Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp.

Three Safari Camps Earn Spots on Travel + Leisure's Best New Hotels List

Travel + Leisure has unveiled its latest “It List,” this time featuring editors’ picks for the top 43 new hotels in the world. Their picks, which T + L describes as “game changers” and “transformative properties,” were vetted with a stay and took the lucky contributors “from Anguilla to Australia, from India to Italy.”

“These remarkable newcomers are a reminder that a great hotel can be a destination unto itself. They provide not just a place to rest your head but also an entire rationale to get on a plane and explore someplace new,” the editors write.

Just three African safari camps made the cut: Namibia’s Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, opens in new tab, Tanzania’s Namiri Plains, opens in new tab, and Bostwana’s Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, opens in new tab.

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp.
Naimibia’s Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp offers guests luxurious accommodation in one of Africa’s most remote safari hotspots.

They describe Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp as a “desert oasis along the Hoanib River that is luring a new set of travelers to what feels like the ends of the earth.” The camp, which is located in the heart of the Kaokovled desert, is accessible only by chartered plane and features eight sprawling tents decorated in African textiles.

leopard at Namiri Plains Camp Namibia.
Namiri Plains was formerly a big cat sanctuary and was off-limits to tourists.

Namiri Plains, T + L editors write, “was off limits for 20 years as a wildlife refuge. Now the game-rich region, which lies in the path of the annual wildebeest migration, opens in new tab, is slowly opening up to visitors.” They go on to note that the eco-friendly camp, which is known for its abundance of big cats, especially cheetahs, is the only safari property within a 45-mile radius, which makes encounters with humans rare.

Check out all of T + L’s best new hotel picks here, opens in new tab.

Tagged

More from African Safaris

All African Safaris stories
  • African Safaris

    Sabi Sand: Wildlife Hotspot of South Africa

    Oct 19, 2026 · Samantha Miller

    Sabi Sand has a special history in South Africa. As the country’s first private game reserve, it has built a longstanding reputation for superb wildlife conservation, community development and spectacular wildlife sightings. The Sabi Sand region borders Kruger National Park in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa.

  • African Safaris

    The Baobab Tree: An African Icon and Longtime Legend

    Oct 12, 2026 · Laura Kiniry

    With its bulbous shape and canopy resembling an upside-down root system, the baobab tree symbolizes the African continent. Its origins are also the stuff of legend…literally.

  • African Safaris

    How to Get Wall-Worthy Pictures of Africa’s Great Migration

    Sep 26, 2026 · Samantha Miller

    The Serengeti and Maasai Mara are the stage for the largest overland wildlife migration on Earth, and for wildlife enthusiasts and photographers, Natural Habitat Adventures offers an unparalleled front-row seat to capture this thrilling event.