Considering whether you want to stay under canvas, or in a stone or brick lodge is an important start in deciding where you want to go on safari.  However, before you decide, you need to be aware that in Africa things arent always as they seem.

To many people, the merest mention of the word "camping" strikes fear into their hearts conjuring up images of fights with tents and howling gales.  However, in Africa, staying under canvas can be one of the most luxurious experiences you'll ever have.  It's also often the way in which you'll get the greatest flexibility on your safari (why does this matter?).

However, it's also worth being clear that because of this, some (but not all) tented camps are amongst the more expensive places to stay on safari.  But, in our experience they're also exceptional value because they add a dimension that you just won't get in a solid structure like a large lodge.

The main reasons to stay in a tented camp

1. They're a great deal more comfortable than you might expect - have a look at {Rekero Tented Camp} in Kenya as an example and {Nomad's Serengeti Mara} in Tanzania as another.

2. Tented camps are often small and often privately owned, so their attention to detail and level of service is generally much better than the large lodges.  {Ol Seki Mara Camp} in the {Masai Mara} is a good example of this.

3. In a tented camp the feeling of proximity to the wild is far more exciting.  Unlike in a large lodge, you're not sealed off from the African soundscape - the chirp of scops owls at night, the roaring of lions.

The main reasons to stay in a small lodge

1. There are quite a few small lodges that are every bit as intimate as some of the tented camps.  {Beho Beho} and {Sand Rivers} in the {Selous} in Tanzania

2. There are times when only four solid walls will do.  Mixing a few days in a lodge like {Ol Malo} in {Laikipia Plateau} or {Chongwe River House} on the {Lower Zambezi} is a great compliment to some time in a tented camp.

The reasons to stay in a large lodge

1. erm....

2. Actually, there are very occasionally times when it might be worth staying in one of these monstrosities.  A good example is {Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge} which is a shining example of the genre.  But if you want to be away the only lodge on the eastern rim of {Ngorongoro} Crater, then this is a great option.  But go with your eyes open.