Safari operator Great Plains, founded by National Geographic filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, has packaged its restorative take on the classic game drive into a new collection called 'Wellness in the Wild', spanning camps in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The idea is simple: wellbeing here means sleeping under the stars, moving through wild country and eating plant-rich food — with spa treatments as a complement, not the main event.
In Kenya, the newly opened Zamara Private is the flagship. A six-suite residence overlooking the Maasai Mara, it pairs a private spa with a menu of nature-inspired treatments, from the 90-minute Great Plains Renewal to a 30-minute Jet Lag massage built on mint and eucalyptus oils. Products come from organic brand Healing Earth, with herbs picked from camp gardens worked into selected therapies. The kitchen leans plant-forward too — Head Chef Paul's signature curry feast blends Nairobi's Indian cooking traditions with Kenyan flavours. Rates start from $32,500 a night for 12 guests, all-inclusive.
Further south, ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills (Relais & Châteaux, 20 adults maximum) takes a more active approach. Every suite comes with a yoga mat, and guests can practise beside their plunge pool or on rooftop 'Star Bed' decks — sometimes with elephants at the waterhole below. Horseback rides, mountain biking and guided walks replace the standard vehicle safari, and at night the rooftop Star Bed, dressed in linen and mosquito netting, offers a ceiling-less sleep under the Kenyan sky. From $1,755 per person per night.
Botswana brings two distinct moods. Zarafa Camp on the Selinda Reserve has launched an open-air gym looking straight out into the bush, plus a refurbished spa; the camp has just four suites overlooking Zibadianja Lagoon, and rates start at $2,250 a night. In the upper Okavango Delta, Sitatunga Private Island is built around the 'slow safari' — bush walks that read tracks and plants, mokoro trips through the waterways and guided stargazing, all in a camp of eight adults made almost entirely from recycled materials. From $1,660 per person.
Zimbabwe adds a giving-back dimension. At Tembo Plains Camp in the 290,000-acre Sapi Reserve beside Mana Pools, guests can go behind the scenes of Project Rewild, which between 2022 and 2025 moved 101 elephants, 663 impalas, 70 giraffe, 68 painted dogs and 68 zebra across Zimbabwe. Visits include time with Wildlife Rangers, the monitoring operations room and the Foundation's Female Ranger Programme. Tembo Plains is Zimbabwe's first Relais & Châteaux safari camp, with four double suites plus a two-bedroom family suite on the Zambezi. From $1,455 per person per night sharing.
Why it matters: this suits travellers who want more from safari than ticking off the Big Five — the wellness-curious, honeymooners and repeat visitors who have already done the standard circuit. The entry price points span everything from ultra-exclusive private-hire to (relatively) accessible per-person rates, and bookings directly support conservation work you can actually see on the ground. Story via Breaking Travel News.
