Safari Stargazing

Renowned for its ‘big skies’, Africa’s endless turquoise canopies have captivated travellers for decades. Illuminating the expansive plains and casting a spectacular backdrop to wildlife photography, this spectacular firmament is as unforgettable as it is intoxicating.

However, the heavens take on another persona by night, transporting you from the grasslands into an ocean of stars willed with awe and wonder for some breathtaking safari stargazing.

In ancient times, the nocturnal illuminations were the home of the gods, characters and stories immortalised amongst the pinpricks of the galaxies. Greek and Roman mythologies talked of lost heroes, mythical creatures and revered deities. 

In Africa, the heavens carry messages of numerous interpretations, often providing lessons for youngsters and recognised as the home of celebrated warriors and lost ancestors, both human and animal. Tribesmen regale guests with these age-old stories, passed from generation to generation and often carrying the equivalent gravity of the Christian commandments and psalms. 

At this time of year, the night sky takes on new meaning, adding an air of romanticism to the theatre of the astral procession. The tale of the three wise men pursuing a mystical comet to their destiny unites Christianity with the Pagan traditions that looked to the stars for messages and a connection to their deities.

Even without such ideologies, the night sky bewitches us, creating a pervasive sense of humility and awareness of the undeniable fact that we are united as mere stardust in an infinite universe.

Our Favourite Safari Stargazing Destinations

Taking advantage of Africa’s unbounded horizons and almost nonexistent light pollution, many camps and lodges embrace this natural planetarium as a thrilling treat for guests. These are just some of our favourite starbed, night-sky and campfire safari stargazing experiences:

Star Beds

Star bed sleep-outs are invariably an optional extra at camps and lodges throughout Africa. Lofty treehouses or open-air platforms provide a romantic overnight experience during a longer stay at a property. Lanterns are lit, dinner is served and you are left in the tranquil security of your open-sky star bed for an evening of safari stargazing, serenaded by the sound of the bush. As the day dawns, staff return with fresh coffee and a pre-ordered breakfast selection, allowing you to start the day already completely immersed in the sights and sound of the African bush.

Puku Ridge, Zambia

Each of Puku Ridge’s eight luxurious tented suites, located in the South Luangwa, offers a sleep-out tower, allowing you to enjoy a decadent internal king-sized bed with sweeping views across the floodplains, or to retire to your private star bed for an evening of safari stargazing enveloped in nature. Flynet canopies protect you against unwanted visitors, and the rumbling of hippos and barking of zebra offer an ethereal lullaby by which to drift off to sleep. While offering the same escapism of other star beds, one of the beauties of Puku Ridge’s sleep-outs is that it is connected directly to your suite, allowing you direct access to all facilities, to enjoy without pre-arranging, and to return to your room at any time, should you wish. 

Jao Camp, Botswana

Also attached to your suite, Jao Camp’s star beds hold an alternative focus. While the vast night sky remains a highlight, the stilted starbeds reach out over the waters of Botswana‘s Okavango, giving the sense of being afloat on the Delta as the sun slips below the horizon. With nature surrounding you, there is even the possibility of animals walking or swimming beneath your bed as you take in the magnificent grasslands and waterways, or slumber serenely in your sumptuous, completely secure sleepout.

Chalkley Treehouse, South Africa

Perhaps the most iconic of all African star beds, Chalkley offers a truly magical experience. Set in the abundant bushlands Lion Sands, part of the Greater Kruger region, Chalkley embodies the nostalgia of rustic childhood treehouses, but with a distinctive level of sublime luxury. Located about 10 minutes from the parent lodges, guests are escorted to Chalkley and provided with dinner before being left entirely to their own devices. In addition to this decadence and romance, Chalkley feels wonderfully remote, despite being within a brief drive of staff and lodges. After an evening of safari stargazing, guests are served breakfast at dawn before departing on a sunrise game drive.

Sleepouts

Sleepouts take you into the wild, dispensing with the borders of more established dwellings for an evening spent at ground level. Situated in carefully selected regions that are safe yet encompassed by their surroundings, sleepouts provide an unforgettable evening in the company of a guide, ranger or tribesmen, who will fascinate you with tales around the campfire, and ensure your safety throughout the night.

San Camp, Botswana

San Camp is a captivating destination in its own right, situated in the otherworldly landscapes of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. These sweeping open plains are barren of life, save for a few wandering zebra and other nomadic species, despite the periphery featuring a greater number of creatures. The interior is also wonderfully bereft of mosquitos, allowing guests to sleep under the stars on sumptuous bedrolls, accompanied by San tribesmen and without so much as a flynet. The Makgadikgadi is one of Africa’s finest destinations for safari stargazing.

