Luxury travel brand A&K Sanctuary, formerly part of Abercrombie & Kent’s Sanctuary Retreats portfolio, is set to unveil a series of captivating updates to its portfolio of safari camps and lodges. With a focus on harmonizing with the natural environment, the brand is poised to offer travelers an immersive and sustainable experience in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring destinations.
One of the key highlights is the Gorilla Forest Lodge in Uganda, the only lodge located within the gates of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bwindi National Park, home to the largest remaining population of mountain gorillas. The lodge has been rebuilt and redesigned to be in harmony with the natural environment, offering 10 large and luxurious tents with en-suite bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, and veranda-style decks that allow guests to immerse themselves in the serene forest surroundings.
Across the border in Botswana, the Baines’ Lodge in the biodiverse Okavango Delta is set to reopen next month following a complete overhaul. Named after the 19th-century explorer and painter Thomas Baines, the lodge will offer six suites elevated above the surrounding wetlands, allowing guests to connect with the stars above, hippopotamus underneath, and some of the best predator sightings.
According to Michelle Mickan, Vice President of Marketing for Abercrombie & Kent, the company’s 60 years of expertise in African travel has helped attract growing interest from Asian travelers seeking to explore the continent. “We often see Asian guests new to Africa choosing to travel with us. First-timers usually start with Kenya or Botswana, then they fall in love with Africa and choose to return for Tanzania, Uganda or Namibia – all locations where we have lodges,” she said.
Mickan also shared that the A&K Sanctuary brand will soon open new lodges in Rwanda and Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, further expanding its footprint in the region. The company has also just established an office in Indonesia, joining seven others in the Asia-Pacific region, demonstrating its commitment to the growing Asian source market.
For the more adventurous travelers, A&K Sanctuary is set to launch Pure Amazon in August, a luxury riverboat that will take guests deep into the vast Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in northern Peru. Accommodating up to 22 guests with a one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, the riverboat will offer journeys spanning three, four, and seven days, allowing travelers to discover the region’s wildlife and connect with local communities.
With its focus on sustainable and immersive experiences, A&K Sanctuary is poised to captivate a new generation of travelers seeking to reconnect with the natural world and explore the untamed wonders of Africa and the Amazon.
