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The (possibly) Definitive List of How to Safari in Africa on Points in 2025 and Beyond

Blackbeard

Dec 31, 2024 • 7 min read Comments

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tl;dr—Redeeming points for 'bucket-list' travel is exciting and makes a trip feel just a bit more memorable. As I've recently written about my first points-safari experience, I wanted to answer the question—where else can you go on safari in Africa on points? Consider this guide your starting point for learning how to use points to book your next safari adventure.

Marriott's History of Safari Stays on Points

For many, safaris represent an ambitious trip. As redeeming points for safari is a unique opportunity, I decided to rehash some of the past and present African safari-on-points options. Over the last few years, Marriott has emerged as the hotel brand providing travelers with arguably the most consistently attainable (in terms of availability and redemption rates) opportunities to redeem points for safari, so let's start there.

The resounding theme of the early days of safari points redemptions? 'Economical'. Marriott's 2014 acquisition of Protea Hotels brought travelers two budget-friendly accommodation options near prime safari destinations. Marriott's Protea Gate Hotel, so named the eponymous park entrance just a brisk five-minute walk away, was a popular option for those seeking modest accommodations on their adventures in Kruger. With daily options for game drives and at the low price point of a Category 1 hotel, many travelers, particularly DIY-ers, were in heaven. Protea Gate exited Marriott Bonvoy a few years ago and is now known as Kruger Gate Hotel. In Zambia, travelers can still choose the Protea Hotel Lusaka Safari Lodge, a rustic accommodation boasting its private game reserve that offers up-close encounters with many grazing animals. It's more laid-back and notably not a destination where you witness the 'Big Five' do their thing.

Similarly, the Protea Hotel Polokwane Ranch Resort, situated on a conservatory, offers game drives to view various types of antelopes and a lion walk, allowing you to get up close to the famed big cats and cheetahs. That said, as a conservatory, the experience is not quite safari-like in that the predators and prey are fenced off and separated from one another, and the entire feel of the place is more resort-like. Those seeking a do-it-all itinerary need to look at Protea Hotel Livingstone. Situated only 10KM from one of the world's most famous and impressive landmarks - Victoria Falls, this Zambian property also offers guests a convenient launching point for safaris in the Victoria Falls landscape, as well as safaris in Zambezi National Park across the border in Zimbabwe (not to be confused with the Lower Zambezi National Park located closer to the border Zambia share with Mozambique and Zimbabwe).

2023 proved to be a banner year for Marriott's safari developments. Recognizing that the lure of safari for many travelers is the opportunity to enjoy comfortable, immersive, luxe accommodations, while they soak up memorable encounters with wildlife, Marriott turned its focus upmarket. In 2023, Marriott opened its first luxury safari lodge, the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, just outside Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. Immediately popular with visitors (especially points enthusiasts), this resort sadly suffered significant flooding damage in May 2024, forcing the property to close for two months. Reopened as of July 15, 2024, the resort is back to providing solid all-around service with its well-regarded game drives and all-inclusive offerings.

Leopard Sands at Kruger Park - a Marriott Property - Source: You Are Travel

At the tail-end of 2023, Marriott quietly opened Leopard Sands, marking Marriott's return to Kruger. Marriott's June 2023 announcement of the JW Marriott Serengeti Lodge—slated to open in 2026 in Tanzania's famed Serengeti National Park—ensures luxury Marriott properties will be at the three most popular safari reserves in Africa.

A super under-the-radar entry is Turaco Ngorongoro Valley, a hotel under Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. Opened in November 2024 in Karutu, Tanzania, 38 minutes away from the Lodare gate entrance to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, this hotel has a simple yet inviting lodge design perfect for a few days post-up while you venture out to the nearby national park. The Ngorongoro Crater is one the most underrated places in Africa for seeing wildlife. Ngorongoro offers prime-spotting opportunities for the Big Five and Great Migration. It is said to have the highest density of large mammals on the planet, and your chances of spotting lions on a Ngorongoro Crater safari are the highest in the world. While the hotel isn't in a location where it can offer game drives itself, you can arrange day excursions, or for any self-safari enthusiasts - it's a great launching off point. With reasonable rates and spacious rooms, this place screams diamond-in-the-rough, and I'm pretty motivated to check it out.

