African private camp safari: wild luxury

Experience some of the world’s great wildernesses in style

Getting deeper into the bush to track wildlife migrations, our private mobile camps are truly immersive, while offering art-deco luxury that harks back to the 1920s golden age of safari.

Our guests have woken to a soundtrack of animals out on the plains and ended the day under the stars with a silver-service dinner.

Enjoying special access to some of Africa’s most exclusive reserves, our leave-no-trace, mobile camps deliver the ultimate in exclusive privacy for your group. That’s alongside the flexibility to set up in never-before-seen locations and tailor to your exact specifications, whether that’s a dance floor in the bush or conservationists’ stories around the campfire.

We have extensive experience in creating some of the most epic camp and heli operations seen in East Africa. Think special tribal meetings, heli trips to secret natural swimming pools and luxurious private setups in the isolation of the African bush.

All media taken on Cookson Adventures trips

For London-based operator Cookson Adventures, pop-up lodgings are an essential part of tailor-made travel

October 2023

Luxury camping

Using our first-hand knowledge, we can take you well off the grid to stay everywhere from remote waterhole hotspots to hilltop perches with giant plains views. Alongside the likes of four-poster beds, butler service and dedicated spa tents, it might just be the simple luxuries that impress most, whether that’s hot showers under the stars or private-veranda views of the nearby giraffes at the waterhole.

Special setups

Turn a safari celebration into something unique, creating dance floors in the bush, private concerts on remote river islets or flying out East Africa’s top chefs for a gourmet lunch setup in the Serengeti wilds. We’ve even been known to organise a special proposal setup on Mt. Ololokwe, complete with a romantic sleepout and drinks to toast the dramatic views – and news!

Africa from above

We’ve pioneered some of Africa’s most ambitious multi-heli routes, flying by Mt. Kenya’s giant peaks, stopping off at remote tribes and soaring over wildlife to land on remote lake beaches. There’s also plenty of quieter charm, from experiencing dawn’s golden glow in a hot air balloon to sweeping over Namibia’s epic dunes in search of desert-adapted wildlife.

Wildlife wonderland

From Kenya to Tanzania, experience truly unobstructed wildernesses that promise plenty of Africa’s Big Five icons on dedicated game drives with our expert trackers. And, then there’s the lesser-known safari treasures to consider – think Kenya’s rarer Northern Five, meeting meerkats in Botswana and tracking desert-dwelling rhino on foot in Namibia.

Conservation projects

Gain special access to some of Africa’s most vital conservation efforts. We can take you behind-the-scenes of a renowned elephant sanctuary in Kenya, work with anti-poaching units in Tanzania, travel with scientists to the source lakes of the Okavango Delta, or even secure special permits to track the last of the giant sable in Angola.

Adventure in Africa

From astrophotography and ATV dune races to high-altitude hiking, white water rafting and abseiling down cragged rock formations, we know the best spots to create truly special and high-octane experiences, perfect for the adventurous traveller.

Unique safaris

Elevate your African safari into something a little more special, perhaps riding out alongside the Big Five on horseback, sweeping through the bush on quad bikes or travelling in riverboats and dugout canoes.

Tribal interactions

Be one of just a few outsiders to be welcomed into the historic community of an indigenous tribe. From spending time with Kenya’s resplendent Samburu to hunting with the Hadzabe, studying crafts with the Datoga and tracking leopard with Botswana’s Xai Xai bushmen, gain a special insight into how these ancient communities continue to carve out a traditional way of life.

Off-the-beaten track

Whether it's taking in Madagascar's baobab biodiversity, tracking Namibia's desert-adapted wildlife or enjoying a bedouin-style party in Morocco, we can see you enjoy plenty of the unique.

Delivering the definitive slice of luxury to the remote African wilds, our bespoke camp offerings are the perfect showcase of the continent’s great landscapes, unique wildlife and captivating local cultures.

Fully customised to your wants and needs, it’s camping – but not as you know it. Pairing authenticity with a touch of wild luxury, expect white-canvas tents and waterhole views, elegantly elevated with the likes of campaign-era furnishings and plush en suites. Opulent mess tents even come with their very own silver service and private chefs.

Footage taken on previous Cookson camp safaris

There’s no better way to be immersed in a series of otherwise-inaccessible locations, enjoying the ultimate in exclusive seclusion. Think tracking lions in Namibia’s sweeping deserts, searching for hippos while paddling through Botswana’s Okavango Delta or exploring private Kenyan reserves in search of rare wildlife. That’s all in the company of world-leading conservationists. You might even want to search for new species with documentarians in Angola’s delta source lakes.

Being fully flexible means you’ll always be in the best place possible to track wildlife migrations or hotspots. And, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a series of truly unique experiences. Think combining classic game drives with quad bikes, flying high by hot air balloon, running with a Maasai warrior in Kenya or stargazing with an astronomer in one of the only Dark Sky Reserves on earth.

Of course, it can all be paired with nights in the continent’s finest lodges. We have access to the best in off-market offerings.