Indian Ocean and Africa
Middle East and the Americas
Every hotel we shortlist170 hotels, one listFilter by place, by what each hotel is best for, and by the judges behind it.Browse all hotelsJourneys
Rail · 5 trains
Luxury train journeys
Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
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Cities · 1 perfect day
One day in Rome
Sunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.
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Islands · 12 months
The Maldives, month by month
When the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.
Read the guide
Wild · Jul to Oct
The Great Migration
Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
Read the guide
Rail · London to Venice
The Orient Express
When it runs, what each cabin costs, and the best month to board.
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Flights · Door to door
Emirates business class
From the car at your door in London to the lights of Dubai, in ten moments.
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The Shortlist
The Mara, the Serengeti, the Okavango and Kruger: the lodges independent judges rate highest, and who should book somewhere else.
Photo: Unsplash
The short answer
The best safari lodges are chosen by where the animals are when you travel: the Masai Mara and the Serengeti for the Great Migration, the Okavango Delta for water and elephants, and Greater Kruger for leopard and the Big Five on a shorter trip. Our 2026 shortlist has 10 safari lodges, each with a Michelin Key or a Forbes Travel Guide star rating. The most decorated are JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, Hemingways Ol Seki Mara Camp and Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti.
Shortlisted means chosen on research: a Michelin Key or Forbes Travel Guide rating, or praise from two independent publications, each linked below. We have not stayed at these hotels yet. Read how we choose.
Migration crossings
Open grassland along the Mara and Talek rivers, best known for the wildebeest migration from roughly July to October and for big cat sightings all year. The national reserve can be busy with vehicles in peak months, while the private conservancies on its northern edge cap vehicle numbers and allow walks and night drives.
Shortlisted 2026
A 20-tent camp with an open-air restaurant and spa on the Talek River, inside the main reserve.
20 tents. Private pools: not confirmed; Michelin lists shared pools.
Shortlisted 2026
A nine-tent conservancy camp that Michelin praises for having no crowds and no convoys.
9 tents. Private pools: no; one shared pool listed.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
The herds, all year
A vast plain of grass and granite kopjes that hosts the southern and western stages of the great migration, from calving in the south early in the year to river crossings in the north later on. Central Serengeti holds resident game year-round, which makes it a reliable base in any month.
Shortlisted 2026
A full-service lodge with an infinity pool above a waterhole, a spa and a cultural Discovery Centre.
77 keys. Private pools: shared infinity pool; private plunge pools not confirmed by our sources.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Water and elephants
An inland delta of channels, lagoons and palm islands that floods each winter, so game viewing mixes mokoro and boat trips with drives. Most camps are reached only by light aircraft and run on low-volume, high-cost tourism.
Shortlisted 2026
Botswana's only MICHELIN Key property, with 12 tented suites each served by a private butler.
12 tents. Private pools: not confirmed; Michelin lists a shared outdoor pool.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Leopards and the Big Five
Private reserves along Kruger National Park's western boundary share unfenced land with the park, and off-road driving allows close leopard sightings. Malaria risk is low to moderate, flights from Johannesburg are short, and the lodges are among the most polished in Africa.
Shortlisted 2026
A Varty family reserve known for its leopard viewing, and one of two Three MICHELIN Key lodges in Greater Kruger.
32 keys. Private pools: not confirmed; Michelin lists a shared pool.
Shortlisted 2026
Eight thatched suites with fireplaces and claw-foot baths, which Michelin calls the apotheosis of luxury safari.
8 keys. Private pools: yes, plunge pools noted for its suites.
Shortlisted 2026
Hillside suites inside Kruger itself, with meals, drinks and twice-daily drives or walks included.
15 keys. Private pools: not confirmed.
Shortlisted 2026
Six suites, each with a plunge pool, in a Relais and Châteaux lodge in the Sabi Sand.
6 keys. Private pools: yes, a plunge pool in each suite.
Shortlisted 2026
Four lodges, two private villas and treehouse sleep-outs along the Sabie River.
18 keys. Private pools: not confirmed; Michelin lists shared pools.
Shortlisted 2026
Converted railway carriages parked on a historic bridge above the Sabie River.
24 carriage suites plus 7 Bridge House suites. Private pools: no; shared pool on the bridge.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Coming in 2027
None of the lodges above carries our second stamp yet. Lodges we stay at earn the Stayed and verified stamp, with what we found written down and any hosted stay disclosed. Run a hotel on this list? See how verification works.
If you want to see the herds move rather than sit by a lodge pool, a mobile tented camp that follows the migration may suit you better. Time it with our guide to the Great Migration.
Questions people ask
Our 2026 shortlist has 10 lodges across Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa, including Londolozi, Royal Malewane and Singita Lebombo in Greater Kruger and Xigera in the Okavango. Every pick holds a Michelin Key or a Forbes Travel Guide rating.
Kenya for the Masai Mara and a direct flight from London, or South Africa for Greater Kruger, which combines easily with Cape Town and has very reliable leopard sightings. Botswana suits a second safari.
In East Africa, July to October for the river crossings and January to February for the calving. In Botswana and South Africa, the dry winter from May to October, when animals gather at water.
Because we only include lodges with a Michelin Key, a Forbes Travel Guide rating or praise from two independent judges. Many excellent camps have neither yet, and we will add them as we verify them ourselves.
Usually by a short light-aircraft flight from Nairobi, Arusha, Maun or Johannesburg to a bush airstrip, with strict soft-bag luggage limits. Some Greater Kruger lodges can also be reached by road.
Not yet. Every lodge on the 2026 list is Shortlisted on research. Lodges we stay at will carry the Stayed and verified stamp, and any hosted stay will be disclosed on the page.
When to goZanzibar, month by monthAt its best: Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.The journey · WildThe Great MigrationWhere two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
Pair it withThe Maldives, month by monthAt its best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec.Where to stayThe Maldives: the shortlist20 hotels, each one recognised by named judges.