&Beyond is the name that keeps coming up when Australian clients ask us for the very best of African safari accommodation, and for good reason. Operating more than 25 lodges and camps across Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, &Beyond has built its reputation on architecturally striking properties, genuine conservation credentials, and guiding that consistently ranks among the best on the continent.
This guide covers the &Beyond lodges we're asked about most often, what makes each one distinct, how to combine them into a single trip, and a sample itinerary linking three flagship properties across two countries.
The & Beyond Philosophy: Care of the Land, Wildlife and People
&Beyond was founded in 1991 on a simple operating principle that still guides every property today: 'Care of the land, care of the wildlife, care of the people.' In practice this means &Beyond frequently operates on community-owned or leased land, returning a share of lodge revenue directly to surrounding communities, and has been directly responsible for reintroducing species — including rhino, into reserves where they had been poached to local extinction — through its own rhino conservation programs.
For Australian travellers who want their safari spend to have a measurable conservation impact rather than simply an aesthetic one, this track record is a genuine point of difference from purely commercial lodge operators.
&Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania
Perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, this is one of the most theatrical properties in Africa: ornate, chandeliered suites that feel more like a maharaja's palace than a safari camp, with private butlers and floor-to-ceiling views into the crater below. It's a two-night addition most clients pair with a broader Serengeti safari, since the crater floor itself holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife, including black rhino, in Africa.
The crater is a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly 20km across, and because animals rarely leave it, a single day's game drive on the crater floor can realistically produce sightings of all of the Big Five in one circuit — a claim very few other single locations in Africa can make.
&Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Phinda sits in KwaZulu-Natal and is one of the best places on the continent to see all of the Big Five in a single stay, alongside a healthy cheetah population reintroduced through &Beyond's own conservation program. The reserve runs several distinct lodges within its boundaries — Phinda Vlei Lodge and Phinda Rock Lodge are our most requested — each with a different landscape and architectural style, from sand forest to granite outcrops.
Because Phinda is malaria-lower risk than many East African reserves and only a short flight from Johannesburg or Cape Town, it's a favourite for clients combining safari with a Cape Town and Winelands itinerary. Phinda also offers rhino-tracking on foot as a signature activity, tracking desensitised rhino with expert guides for an up-close, non-vehicle encounter.
&Beyond Bateleur Camp, Kenya
Set in the Masai Mara, Bateleur Camp is a nine-tented camp with a classic 1920s safari aesthetic — canvas, brass and leather — positioned to take advantage of the Great Migration when the herds move through the Mara between roughly July and October. Outside migration season it remains an excellent Big Five and predator-viewing base year-round, with resident lion prides well known to the guiding team.
&Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia
For something entirely different, this lodge sits within a private concession bordering the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei. Rooms are part-carved into the rock with retractable skylights for stargazing, and the experience here is less about the Big Five and more about landscape, silence and some of the darkest night skies on earth. It pairs well as a three- or four-night addition either before or after an East or Southern African safari.
Comparing the Four Flagship Properties
● Ngorongoro Crater Lodge — best for: Big Five density in a single day, dramatic architecture, pairing with Serengeti
● Phinda — best for: malaria-lower-risk safari, rhino tracking on foot, pairing with Cape Town
● Bateleur Camp — best for: Great Migration season, classic 1920s safari romance
● Sossusvlei Desert Lodge — best for: landscape and stargazing, a change of pace from wildlife-focused days
Sample Itinerary: 12 Days — Tanzania & South Africa &Beyond Journey
This itinerary links two of &Beyond's flagship East and Southern African properties with a short Cape Town stay, a route we book regularly for clients wanting variety across a single trip.
Day 1–2: Arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport, transfer to a Serengeti camp for two nights of game drives.
Day 3–4: Fly or drive to &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. Full-day game drive on the crater floor.
Day 5: Fly to Kilimanjaro, connect via Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Day 6–8: Cape Town and the Winelands — Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, a day trip to Stellenbosch or Franschhoek.
Day 9–11: Fly to Phinda Private Game Reserve. Game drives, rhino tracking on foot, and a beach excursion to nearby Kosi Bay if time allows.
Day 12: Fly to Johannesburg and connect for the international departure home.
Why Book &Beyond Through Travellers Lounge
&Beyond's flagship properties book out well in advance, particularly the crater rim suites at Ngorongoro and peak migration dates at Bateleur. This is where Travellers Lounge earns our keep — we've either visited these properties ourselves or maintain direct relationships with &Beyond's reservations team, which typically means better room categories, more accurate expectations around what's included, and smoother logistics when we're linking multiple lodges and internal charter flights across a single trip. We're a small, hands-on team, and we'd genuinely love to help you plan this one.
