Our Retreats
Ultimate Safaris is known for pioneering safaris in Namibia. Driven by an enthusiasm to explore and a determination to provide a great service in extreme locations, we started by operating relatively lightweight mobile camps in impossibly remote corners of the country. We then moved on to help preserve some of these wild places that had captured our hearts and our imagination, and this meant that we became more permanent guests than temporary visitors and that we pay our fair share to ensure the preservation and conservation of the wonderful areas in which we have the privilege of operating.
We are now, in a way, redefining luxury and focusing on what the crux of a Namibian safari should be. Our own definition of this encompasses privacy, exclusivity, experiential focus and total flexibility, all whilst being perfectly comfortable. We are able to provide all of this at a relatively moderate cost as we have moved away from the opulence and consequent high pricing that is generally associated with a luxury African safari. Our guests are looked after by some extraordinary people whose only desire is to ensure that each moment spent with us is as perfect as possible. Guests are pampered in our retreats, have their days filled with thrilling encounters, and enjoy nights entranced with exclusivity beyond most people’s wildest dreams. They are looked after throughout by a tribe of ‘Journey Magicians’ whose aim is to leave long-lasting impressions and happy memories. Whilst we guarantee our renowned warm hospitality at all our retreats, there are differing styles of accommodation available. As a result, we have differentiated between them, naming them Urban Retreats, Private Retreats, Signature Retreats, Immersive Exploration Retreats, and Mobile Retreats. All have a strong focus on sustainability as they are run entirely on renewable energy with sophisticated water recycling and solid waste management systems.
Private Retreats
Our Private Retreats rank amongst the most extraordinary in Africa in terms of sustainability, quality, design and décor, whilst still remaining focussed on re-investing revenues into conservation. Guests are immersed in picturesque landscapes whilst being hosted on an exclusive, all-inclusive basis by members of the finest handpicked tribe of Journey Magicians in Namibia. Discerning, sophisticated, and discretely competent management is complimented by some of Namibia’s best naturalist guides and award-winning gourmet chefs. Private butlers ensure that guests are cared for with an absolute focus on personal attention, complimenting an offering of only the finest quality, and benchmarking a new level of hospitality at iconic and exclusive private retreats in Namibia.
Exploration Retreats
Our Exploration Camps are designed to offer a true “back to nature” experience, with the emphasis being on that experiential aspect of great safaris. We have recognised a strong desire in many travellers to go back to the original safari concept which allowed guests to touch, feel, smell and experience the wild, with their feet firmly in the dust. This ultimate connection with the earth, culture and wildlife in a very up-close and personal way gives an experience that is exclusive in the real sense of the word, as well as being very much away from the pressures of ‘normal’ life. Since these retreats offer tented accommodation, there is a degree of compromise required concerning the frills and other ‘add-ons’ that you might expect in a permanent lodge or camp. However, there is still a strong focus on ensuring complete comfort. Those prepared to forego some conventional ‘necessities’ so that they are unencumbered by buildings and all the paraphernalia that goes with them, will be able to go to sleep hearing only the noisy silence of the desert and to wake up to a chorus that announces the start of a new day. It is the kind of intimacy that can only be achieved by taking guests to the most wild, remote and private places, and keeping them well away from the beaten path.
Mobile Retreats
Our Mobile Retreats are clearly not permanent in any way. They are designed to be set up quickly in some of the most inaccessible corners of the country, and normally for just two or three nights at a time, so they cannot have all the comforts you would expect in our other camps. As a result, there is something of a compromise required when staying in them. They are designed for the more hardy, adventurous, and intrepid type of guest, and those prepared to forego some inessential frills are rewarded by having access to areas where there is little or no other fixed infrastructure, thus allowing a real pioneering experience. Our mobile retreats are serviced and equipped to ensure that guests can relax and revel in the feeling of space and solitude that makes Namibia so special while still enjoying considerable comfort. We consider good food and wine to be an important part of the overall experience, so our catering in these retreats is still of a suitably high standard - even in dry, desolate areas where this can be hard to maintain. Delicious, wholesome meals, including local delicacies, are prepared on open fires using fresh local produce, and guests are cared for by a caring, warm and passionate tribe. We offer two varieties of infrastructure on our Mobile Retreats using either Dome or Meru tents, with a maximum of four tents per group.
Signature Retreats
Our Signature Retreats are our flagship offerings. These are uniquely designed, and they offer great comfort combined with incredible service and cuisine. They are also small enough to ensure an exceptionally high-level of personalized service as offered by personal butlers, naturalist guides, and a welcoming host. Each retreat is adorned with local art, and guests will leave having experienced something truly unique that isn’t comparable with anything anywhere else.
Urban Retreats
Our Urban Retreats are geographically located in areas where urban stays are needed to facilitate international travel or transit. They are designed to complement stays in our rural retreats, ensuring that the personalized service and overall experience of our more rural retreats is continued throughout your travels. A professionally hosted experience is complimented with great and imaginative cuisine, creating the perfect place from which to launch into or out of your safari, negating the need to stay in larger, impersonal, and less imaginative establishments.
Onduli Ridge
Signature Retreat
Onduli Ridge, named after the resident giraffe of the area, is built at the base of two south facing granite outcrops which are connected by a ridge.
Camp Sossus
Immersive Exploration Retreats
Camp Sossus is built in a naturally formed amphitheatre of a south-facing granite outcrop within striking distance of So
Camp Doros
Immersive Exploration Retreats
Camp Doros is deliberately small and intimate, and it is located in a core area for desert adapted black rhino with activities largely focused on finding the black rhino with an experienced and qualified Rhino Ranger team.
Galton House
Urban Retreat
Located in Windhoek and named after the famous explorer Sir Francis Galton, Galton House has a relaxed but efficient sty
Meru Camp
Mobile Retreat
Rectangular Meru tents (4m x 3m and 2.5 m high) with built in groundsheets and mosquito screens on all doors and windows
Enriching Lives
Ultimate Safaris is privileged to be able to operate in pristine wilderness areas. We believe that the future of the environment and the natural inhabitants of these regions lies in the hands of the communities living there, and that this means they must be involved in the custodianship of their surroundings. The Conservation Travel Foundation is Ultimate Safaris’ registered non-profit organisation and it fully supports these ideals.
Rare And Endangered Species Trust
Saving the ‘Forgotten Five’, Africa’s lesser known creatures!
Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Preventing a silent extinction of one of Africa’s most threatened species!
Africat Foundation
Conserving the world’s largest population of cheetah!
North West Human Wildlife Conflict Management Plan
Finding the balance for the sake man and beast!
Desert Lion Project
Protecting the world’s only growing lion population that lives outside of a National Park!
Rhino Ranger Programme
Empowering communities for conservation through rural employments and training!
Save The Rhino Trust
Conserving Africa’s only free-roaming population of black rhino!
Bunny Cottage
Care for urban orphans in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city!
Little Bugs
Self-help initiative for a marginalized desert community!
Grootberg Primary School
Development of future conservationists by supporting education!
Namib Tsaris Conservancy
Returning the land to nature!
Doro !Nawas Conservancy
Turning the tide on joint venture tourism by improving profits for land custodians!
//Huab Conservancy
Conservation Travel impacting on marginalized communities!
Lionscape Coalition
Using Conservation Travel partnerships to effect conservation change!
Pack For Conservation
The perfect gift/donation for guests to make when travelling to Namibia!