Region: Africa + Indian Ocean
Luxury tailor-made travel designed to exceed expectations
Travel that dives deep into authentic, local culture and connects with people from other worlds enriches lives – and our tailor-made holidays do just that. Our specialist planners create high-end, customised itineraries that feature only independently chosen recommendations, meaning that our ability to personalise is boundless: you dream it, we’ll design it. People are at the heart of the cazenove+loyd experience and we make every effort to elevate the communities we work with while creating extraordinary trips for our clients. We collaborate with people who are rooted in their community, have endless passion for their destination and share our belief that travel should have a positive impact – it’s by selecting the best guides and local experts that we ensure the soul and character of a destination shines through. A bespoke holiday company with 30 years of experience in luxury tailor-made travel, we guarantee thoughtful, personalised journeys finetuned to your needs so you can create memories to last a lifetime.
No two safaris are ever the same, but to ensure that the trip is as memorable and exhilarating as it should be, you need an expert. There are so many elements to consider when planning a tailor-made safari – from the time of year you travel to the camps and lodges you visit, the guide who accompanies you and the activities you wish to experience.
With our Africa Destination Experts’ 60 years’ worth of combined experience living, working and planning extraordinary holidays in Africa, we can arrange a safari that is exactly right for you. Every day the Africa team are talking to people on the ground and guests just back from a trip, and it’s no stretch to say that their in-depth and current knowledge has no match.
As safaris are undeniably expensive, each day should feel spectacular. Your Destination Expert will meticulously plan every element of your safari according to your wants and needs, adding in those experiences that complete a trip. This could be a night spent sleeping under the stars in the heart of the Okavango Delta, or a day at one of our favourite owner-run lodges, where your child can learn to be a real-life Game Ranger, while you laze by the pool. Everyone’s needs are different, and true value is to get the most out of every day.
Ethiopia has emerged as one of Africa’s most exciting destinations – a land of contrasts that is home to some of the oldest civilisations in the world, but also a thrilling developing art and culture scene. All these reasons and more will make you want to travel to Ethiopia.
The country has so much to offer from the moment you arrive. Addis Ababa alone boasts the remains of ‘Lucy’, the world’s oldest known almost complete hominid skeleton as well as the Mercato – Africa’s largest market.
For adventurers we recommend hiking through the Simien Mountains in search of its endemic mammals, while culture fans can delve deep into its more recent history by exploring its emperors’ castles in Gondar and visiting the rock hewn churches of Lalibela, which are often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Luxury tourism is still a relatively new concept for Ethiopia and hotels tend to be comfortable rather than lavish, often with a faded grandeur charm. This is part of the adventure, and what they lack in facilities the staff make up for in kindness, living up to their reputation as some of the most friendly people in Africa.
Looking for luxury villa holidays? Staying in a private house in Latin America, Africa or Asia is a great way of experiencing an exotic destination, but with the comfort, privacy and ease of a European holiday. You have all the luxury and mod-cons of the classic villa or private yacht, but in somewhere altogether more wild and wonderful.
We don’t work with many owners and those owners tend not to work with anyone other than cazenove+loyd. From beach houses in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia to wilderness retreats in India, across sub-Saharan Africa and throughout Latin America we can offer true exclusivity in some of the most dramatic and luxurious destinations in the world.
The stunning private houses we select for our clients have all the trimmings you would find in their best European counterparts, but with that added magic of experiencing a completely different way of life. There are also myriad benefits of taking your children further afield at an early age as it exposes them to new and exciting cultures and people and makes their worlds much larger.
The perfect beach destination is subjective. For some, it is barefoot luxury and simplicity with crashing waves and few mod cons. For others, it is toys and watersports and all-out-luxury. Some like a buzzing beach bar scene whilst others opt for total seclusion and privacy. All an’ all we organise the perfect luxury beach holidays or private island vacations our clients have been enjoying throughout the years.
We travel extensively and never take a destination’s boasts and hyperbole on face value. Only by staying in a place and by talking to clients on their return can we keep up to date with what works, for whom and why, and can plan luxury tailor-made holidays based on our discoveries.
Our Destination Experts can also plan stunning stays on private island retreats, which can be taken exclusively by a group of friends or large family. We are always on the lookout for the most secluded secret private islands and have recently discovered stunning retreats in Nicaragua and Tanzania.
