Singita Faru Faru Lodge

Say “Singita Grumeti” to anyone who has been on safari in East Africa and their eyes will light up. The Singita properties on the Grumeti Reserve, in the western corridor of Serengeti National Park, offer some of the world’s best private game viewing alongside impeccable luxury. The Grumeti Fund transformed this 350,000-acre reserve, previously ravaged by hunting and poaching, into a flourishing conservation success story. Singita guests support local social-impact programs, including its canine anti-poaching unit and scholarships, and guests can take part in these efforts in addition to game drives, bushwalks and sunrise hot-air- balloon safaris. Whether at the chic Faru Faru, the immersive glamping Sabora or the opulent Edwardian manor Sasakwa, guests are ensured top-notch service, delicious food and wine and extraordinary game drives. Singita Faru Faru Lodge in particular brings contemporary cool to the Grumeti Reserve, with tented roofs, an open-air lobby and expansive panoramic windows.

**The Standout:**The two-bedroom suite, with its own private plunge pool Don’t Miss: Opening the suite’s wall of doors to watch animals at the river

• The décor that honors nature, including tree-stump tables, oversize woven chandeliers and rock-faced interior walls
• The airy and open decks, café-style bar and interactive kitchen, where guests convene to recount the day’s experiences
• A nourishing detox massage with African oils, offered at the wellness center or in the comfort and privacy of your own suite

Of the three camps at Grumeti Reserves, Faru Faru Lodge is the one that feels the most like the Singita properties in South Africa. Cécile and Boyd’s, the design company behind all of the Singita properties, likes to concoct a story line to build its projects around. For this one, they imagined a botanist who would have come to Africa to live in the 1950s or '60s.

The camp sits on a hilltop above a bend in the Grumeti River near the remains of a Bantu settlement, so the walls resemble a rock ruin and collections of artifacts and photographs are displayed throughout. In the main sitting area, half of a canoe stands upright with ancient tools, rocks, crystals and animal bones resting on shelves. There are tree stump tables, leather and chrome director’s chairs and lamps resembling photographers’ equipment. The library has walls lined with bamboo poles and lamps with gourd bases. A dining deck is thatched with twigs and the seats surrounding the table are fashioned from branches. By the pool is a fire pit set in a patch of sand, which is ideal for gathering around in the evening.

The theme of the scientific adventurer continues in touches that appear in the 10 guest cottages, which are reached through winding pathways in the forest. Step into what looks like a simple tent and you’ll face walls of glass overlooking the river, a popular animal watering hole. The walls can be slid open with the flick of a remote switch. Pressed flowers hang from clips on a wooden wall along with aged photographs and beaded Maasai bracelets; guests are encouraged to add drawings and jottings of their own to the collage. A mosquito net and fan hangs over the bed, even though the room has great central air conditioning. All bathrooms have outdoor showers with a stone enclosure, but one comes with a claw-foot bathtub set outdoors under a tree. There is also a brand-new family suite with a large living area between two identical bedrooms.

Families and couples looking for a relaxed but sophisticated setting nestled into the foliage and near a watering hole. Faru Faru Lodge is considered the most romantic of the Singita Grumeti properties.