Your Digital Detox: Africa Lodges Without WiFi

Alex Walker’s Serian is a unique collection of luxurious, intimate camps in prime areas of the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. With light footprints and eco-ethos, all Serian camps are renowned for their supreme guiding, understated luxury, and traditional, bush-camp ambience. As there’s no internet access at Serian The Original (or any of the Serian camps!), these safari stays offer the chance to truly switch off digitally, and tune in to nature. Guests can enjoy exclusive use of a safari vehicle along with a dedicated guide and spotter, allowing for freedom and flexibility as to what you’d like to do on your safari. Perched on a hillside in the Maasai Mara overlooking the Mara River, The Original has only four large tented suites and one family room. Each suite has picturesque views over the valley and Oloololo escarpment, even from the bathtub! Who needs to scroll the internet when you can take a soak while admiring one of the most beautiful corners of the world?

This is an award-winning walking safari with a difference! Karisia is a family-run outfit that operates in a remote part of North Laikipia in Kenya. It’s a multi-day walking adventure with each trip tailored to suit your group’s fitness, but the main draw is that it’s done with camels. You walk alongside them and they carry your luggage – they’re only ridden if a member of your group is tired or a child wants a better view! You’ll get to go off the beaten safari track with stunning landscapes providing a backdrop and diverse wildlife supplying plenty of interest, including leopard, lion, cheetah, caracal, wild dog, jackal, hyena, ample elephant and giraffe, and rarer species such as Highland hartebeest and Grevy’s zebra.

The remarkable thing about walking with camels is that the wildlife is less skittish around this form of transportation, so you can savour some wonderful up-close encounters in this game-rich area. You’ll be expertly led by your guide and spotter, whose knowledge also extends to the geology and history of the land, where pieces of ancient pottery, flints, and graves line walking routes and tell of a rich history. You decide your level of adventure, choosing between camping accommodation or the Tumaren Satellite Camp.

This is one of Africa’s most famous and finest camps, but not many people get to visit Greystoke Mahale due to its remote location on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains. It’s owned and run by Nomad Tanzania, pioneers of authentic and remote luxury lodges in stunning locations where few have trodden! The camp is situated between the lake and mountain forests, where there is a host of birdlife (including crowned eagle and harrier hawk) and nine species of primate including chimpanzees and the red colobus. Mornings are spent trekking to see the chimpanzees, and in the afternoons you have a variety of choices, including relaxing on the beach, kayaking on the lake, or dhow cruises – you’ll be too busy enjoying the wild to miss the internet connection! There are just six luxury guest bandas nestled along the forest line. They are rustic and stylish, made out of old dhow and thatched palm tree roofs. The main areas of the camp provide a similar feel and have quiet reading areas, while the cuisine is immaculate with three-course meals, all served looking out over the lake. There’s also a special ‘Sunset Bar’, located on a rocky outcrop at the end of the beach.

Set up by famous guide Chris Fox in 1987 to offer an adventurous, unadorned safari experience, Mwagusi Safari Camp is comfortable, steeped in charm, and certainly not basic – apart from the lack of modern connectivity. Located on a U-bend on the seasonal Mwagusi River in Ruaha National Park, it offers some of the most reliable safari experiences in the country. This is one of Tanzania’s best parks – remote, game rich, and with only a handful of camps spread over an enormous area, ensuring a truly off-the-beaten-track feel. The ‘bandas’ (sheltered tent suites) have been designed and built with natural materials to blend into the surrounding wilderness, and the ethos is homely and authentic.

Imagine the views from your suite’s veranda, with a fresh breeze flowing while you relax in a hammock overlooking the river and resident wildlife – no phone needed. Safari activities centre on game drives and walking safaris with top-notch guiding. As the flow of the Mwagusi River declines in the dry season, wildlife from miles around heads to this water source. You can expect to see elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland, large lion prides, hyena, leopard, and occasionally wild dog, serval, caracal, and cheetah on the open plains.

To really feel immersed in the African bush and follow in the footsteps of explorers from centuries past, add Chikoko Tree Camp to your safari bucket list. Located in the wildlife-rich South Luangwa National Park, and accessible only on foot, Chikoko offers a unique and adventurous walking safari-focused experience. The camp’s three en-suite rooms are situated on raised platforms and nestled under a canopy of trees, offering a simple and comfortable stay surrounded by the wilderness. Here, you can experience Africa ‘at nature’s pace’, with morning and evening walking safaris led by experienced guides who can open up the bush to you from a whole new perspective. Wildlife in the area includes lion, elephant, giraffe, wild dog, eland, roan, kudu, warthog, hippo, and crocodile. You will even get to enjoy fresh tea and coffee and a sweet treat during your morning walks! While there may be no Wi-Fi in the camp, this is your chance to embrace going back to basics. Sipping a hot drink while soaking up the sights and sounds of the wilderness… what more could you ask for?