In 2025 we should see the debut of The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp, the first Ritz-Carlton branded safari lodge. Finally, in 2026 a second JW Marriott property - the JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp will debut, about 3.5 hours north-north-west of Nairobi. This property will be managed by the same group that operates the JW Marriott Masai Mara and the above-mentioned-soon-to-debut Ritz-Carlton. You can read more details on these two upcoming properties here and here.

Quick hits - Major Hotel Chains Offering Points Redemptions for Safari

Below, you'll find some of the leading hotel chains and properties within their portfolio where you can redeem points for safari on public national parks, private game reserves, and even river cruises. Did I cover EVERY single opportunity to redeem points for a safari? Likely not, but this pass is a solid effort. The aim was to comprehensively identify points-accepting properties located in or directly adjacent to locations, allowing one to enjoy a full-on safari or 'safari-lite' experience. Note: This list doesn't include booking through bank portals (AMEX or Chase), where you can access many more safari lodges. For simplicity, I've limited this list to options where you use points to book directly through the hotel chain's own points currency.

Hyatt (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

All safari properties bookable through Hyatt come from the recent partnership with Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Accordingly, the redemption rates for these properties are generally not competitive (to say the least) and, frankly, unrealistic (to say the most). They do look cool, though!

Accor Live Limitless

Ok, Accor! I've long had a gut feeling that Accor, as a hotel chain, has a ton of promise and is a sleeping giant. (I'll cover this more in a future article) I suspect Accor's footprint and loyalty offerings will grow tremendously over the next few years and with a few tweaks, will become much more popular with North American customers. For this piece, though, Accor also has some uniquely compelling point redemption safari offerings, including two river cruises:

Watch elephants convene at the river as you cruise along the Zambezi Queen - Source: Accor / Mantis Hotels

Pro-tip: Accor's loyalty program Accor Live Limitless (ALL) works a bit differently than other loyalty programs in point values are fixed, 2000 ALL points = €40, and you can redeem points to 'discount' the cost of your stay (you can also use points as a credit for incidentals you incur). You can redeem up to 1,000,000 ALL points for any single reservation and you'll need a minimum of 2000 ALL points for any redemption. Citi, Capital One, and Bilt are all transfer partners for Accor. A select number of properties that DO NOT participate in the ALL program can be found here.

Marriott Bonvoy

Already discussed above and listed in-line below.

Sundowner Activity at J.W. Marriott Masai Mara - Source: Marriott.com

Preferred Hotels

Preferred Hotels is interesting in that many Preferred member hotels offer safari experiences, but only a few participate in the I Prefer loyalty program. Take the well-known andBeyond chain. Seven andBeyond African safari lodges/camps are Preferred member hotels, though none are bookable through I Prefer. The same can be said for buzzy properties Virgin Limited Edition properties such as Mahali Mzuri (Richard Branson's luxury safari camp in Masai Mara), Finch Hattons Luxury Camp in Kenya, and Ulusaba at Sabi Sands. The good news is that the three iPrefer properties bookable on points are all situated on private game drives, allowing for truly immersive experiences.

Redemption rates for I Prefer Safari Hotels - Source: I Prefer

Leading Hotels of the World

Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) is a marketing conglomerate that represents ~400 hotels worldwide, two of which offer African safari experiences. If you have a wealth of Leaders Club points (or Citi ThankYou points as LHW's only transfer partner), these properties could potentially be an option for you.

Spot young lions play their game at Thanda Safari - Source: Leading Hotels of the World / Thanda Safari

And there you have it - the (possibly) complete list of how to safari on points in 2025. If you're planning a redemption at one of these properties, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. Have fun!