Lifestyle Trend: Beyond the Jeep: How Wellness Is Changing Safari Travel You Should Know

These offerings eschew the traditional safari health options, such as hitting the lodge gyms or squeezing in an afternoon at the spa, and add an experiential sense of place and adventure.

“Increasingly, clients are looking to combine a traditional game-drive safari with a place that allows for a deeper connection with nature and the communities who are custodians of the land,” Burdett-Munns says, noting that in Sarara, in Kenya’s Matthews Range, travelers can hike mountains and learn from the Indigenous Samburu people. “Experiences like these connect us with places, people and ourselves at a much deeper level.”

Hiking and biking are just the start of the wellness safari’s recent iterations. Some lodges now offer yoga safaris. Others help guests enjoy art therapy by painting in the bush, and some even incorporate Indigenous tools and techniques into their spa treatments. “These rituals celebrate the deep connection between local culture, nature and healing,” says Burdett-Munns.

You can combine activity and animals at wellness safari escapes around the world. Below are destinations to consider.