Africa&You Reports 70% Rise in Private Safari Demand as Exclusivity Becomes the Ultimate Luxury

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — **Rachel Kyle’s Where to Safari in 2027 list: five quieter destinations for travelers seeking a safari that feels entirely their own**

The most sought-after safari luxury is having a destination entirely to yourself. Drawing on what its best-traveled clients are asking for, Africa&You Managing Director Rachel Kyle has released her “Where to Safari in 2027” list: five destinations chosen for the privacy, space and access they offer.

Kyle’s annual selection highlights destinations that offer seclusion and a true sense of adventure. The Africa&You team has vetted each one.

“Our clients used to ask for the best lodge. Now they ask where they can have the place to themselves. This year’s list is about destinations that still offer that: quieter parks and lesser-known regions. With a private guide and a few unhurried nights, safari becomes something personal,” said Kyle.

*THREE TRENDS SHAPING SAFARI IN 2027*

Privacy is the new luxury. Exceptional accommodation is now a given. The real indulgence is exclusivity: private villas and vehicles, specialist guides, and private aircraft are in high demand, particularly among multigenerational families and milestone celebrations that want freedom from a camp’s fixed schedule. Requests for exclusive-use camps, private vehicles, and villas are up 70% year to date compared with 2025.

Fewer stops, more time. Clients are asking for three or four nights in each location, fewer flights and room for unplanned moments, rather than racing between parks.

Safari beyond the game drive. Travelers increasingly want to understand how wildlife is protected and to help protect it. Safaris are responding by pairing game drives with walking and riding, hands-on conservation work, and cultural encounters that reveal both the landscape and its people. Wellbeing follows naturally, with private yoga spaces, local treatments, and nourishing food offering restoration without a formal retreat.

*AFRICA&YOU’S WHERE TO SAFARI IN 2027 LIST*

Spanning southern and eastern Africa, this year’s destinations reflect those shifts:

1. Eastern South Africa: Malaria-free and a short flight from Cape Town, the Eastern Cape pairs big game safaris on luxury private reserves with exclusive-use wellness retreats.

2. South Luangwa, Zambia: The home of the walking safari, South Luangwa covers 3,500 square miles of river, lagoon and woodland famed for its leopards. Guests explore this untamed wilderness on foot or by game drive with specialist guides, staying in private small camps or exclusive-use villas.

3. Katavi, Tanzania: So remote that most guests arrive on light aircraft flying only a few days a week, Katavi rewards a longer stay with just a few small camps and specialist guides. Come for the vast floodplains, huge buffalo herds, and hippos crowding the shrinking rivers in the dry season.

4. Kunene and Skeleton Coast, Namibia: Northwest Namibia is safari at its most elemental: desert-adapted elephants and lions, mountain and dune landscapes, and time with semi-nomadic Himba communities, reached by private fly-in safari with guides who know the region intimately.

5. Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana: Among the largest salt flats on Earth, this vast, silent landscape invites guests to walk with Zu/’hoasi San guides and sit among meerkats. In the green season, it hosts one of Africa’s great zebra migrations.

Each itinerary is built around private specialist guides and access not available through standard bookings, from exclusive-use camps to private vehicles and aircraft.

Andrea Schnoor
Andrea Schnoor Communications
+1 347-674-8281
aschnoor@andreaschnoor.com
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