Getting There from Australia
Access depends on which &Beyond property you're visiting. Tanzania properties (Ngorongoro, Serengeti) are typically reached via Doha or Addis Ababa to Kilimanjaro International Airport, followed by a light-aircraft transfer to the property's own airstrip. South African properties (Phinda) connect via Johannesburg or Cape Town, both served with reasonably direct routings from Perth. Namibian properties (Sossusvlei) connect via Windhoek, usually reached via Johannesburg or Cape Town.
Because most &Beyond camps sit on private airstrips rather than public airports, internal transfers are almost always by light aircraft rather than road, and these flights should be booked as part of your overall itinerary well in advance, since seasonal schedules can be limited.
Best Time to Visit Each Property
● Ngorongoro Crater Lodge: year-round, though June–October (dry season) offers the easiest game viewing on the crater floor
● Phinda: year-round, with May–September offering cooler temperatures and sparser vegetation for easier sightings
● Bateleur Camp: July–October for Great Migration season; year-round for resident Big Five game viewing
● Sossusvlei Desert Lodge: April–October for cooler daytime desert temperatures and the clearest night skies
Guiding Standards: What Sets &Beyond Apart
One of the most consistent pieces of feedback we hear from clients returning from an &Beyond property is the calibre of the guiding team. &Beyond runs its own guide training academy and typically pairs an experienced ranger with a local tracker on every vehicle, a two-person system that noticeably improves sighting quality since the tracker reads spoor and signs from ground level while the ranger manages the vehicle and interprets behaviour. Many &Beyond guides remain with the company for a decade or more, building deep, specific knowledge of individual animals, family groups and territories within their reserve — the kind of detail that turns a good game drive into a genuinely memorable one.
&Beyond's Conservation Projects in Detail
Beyond the lodges themselves, &Beyond runs several standalone conservation initiatives worth knowing about, particularly for clients interested in the impact of their travel spend. Rhinos Without Borders, a joint initiative with fellow operator Great Plains Conservation, has relocated more than 100 rhino from high-poaching-risk areas in South Africa to better-protected reserves in Botswana. At Phinda, &Beyond's own rhino population has grown from a handful of founder animals in the 1990s to a healthy, self-sustaining population today, largely as a result of sustained anti-poaching investment funded by lodge revenue.
Combining &Beyond With a Cape Town or Beach Extension
Because &Beyond's safari properties are well connected to major South African and East African gateway airports, most clients build in a few additional nights either side of their safari. A Phinda stay pairs naturally with three to four nights in Cape Town given the short domestic flight between them, while a Tanzania-based &Beyond itinerary (Serengeti and Ngorongoro) pairs equally well with a beach extension in Zanzibar, reachable via a short flight from either the Serengeti's airstrips or Kilimanjaro. We generally recommend scheduling any beach extension at the end of a trip, giving travellers a genuinely restful finish after the early starts that safari days demand.
What to Pack for an &Beyond Safari
● Neutral-coloured, lightweight layers for early morning and midday temperature swings
● Warm layers for pre-dawn game drives, particularly at Ngorongoro's higher elevation
● A soft-sided duffel bag rather than a hard suitcase, required for most light-aircraft charter flights due to strict luggage restrictions (typically 15kg limit, soft-sided only)
● Binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens for distant sightings
● A headlamp or torch, since camps are unlit between tents/rooms and communal areas after dark
Frequently Asked Questions
Is &Beyond all-inclusive?
Most &Beyond lodges are fully inclusive of accommodation, all meals, game drives, most beverages including local wines and spirits, and laundry. International and domestic flights, premium wine selections and spa treatments are usually excluded.
How many nights should I spend at each &Beyond lodge?
Two to three nights is standard for most safari lodges, giving enough time for multiple game drives across different times of day. Desert or landscape-focused properties like Sossusvlei Desert Lodge can work well with a shorter two-night stay.
Can &Beyond lodges be combined across multiple countries in one trip?
Yes, this is one of &Beyond's strengths — their reservations and logistics teams routinely coordinate multi-country itineraries linking, for example, Tanzania and South Africa, using scheduled and charter flights between properties.
Are &Beyond lodges suitable for families?
Many properties, including Phinda, welcome children and offer family suites and tailored activities, while some intimate camps set minimum ages of 8 to 12. It's worth confirming the specific policy for each lodge when booking a family trip.
How far in advance should I book &Beyond's flagship properties?
For peak season dates (July–October migration period, or Australian school holiday periods) we recommend booking nine to twelve months ahead, particularly for sought-after suites at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and Bateleur Camp. Shoulder-season dates can often be secured with three to six months' notice.
Author, Michelle
Travel designer, storyteller, and lifelong explorer.
Michelle believes the best journeys are those that breathe — where adventure meets stillness, and moments of pause turn into lifelong memories.
