Stylish Safaris Take Cues From Top Designers

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (MainStreet) -- From this year's Louis Vuitton Men's Spring/Summer catalog to the latest Michael Kors collection, designers derived much of their fashion inspiration this season from the African bush. But with African safaris hitting the mainstream and becoming more accessible to everyday travelers, those looking for more discerning Out of Africa glamour are ditching the traditional lodges in lieu of a new breed of mobile camps that have to be seen to believed.

Like a caravan version of the Orient Express, Uncharted Africa has been traversing Botswana's Kalahari Plains for more then a generation. With four permanent camps in Botswana including the venerable Jack's Camp with tented library and pool pavilion among the Makgadikgadi Pans, Unchartered Africa hosts a series of custom safari expeditions that are some of the most luxurious in the industry. Itineraries include routes through Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve and Okavango Delta in addition to extensive access throughout the Kalahari Desert.

A canopy of stars, African wildlife, South African wines and tent interiors by Boyd Ferguson of South Africa's firm Cecile & Boyd's define the Singita experience for the savvy safari-goer.

One- to three-night treks include morning and evening game viewing with sightings that range from the magnificent Kalahari lion and leopards to native giraffe and wild dogs. (Some trips are even led by owner Ralph Bousfield, a documentary filmmaker and son of the Jack's Camp namesake.) A collection of vintage safari tents and antique wares makes for a glamorous backdrop to indefatigable desert predators that seem eerily equal footed when separated by just a simple canvas tent under the vast desert night.