Africa Travel Named "Best for Tailor-Made Safaris, Multi-generational trips & Honeymoons" by Condé Nast Traveller 2027

Africa Travel Named "Best for Tailor-Made Safaris, Multi-generational trips & Honeymoons" by Condé Nast Traveller 2027

In Condé Nast Traveller's hand-picked list of the specialists to know, Africa Travel is the name the editors put forward for tailor-made safaris, multi-generational trips and honeymoons.

There is a moment on every great African journey that no itinerary can promise: the guide who cuts the engine just before the leopard appears, the winemaker who pours the glass himself, the elder who decides to tell you the story. Those moments come from people, and from knowing them well.

That is the idea behind Condé Nast Traveller's The top travel specialists to know right now, published on 2 November 2026 and setting out the magazine's recommendations for 2027. Africa Travel has a place on it, listed as Best for: Tailor-made safaris, Multi-generational trips, Honeymoons. It is a recognition we take as a nod to our whole team in London, in Cape Town and on the ground across the continent.

We have spent decades travelling Africa, going back to the same camps, the same estates and the same guides. Below we look at what the editors wrote, what sits behind each line, and what it means when you start planning your own trip.

Who does Condé Nast Traveller recommend for a tailor-made safari in Africa?

Condé Nast Traveller recommends Africa Travel for tailor-made safaris, multi-generational trips and honeymoons. Its 2027 entry covers twelve destinations: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Mozambique. The signature trip is Icons Of Africa, which links Cape Town, Victoria Falls and the Masai Mara, and the editors also suggest Ultimate Gorillas.

Key takeaways

• Three strengths named. Condé Nast Traveller lists Africa Travel as Best for: Tailor-made safaris, multi-generational trips & honeymoons in The top travel specialists to know right now.
• Twelve key destinations. South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Mozambique.
• Signature trip: Icons Of Africa. This itinerary links Cape Town, Victoria Falls and the Masai Mara. The editors also suggest Ultimate Gorillas.
• Access built on relationships. The editors highlight Africa Travel’s links with local guides, hoteliers, chefs, community chiefs, gallery owners and winemakers.
• Private experiences. Examples include after-hours gallery viewings, tastings with the vintner, a safari with a master tracker and a meeting with the Himba people.
• A team on the ground. Our own staff are based in Africa, with 24-hour emergency assistance.
• Recognised specialists. Sales Director Chris Wain was named as a Condé Nast Traveller African specialist for 2026.

In the editors' words: Africa Travel

Here is what the editors wrote:

Best for: Tailor-made safaris, multi-generational trips, honeymoons
Key destinations: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Seychelles, Mauritius, Mozambique
Signature trip: Icons Of Africa – Cape Town, Victoria Falls and the Masai Mara
Also try: Ultimate Gorillas

Through decades of visiting Africa, the team at Africa Travel have built strong relationships with local guides, hoteliers, the best chefs, community chiefs, gallery owners and winemakers to enhance clients' experiences. From their Cape Town office they can arrange experiences such as private after-hours gallery viewings with artists; tastings with the actual vintner not the wine estate's PR person; a safari with one of the last master trackers; a private meeting with Nelson Mandela's former prison guard, an authentic and genuine meeting with the Himba people, or a lecture from South Africa's foremost botanist.

Source: Condé Nast Traveller, "The top travel specialists to know right now", 2 November 2026.

Behind the lines: what the editors noticed

Read the entry slowly and you will find a whole philosophy of travel folded into a few sentences. Condé Nast Traveller does not praise us for owning the biggest list of lodges. It picks out something rarer: the quiet, patient work of knowing people. Three details, in particular, tell the story of how we work.

• A little black book, not a brochure.
   The editors speak of "strong relationships with local guides, hoteliers, the best chefs, community chiefs, gallery owners and winemakers". Behind that list are decades of return visits, shared meals and favours earned the slow way. These are the people who open a door at the right moment, and they are the reason our itineraries across South Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa read so differently from the usual lodge lists.
• The vintner, not the PR person.
   It is a small line, and perhaps the most telling of all. It describes the difference between being shown a place and being welcomed into it. Whether it is a private after-hours evening in a Cape Town gallery with the artist, or a tasting in the Winelands with the person who actually made the wine, we look for the real encounter over the staged one. That is where a trip becomes a story you keep telling.
• Access that opens doors.
  The entry closes with a list of experiences that cannot be found online: a safari with one of the last master trackers, a private meeting with Nelson Mandela's former prison guard, a lecture from South Africa's foremost botanist. What they share is access, the kind that comes from years of trust rather than a booking engine. Some of the most memorable days in Africa have little to do with ticking off animals. They are spent with the people who know the land best, and we arrange them with care, always on the terms of the people we meet.

