The National Geographic Society has entered the hotel business with the launch of the National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, a collection of 24 boutique hotels that includes three South African and two Tanzanian properties.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the Western Cape, Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge in the Sabi Sand Reserve and Tswalu Kalahari are the local representatives in the Unique Lodges network.  They appear alongside Tanzania’s Rubondo Island Camp in the Rubondo Island National Park, and Sayari Camp in the Serengeti. 
Criteria for selection included rare retreats offering beautiful accommodations and gourmet food, where sustainability, quality and guest experience are rich and exceptional.  All properties have gone through extensive on-site vetting.
Says the society’s publicity material: “These are not simply hotels, they are the concepts of dreamers come to fruition: unique lodges that defy the imagination in their design and detail, founded on a deep desire to protect the cultures and precious ecosystems that surround them.” 
National Geographic plans to expand the collection to 50 properties this year.