If you want a truly epic adventure that gets you back to nature, look no further than this remarkable camp. Chula Island is a back-to-basics fly-camping operation: rustic, wild, and fully immersive. It’s located in Lower Zambezi National Park, a thunderous game area that is our founder Julian’s favourite spot in Africa! It’s an intimate camp of just five tented rooms, set on an island in the middle of the Zambezi River. There’s a focus on walking and boating in a prime section of the Lower Zambezi, with plenty of hippos and crocodiles as your island neighbours, as well as lion, hyena, wild dog, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and zebra. Game drives, fishing, and canoeing are also possible, and while we would certainly recommend this camp for slightly older children (kids must be 14 years or older for walking safaris), there’s a good range of family activities including bug hunts and bow-and-arrow crafting.

The tents have a unique style, with entirely gauzed front and sides allowing for uninterrupted 270-degree views of your surroundings day and night. Ultimately, this camp takes guests back to nature, with superb guiding in a world-class wildlife area – and although it may not be a first-time safari destination, it will dazzle you with how close it brings you to the African landscape.

Intimate and family-run, this is a mobile tented outfit that’s completely unique to the area, and the location is so far-flung you can only access it by helicopter! Abu Private Reserve in the western Okavango Delta holds a mysterious reputation, is unexplored in places, and is almost untouched by humans. This is one of those rare places where you feel like you have the entire savanna to yourself. Beagle Expeditions is made up of two separate six-tented properties, the Kweene River Camp and Magwegwe Camp, which are positioned along the Kweene River. To be this free from civilization you have to let go of some modern luxuries – but, luckily, not the comforts needed for an unforgettable safari! The tents are simple, counterbalanced with Egyptian cotton linens, fine wines, and delightful food cooked over open fires. This is ‘campfire Africa’ under the stars like nowhere else. Safari activities include game driving, walking safaris, and mokoro trips (when the water levels are good, usually May through to September), each of which is superbly guided. The 30,000-hectare private concession has stunning wildlife including the Big Five, apart from rhino, and a resident pack of wild dog, who use the camps strategically in their hunts. A zebra migration also arrives here between December and March.

With sprawling grasslands, natural springs, and one of Zimbabwe’s top professional guides, Hwange National Park is a safari destination you won’t soon forget. Hwange Bush Camp is situated in the remote northern reaches of the national park and is seasonal, only opening from April to November each year. The semi-permanent tented camp hosts a maximum of 12 guests in 6 Meru-style tents. With only a few other safari-goers around, you’re set up to enjoy a secluded safari experience and a digital detox out in the wild. The communal dining and lounge tents are perfectly set up to relax after a full day of safari activities – you can swap stories over a shared meal or enjoy some downtime, simply absorbing the sounds of the bush. Activities include game drives, walking safaris, birding, and fly camping. However, the real stand-out feature here is the quality of the guiding. Under the expertise of some of the best guides in Africa, you are sure to have an unparalleled safari experience.

Located in a private concession in Mana Pools, one of Africa’s most pristine and untouched national parks, Kanga Camp is an authentic and secluded safari getaway. This classic, rustic safari-style camp is home to six luxury tents, each with a private deck, and the rooms and communal lounge and dining areas overlook the Kanga Pan, an important permanent water source where the resident wildlife gathers. The wildlife action will feel nearly non-stop – from sightings on expertly led game drives and safari walks, to watching animals gather around Kanga Pan whether that’s from the camp’s elevated wooden decks or on one of the famed ‘armchair safaris’. Wildlife includes lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and hyena, with over 350 species of birds in the park too. On night drives, keep an eye out for civet, porcupine, and even honey badgers on occasion. You won’t have a moment to think about checking your laptop or phone – unless it’s to take a photo and capture some unforgettable safari memories of course! In between daily activities, you’ll be free to switch off, relax, and immerse yourself in the remote bush surroundings – perhaps even do some wildlife watching while taking a dip in the camp’s plunge pool. And at the end of a busy day, there’s nothing quite like sitting around a firepit under the African night sky.

Now for something completely different! Pumulani Lodge is a beachfront lodge on the shores of Lake Malawi. This is the perfect place to relax, unwind, and truly get away from the world! Built on a hillside above a natural sandy beach in the western region of the Nankumba Peninsula, the ten villas occupy various levels, each offering picturesque views across the lake. The rooms are simple and spacious, and all have air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms. There’s also one honeymoon suite with an outdoor shower and a family room, which can house four or five guests depending on the children’s ages. Lake Malawi doesn’t have crocodiles or hippos, so you can swim in the pristine waters. There are plenty of activities to do while you’re here – kayaking, fishing, snorkelling, waterskiing, scuba diving, stargazing, wakeboarding, mountain biking, dhow sailing, sunset cruises, guided nature walks, and guided village trips.

Non-motorised activities are all included in a stay, while those requiring boats are payable locally at extra cost. There is some wildlife in the area, so you might see otters and rock rabbits, and make friends with vervet monkeys. There is limited Wi-Fi that is only available in the main area of the lodge. This means you can totally switch off while unwinding in your villa or out enjoying the activities on offer. Overall, it’s an exquisite location, and you can choose to keep busy or simply relax after a safari and marvel at the views from one of the two hillside infinity pools. Pumulani is best combined with safari in Zambia or Zimbabwe.