Sarara, Kenya

In the far reaches of Kenya’s Laikipia County, Sarara is regarded as one of the foremost camps for viewing elephant, in particular the orphaned baby of its nearby partner, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. However, Sarara offers far more than its neighbouring loxodonta, and a wonderful night under the stars can be enjoyed, surrounded by the rolling hills of Laikipia. Accompanied by guides, one can join a small group to experience the Kenyan nightfall around a campfire,  regaled with stories of the bush. Retiring to a private ground tent to drift off to the sounds of wildlife, you will be safe in the knowledge that the ever-watchful eyes of your guide will be protecting you from interlopers.

Kaingo Camp, Zambia

In addition to its elephant hide star bed, Kaingo Camp, in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, also offers guests the opportunity for an unfettered night in the bush. Cocoon-like flynet tents are erected, and one can take in sundowners by firelight, with delicious light snacks, crafted by hand by resident chef, Helen. The distant rumble of lion and the occasional trumpeting elephant will fill your sleep with fairytale dreams of the African wilderness.

In-House Safari Stargazing

Whether peering through a telescope at the Namibian starfield, peeling back the roof of your tented camp or having your bed wheeled from your lodge into the open air, several properties combine the wonder of starbeds with the comfort and convenience of your suite.

Loisaba Tented Camp, Kenya

Returning to Laikipia, Loisaba’s unique wheeled beds are secreted securely within your suite for the greater part of your visit. But on request, your turn-down service can also include having it relocated to your balcony for some safari stargazing in sumptuous comfort. A flynet canopy keeps you safe from any winged and bitey bedfellows, and the majestic hillsides are silhouetted by a golden sunset before ceding to the fantastical astral canvas. Shooting stars scatter across the obsidian canopy and eyes reluctantly close as they take in the stars and planets above.

Onduli Ridge, Namibia

Namibia is often regarded as one of the world’s finest dark-sky destinations, and Onduli Ridge takes full advantage of its almost unmitigated absence of light pollution. The contemporary sleek timber design of the entire property manages to blend with the rugged Martian landscape, the main lodge and each suite reflecting the curves of the immense boulders amongst which they sit. Opening up to the breathtaking vista, the entire shuttered front wall of the suite, concertinas to the sides to take in the panorama and, by night, the intoxicating heavens peppered with more twinkling stars than you have ever seen.

Tswalu, South Africa

Often more associated with the Cape and Kruger, South Africa’s north also encompasses a portion of the Kalahari. Tswalu’s selection of properties rests upon the red sands of a private reserve dedicated to conservation. Alongside the more remote and exposed Naledi starbeds, Tswalu’s Malori tent offers a combination of a camp-style arrangement and a more established suite. Pared back to the simple yet luxurious essentials, the elevated net-walled tent creates a sense of exposure while being comfortingly enclosed for some magnificent safari stargazing.

Locational Safari Stargazing

While some properties have created dedicated lodgings to embrace the nocturnal spectacle, others allow the night sky its own stage, revelling in the natural display without catering to it specifically. Wherever you might stay in Namibia, for example, you will be captivated by the universal scenery.

Barclay Stenner, Botswana

For many years, John Barclay and James Stenner have been pioneering classically styled, luxurious mobile camping through the Okavango and surrounding regions. The pair escort guests on a nomadic adventure through the landscape, spending a couple of days in each location before decamping and relocating the opulent canvased dwellings for the next destination. Part of this roving mobile safari includes a night on a private island within the delta in simpler bell tents, allowing nature and the heavens to be the ‘star’ of the overnight stay.

Ol Malo, Kenya

Likewise, Ol Malo’s mobile safari camp navigates across the Kenyan grasslands, taking in the spectacular ever-changing horizon on horseback. By night, Maasai tribesmen may share their beliefs in the stars that illuminate the sky the moment you step from the golden glow of the campfire.

Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania

No safari stargazing journey would be complete without a visit to the Lake of Stars, Tanganyika. With the backdrop of the lush Mahale forest and its chimpanzee inhabitants, Greystoke Mahale is nestled upon a soft-sand beach on the shores of the immense lake. But why the Lake of Stars? Tanganyika literally means ‘star’ in the Luvale language, and the body of water holds mystical or cosmic importance to the neighbouring tribes. Beyond sunset, its glassy surface reflects the stars above, sparkling with reflections like scattered diamonds on the water.

Whether searching for Orion’s Belt or the Star of Jerusalem, the night sky has enchanted humankind for millennia. The faith and fable of the Christmas season often finds us gazing beyond ourselves into the great beyond in awe and wonder.

This collection of safari stargazing experiences brings another dimension of reverence to any safari itinerary. Search the world, and the skies above, on your next Classic Safari.

See you out there.

Thomas

• Share