Marriott International is expanding its luxury safari portfolio in Kenya with two tented camp resorts with spas under its Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands. The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp and the JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp will open in partnership with hospitality and safari expedition business, the Lazizi Group of Companies, under its subsidiary firms. The Ritz-Carlton will open with Lazizi Mara Limited and The JW

Dubai-based luxury hotel operator Jumeirah has announced a new partnership with Thanda Group, marking its first venture into Africa. Thanda Group, renowned for its high-end, privately owned hospitality experiences in Africa, has partnered with Jumeirah to rebrand two of its existing properties as Jumeirah Thanda Island and Jumeirah Thanda Safari. Situated in the protected Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve in Tanzania, Jumeirah Thanda Island comprises an immersive, exclusive-use villa, while Jumeirah

Mexican design firm, Aidia Studio, has unveiled plans for a complex of 25 luxury hotel pods with collapsible shells, located in the Rub’ al Khali Desert in Abu Dhabi. Called the Oculus, the pod consists of a double-glazed dome encasing a luxury hotel room, which is shrouded by a collapsible shell for shading, temperature control, camouflage and privacy. The outer shell is made up of 60 shading panels which create

South Australia's Monarto Zoo says it will become the world's largest safari experience outside of Africa, through a A$40m (US$27.1m, €24.66m, £21.8m) development that has been approved by the regional government. The project, led by architects Intro, includes the provision of a luxury resort and eco-glamping facilities, a new visitor centre, restaurant, conference facilities and a range of new wild safari experiences in an area to be called Wild Africa,

Officials at the San Antonio Zoo are expanding the 104-year-old visitor attraction, unveiling a US$200m (€172m, £154.3m) masterplan for the historic site. The zoo in Texas, US, has had its development plan for the next 20 years laid out by its leaders, starting with a new US$1m (€860,000, £772,000) rhino habitat, which broke ground last month. “We have been working on our master plan for over a well year now

A resort in one of Kenya’s most popular safari destinations is offering guests the chance to sleep under the stars in a human-scale ‘bird's nest’ above the treetops. Constructed alongside a river teeming with wildlife, the Nay Palad Bird Nest provides a 360-degree bird’s eye-view of the surrounding wilderness – home to giraffes, elephants and other wildlife. The structure, designed by architect Daniel Pouzet, is built from raw materials, including

Rwandan fashion entrepreneur Teta Isibo has been appointed by ecotourism operator Wilderness Safaris to bring “a vibrant Rwandan flair” to the interior design of its Bisate Lodge, which is due to open in one of the country’s remote mountain valleys on 1 June 2017. Isibo, who is also the founder Rwandan studio Inzuki Designs, is collaborating with Nick Plewman Architects, interior designer Caline Williams-Wynn, local textile experts and the country’s

Hospitality group Taj Safaris has opened its first lodge outside of India; a traditionally designed retreat within a national park once used as a hunting ground by Nepal’s royal family. Leopards, rhinos and Bengal tigers roam the UNESCO World Heritage listed Chitwan National Park located near the city of Bharatpur. The thick grasslands, meandering water bodies and abundant wildlife – including 68 species of mammal and 550 native bird species

A safari park opening later this year in Dubai will feature misting machines, cool-water pools and rocks fitted with air conditioning to keep temperatures down. Design and construction firm Cape Reed are creating the 120 hectare (296.5 acre) site for the Dubai Municipality, and have had to think innovatively in order to ensure the park’s thousands of animals are kept in cool enough conditions in the desert climate. The park

Interior designer Inge Moore and her studio, The Gallery HBA, have redesigned an island safari lodge in Botswana, creating a luxury getaway inspired by the diverse wildlife of the Okavango Delta. The old Belmond Eagle Island Lodge was completely dismantled and many of the materials reused to create a contemporary space sensitive to both the ecology and aesthetics of the delta. Twelve 62sq m (667sq ft) tented guestrooms – their

Plans for a development in Egypt, which were derailed by the Revolution in 2011, are back on track according to one of the key players behind the US$1.1bn (€1bn, £738m) safari, theme park and hotel development near Cairo. A consortium made up of Egypt-based 300 Years History, Canada’s Maple Leaf, South Africa’s Glen Afric, Italian Pinfari and Chipperfield Companies Group, is behind the proposal, which has been submitted to the