What this recommendation means for you

A specialist known for the trips that are hardest to get right

Safaris, multi-generational journeys and honeymoons all depend on small decisions: the right camp for a seven-year-old and a grandparent, the right season for the migration, the right pace for two people who want to slow down. The editors chose these three because the detail is where the trip is won or lost.

Real people, in a world of endless information

The editors open their list with a simple belief: with AI and "vast warehouses of digital information" on every destination, travellers need specialists more, not less. Africa makes the case well. A search result can show you a lodge. It takes a team who have been there to tell you whether it suits you.

An office in Cape Town, a team on the ground

The access the editors describe does not come from a booking engine. It comes from our own staff based in Africa, regular site inspections and long-standing relationships. That is also why we can say what suits you rather than what suits us. Meet our experts.

A story that goes back years

Our Sales Director Chris Wain has been recognised by Condé Nast Traveller among the world's top travel specialists, and was named as an African specialist for 2026. Read the announcement.

Twelve destinations, one continent

The editors name twelve key destinations. Here is how we think of them:

• South Africa: Cape Town, the Winelands, the Garden Route and Kruger, the usual starting point for a first trip.
• East Africa: Kenya and Tanzania for the great plains and the migration, with Rwanda and Uganda for the gorillas.
• Southern Africa: Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, from walking safaris to the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls and the dunes of Sossusvlei.
• Islands and coast: the Seychelles, Mauritius and Mozambique, for the beach at the end of the bush.

Three ways to travel, one signature route

Many of our travellers also add a stretch of coast, a journey on a luxury train, a self-drive leg or a season of whale watching to the plan.

How a journey with Africa Travel comes together

Every trip begins as a conversation and ends as a memory. Between the two, our team handles the details so that all you have to think about is the view.

1. Tell us what you are dreaming of. A first safari, a family reunion across three generations, a honeymoon, or a route you have kept on a list for years. 
2. Speak to someone who has been there. You will talk to a specialist who has stayed at the camps, met the guides and knows which room has the best view at dawn. Meet our experts.
3. Watch your itinerary take shape. Your dates, your pace and the moments you most want to experience guide every choice, from the first night in Cape Town to the last game drive.
4. Travel knowing we are close by. From flights to private guides, we have our own team based in Africa, with 24-hour emergency assistance for complete peace of mind.

Begin the conversation with an Africa Travel expert

FAQs

1. What did Condé Nast Traveller say about Africa Travel?

Condé Nast Traveller lists Africa Travel as Best for: Tailor-made safaris, multi-generational trips, honeymoons in The top travel specialists to know right now. It praises our relationships with guides, hoteliers, chefs, community chiefs, gallery owners and winemakers.

2. What is Africa Travel's signature trip?

Icons Of Africa, which links Cape Town, Victoria Falls and the Masai Mara. The editors also suggest Ultimate Gorillas. See Icons Of Africa and gorilla trekking.

3. Which countries does Africa Travel cover?

South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Mozambique are the key destinations named by the magazine. See all our destinations.

4. What kind of private experiences can Africa Travel arrange?

The magazine cites private after-hours gallery viewings with artists, tastings with the vintner, a safari with a master tracker, a meeting with the Himba people and a lecture from South Africa's foremost botanist.

5. Is Africa Travel suitable for family and multi-generational trips?

Yes, it is one of the three strengths the editors name. See our family holidays, including Kenya and South Africa.

6. Can Africa Travel plan a honeymoon?

Yes, honeymoons are another of the three. Explore our honeymoons, with ideas for South Africa and Kenya.

7. Why book through a specialist instead of online?

A specialist knows which camp, guide and season suit you, and can open doors that are not listed online. The editors make the same point in their introduction.

8. How do I start planning with Africa Travel?

Contact our team with your dates, interests and who is travelling. A specialist will build a tailor-made itinerary and handle the booking.

Source: Condé Nast Traveller, "The top travel specialists to know right now