Camping, Serengeti Safari Style

True confession: I camp. I found "roughing it" charming when I was dating my husband, and terrifying once we were married. I had not realized that camping on a beach in Baja with no one around was actually a way of life for him, not a romantic gesture. So over the years, with children in tow, we've learned to compromise: my urban cultural destinations are mixed with his trips to the remote wilderness. It's proved a healthy mix. While I curate our urban forays, David handles our camping excursions.

If it were left to me (the camping part), this is where we'd go next: the Explore Mobile Tented Camp, which is operated by Singita, an "environmentally conscious hospitality" group that operates 12 lodges and camps in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. The company's Mobile Tented Camps, with their mix of utilitarian design and luxe, hit the mark, offering all the benefits of camping and being outdoors with well-designed and luxuriously appointed interiors. The design is the work of interior designer and former editor of Elle Decoration SA Tracy Lee Lynch, who collaborated with South African designers Cécile & Boyd's to come up with this mobile tented camp in the Serengeti. For more information, go to Singita.


Above: Lunch al fresco, Serengeti style. Photograph via Singita.

Above: Heavy-duty canvas-covered camp chairs with leather tied backs.

Above: Folding shelving by Pedersen and Lennard; a canvas covered camp cot with leather trim serves as a table. Trunks on legs are used as a cocktail bar.

Above: The designers took their inspiration from the utility of the Land Rover, using rubber, leather, canvas, and steel as their core materials.

Above: Meals are cooked and enjoyed outdoors.

Above: The sleeping tents include roll-down mosquito nets, storage bags hung from the tent poles, and camp beds covered with mohair blankets and handwoven linens.

Above: Trunks serve as bedside tables and canvas pouches provide storage opportunities.

Above: The tents include shaded outdoor seating areas.

Above: Elephants are part of the vista in this untouched wilderness in northern Tanzania, a renowned migratory route for wildlife.

Looking to camp in style? Check out our post on High Style Camping Gear from Japan.

Global travelers, check our our South Africa City Guide.