In 2011, he founded Red Savannah, a company dedicated not just to luxury travel but to creating experiences steeped in adventure that his clients will treasure for life. The principal driving tenet? To cut through the jargon and instead deliver tailor-made travel that focuses on authenticity over faddish glamour.
He recruited a team who shared this philosophy. They count snorkelling with manta rays; riding Sumbanese stallions along deserted beaches; and camel trekking across Oman’s Empty Quarter amongst their tally of adventures. After all, as they say, ‘We sell what we know and we say what we think. No hogwash. No luxury-speak. Just breadth, depth and the right connections to deliver meaningful journeys and beautiful private villas.’ And, when it comes to luxury travel specialists, there are few who love and live the spirit of adventure as much as these experts with their visceral love of all things experiential.
It's an approach that has won the company an impressive array of plaudits. Readers of Conde Nast Traveller recognised Red Savannah Top Tour Operator in The World in 2021, several of their specialists are individually recognised as Top Travel Specialists by the same publication, and their Africa specialist has just been recognised as an A-List Travel Advisor by Travel + Leisure. A royal seal of approval came in 2020 with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Now, as the world opens up once more and travel restrictions ease, prospective travellers are looking for more exceptional holidays than ever after two years in travel limbo. Red Savannah’s award-winning travel specialists can be relied upon to create a bespoke journey to reignite the joy of discovery and exploration. And, for anyone dreaming of adventure, do visit their journal, which is awash with inspiration.
The company specialises in three key product areas:
• Tailor-Made Holidays & Safaris
• Luxury Villa Rental
• Luxury Gulet & Yacht Charter
Tailor-made holidays
The team is exceptionally well travelled and are trained to be prescriptive: to listen, interpret and prescribe. Each has a minimum of 10 years’ experience – indeed most have between 15 and 25 – and they have address books that open doors to remarkable places, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and while their clients are some of the most discerning, you can be assured of value.
Luxury Safari Holidays
There are few more awe-inspiring ways to travel than on safari. And, for Red Savannah, the reverence for each highly unique destination – whether that’s a Masai Mara safari, a Tanzania safari holiday, or a luxury safari in Namibia – is the keystone to creating an unsurpassed experience. Their roster includes the lesser-visited Ruaha in Tanzania, the spectacular Okavango Delta for a luxury Botswana safari; a luxury Zambia safari in South Luangwa, and leopard and tiger safaris in India’s Rajasthan.
These are our top two picks of the exceptional luxury safari holidays on offer, complete with attendant innovative eco-lodges. If you’re looking for a safari holiday in Africa or India, you can explore more here.
Segera, Kenya
Travellers who are keen to go on a luxury safari in Kenya will find a truly special proposition in Segera. Set in the heart of the Laikipia plateau on a 20,000-hectare private wildlife sanctuary, guests can stay in one of six spectacular thatch and timber villas on raised platforms, each with views across botanic gardens and beyond to the plains and Mount Kenya. Its eco-credentials are exacting too; a stay will support its solar farm, education initiatives, beading co-operatives and an all-female anti-poaching academy, too. Visit it here.
One&Only Nyungwe House, Rwanda
One&Only Nyungwe House, Rwanda
For travellers with a particular interest in glimpsing apes in the wild, the remote One&Only Nyungwe House, set amidst the working Gisakura tea-plantation in south-west Rwanda, is unparalleled. Its position on the largest mountain rainforest in Africa means that it is home to some 20 per cent of all apes in Africa, including a rare species of chimpanzee, as well as the endangered owl-faced, golden and colobus monkeys. The eco-lodge, meanwhile, is contemporary and inviting, its 23 rooms looking out over the verdant rainforest and the mountains beyond. There is also a spa which focuses on indigenous therapies for those seeking the ultimate in relaxation. Visit it here.
Luxury villas
Who hasn’t ached for a luxury villa holiday these past two years? At their very best, they combine all the best aspects of being at home (space, the freedom to relax without having to share the space with other travellers) with the sheer joy of sublime relaxation, sunshine, exquisite beauty, and long lunches made from fresh local ingredients and enjoyed al fresco in dappled rays. Luxury family villas are a fantastic option when travelling with children, removing the prospect of being confined to hotel rooms after bedtime. Whether you’re looking for luxury villas in France, luxury villas in the Caribbean, villas in Provence or villas in Tuscany, Red Savannah’s peerless, hand-picked collection transports travellers direct to endless al fresco evenings to the soundtrack of cicada song. We pick two of our favourites. To explore the full range of options, click here.
Villa Josep, Ibiza
If a luxury villa in Spain is beckoning this summer, there can be few to rival the glorious Villa Josep in Ibiza. Fringed by the cooling shade of palm trees and set in the forest, it has seven bedrooms (comfortably sleeping sixteen) and is idyllically situated, with views over the twinkling Balearic Sea. Its indoor-outdoor terrace, along with its beautiful pool and Sonos system, make it an ideal celebration villa – all without the need to venture into the island’s club scene once. Book it here.
Villa Del Monte, Tuscany
Villa del Monte is a beautiful country house perfectly positioned within the iconic rolling hills of Chianti, surrounded by cords of vines, with the crenelated ramparts of Renaissance towers punctuating the horizon. There are shops and restaurants within a ten-minute drive, while the quintessential Chianti towns and villages of San Gimignano, Panzano, Gaiole-in-Chianti and Siena are also within easy reach. Interiors are light, bright and modern, with five double, air-conditioned suites. There’s a library, formal dining room and beautifully designed living area opening onto an outdoor dining terrace and gardens. The focus of the gardens is a 16-metre saltwater pool, furnished with loungers and parasols. Lawns are edged with fragrant lavender, roses and rosemary with views extending across an olive orchard and vines. Book it here.
Luxury gulet and yacht charter
In chartering a gulet, you don’t just escape the holiday crowds but civilisation altogether, except of course the ancient Lycian & Carian civilisations whose vestiges dot the wildly beautiful southern Anatolian coastline of Turkey. A private gulet – a traditional wide-beamed Turkish schooner – becomes a floating home for the week but a home which is staffed with a cook, maids, a butler and a chauffeur (captain) who knows every hidden cove and inlet of the crooked coastline. Red Savannah’s boat charter specialist spends part of each year traversing the Eastern Mediterranean seeking the best charters with - importantly - the friendliest crews. One of the loveliest is detailed below. To view the full portfolio, click here.
Carpe Diem 7, 4 cabins, sleeps 8
Carpe Diem 7 is one of the finest gulets in her class in Croatia. Captain Frano is the owner, a marine engineer by trade and a very keen sailor, and the gulet is a family-run affair with his wife Lorena and son Niko joining him on board. The chef is very talented and whips up delicious Dalmatian delicacies from his little galley, whilst you relax on deck with a glass of chilled rosé or dive into the clear blue Adriatic to work up an appetite for lunch.... Read more here.
February 2022
By Nancy Alsop
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