Seychelles
Privately owned islands such as North Island and Fregate Island, with only a handful of villas and their own beaches.
Private islands, whole villas to yourselves, your own guide and plane: travel with nobody else on the schedule
Ultra luxury
Ultra luxury, planned properly
At this level, the difference is privacy and control. A whole island or villa for your group, a guide and vehicle that are yours alone, and a light aircraft or helicopter that leaves when you are ready rather than when the timetable says.
These trips take more planning, not less. Whole-property bookings go far ahead, private flights need permits and slots, and the guides we rate most are in demand. We start early and handle every join.
What this means with us
It means villas and islands booked for your group alone, private guides at every stop, and transfers by private plane, helicopter or boat. It also means small touches that add up: a private dinner on a sandbank, a museum opened early for you, a chef who cooks what you liked yesterday.
It also means a trip that runs on your timing: your own pace, your own route and a team on call throughout, so you are not the one chasing the details.
Where it works best
Our shortlist, and the reason each one earns its place.
Maldives
Private-island resorts and whole-island buyouts, with a seaplane to the jetty and a butler for your villa.
Botswana
Private charter flights between camps on Okavango Delta concessions, with your own guide and vehicle throughout.
Kenya
A private house for your group alone in a Masai Mara conservancy, with a private vehicle and helicopter flights over the Rift Valley.
Rwanda
A helicopter from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking, then a lodge suite with its own fireplace.
French Polynesia
The atoll of Tetiaroa, once Marlon Brando's private island, reached by small plane from Tahiti.
Italy
A whole villa on Lake Como with its own staff, and a private boat to lunch across the water.
Japan
Private guides in Kyoto who open doors to tea ceremonies and craft workshops, and ryokan rooms with their own hot-spring bath.
Antarctica
Flying over the Drake Passage to join a small expedition ship, or a suite on a ship carrying fewer than 200 guests.
Turks and Caicos
Private-island stays on cays off Providenciales, with boats to empty beaches and your own villa staff.
Ultra luxury journeys
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Cape Town, Franschhoek and the Sabi Sand in ten nights
Three nights above the Atlantic in Cape Town, three among the vineyards of Franschhoek, then four in the Sabi Sand for leopard. Little jet lag from the UK and a good first safari for couples.
Okavango, Chobe and Victoria Falls in ten nights
Three camps and one waterfall: Chief's Island for big game, the Duba Plains for lion and buffalo, the Chobe riverfront for elephants, and two nights above the Zambezi to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side.
Praslin, La Digue and North Island in ten nights
Three islands, three speeds: a hillside pool villa on Praslin near the Vallée de Mai, bicycles and granite boulders on La Digue, and four nights on North Island, reached by helicopter from Mahé.
Places to stay that suit it
Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai
Private-pool suites inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, with Arabian oryx and gazelle on the dunes around you.
Aman Tokyo
Large, calm suites on the top floors of an Otemachi tower, a short walk from Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace Gardens.
Amandari
The original Ubud retreat, built like a Balinese village on the lip of the Ayung River Gorge and still woven into the life of Kedewatan.
Amanemu
Hot spring suites and villas above Ago Bay in Ise-Shima National Park, close to the Ise Grand Shrine.
Amankila
Stilted pavilions on a hillside above the Lombok Strait, below Mount Agung, with a three-tier pool and a private black-sand beach.
Amanzoe
Stone pavilions on a Peloponnese hilltop, each with its own pool, and a beach club ten minutes down the hill.
Questions about ultra luxury
What does exclusive use mean?
It means the whole property is yours for the length of your stay: every room, the staff, the vehicles and the kitchen. No other guests share the pool or the guide. It works particularly well for families and groups of friends, and on safari it means your own team sets the day around you, from breakfast time to where you drive.
Can we fly privately between safari camps?
Yes. In Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, private charter flights between camps are common, and helicopters are available in some areas. Flying privately means you leave when you want, avoid stops at other airstrips and can carry more luggage than scheduled light aircraft allow. We arrange the aircraft and the ground transfers so every join is smooth.
How far ahead do we need to book?
For exclusive-use villas, private islands and the most requested safari houses in peak season, 12 to 18 months ahead is sensible. Christmas, New Year and the migration months fill first. Shorter notice is sometimes possible, especially outside peak dates, so it is always worth asking. The earlier we start, the more choice you have.
Plan your ultra luxury
Tell us who is travelling and roughly when. A specialist will reply with places that fit and a price.