to experience the Karoo’s beauty, ancient landscapes and rich history. A night spent on this sleep-out platform will stay with you the rest of your life. From the strikingly beautiful Karoo sunset to the billions of stars, planets and sattelites visible from the comfort of your romantic four poster bed, while cuddling with your beloved. 

14. Treehouse, Tongabezi 

Perched on the banks of the Zambezi river, the setting of Tongabezi’s Treehouse is fairy-tale-perfect! Built amongst the branches of an old ebony tree, this charming chalet offers the perfect mix between old world charm and modern comforts. The house is entirely open-planned for incredible views of the river below. Spend a day exploring the mighty Victoria Falls, embark on a unique river safari and finish your day by relaxing in your open-air bathtub, before falling asleep to the sounds of some elephants coming for a sip or a lonely hippo grunting in the distance.