Sanctuary Retreats

A new era of investment and expansion is underway for Abercrombie & Kent’s portfolio of safari camps and lodges, following its recent rebrand from Sanctuary Retreats to A&K Sanctuary.

New 2025 long-stay Africa itineraries from Sanctuary Retreats are now available for bookings, some with discounts of up to 30% for seven nights or more.

Marking a quarter-century of curating extraordinary travel experiences, Sanctuary Retreats, part of the A&K Travel Group family, has confirmed the complete reimagining and rebuilding of two of its flagship African properties: Gorilla Forest Camp in Uganda, soon to be Gorilla Forest Lodge, offering unparalleled proximity to mountain gorillas, and Baines’ Lodge in Botswana, renowned for its unique Okavango Delta adventures.

A&K Travel Group, the parent company of luxury brands including Abercrombie & Kent, Crystal, Sanctuary Retreats, Cox & Kings and Akorn, is mulling a possible Initial Public Offering (IPO), says Cristina Levis, Group CEO.

A&K Travel Group is forecasting Australia and the Asia Pacific region will be the reborn Crystal’s third-largest source market, and may go even higher.

Sanctuary Retreats, Abercrombie & Kent’s award-winning portfolio of luxury safari lodges and river cruise boats, is reimagining the latest addition to its portfolio, Okahirongo Elephant Lodge, with an extensive refurbishment, set to open in April 2023.

Akorn DMC and Sanctuary Retreats, part of A&K Travel Group, has appointed Fiona Cogar as Sales Director, Australia & New Zealand. In her role, Cogar will support the global Sanctuary Retreats portfolio and over thirty worldwide Akorn destinations.

The astonishing landscape and superb selection of wildlife in Africa make for an unforgettable experience, regardless of travellers’ ages. In an increasingly demanding modern world, the opportunities for families to spend time together and in the natural world are far and few between. A safari gives guests time to reconnect and fully immerse themselves in the natural environment.

Upgrades at the Sanctuary Olonana Camp in Kenya unveiled in April have included a new ultra-luxury, two-bedroom suite named after the founder of Abercrombie & Kent and sister brand Sanctuary Retreats.

This week saw the announcement that Abercrombie & Kent’s Founder, Chairman and CEO, Geoffrey Kent, had forged ties with Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Chairman of Heritage group and the Executive Chairman of Silversea Cruises, to jointly acquire 100% of Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies from Zhonghong Holding. LATTE spoke directly with Kent and Lefebvre from A&K’s Chicago head office to learn more about the venture.

Sanctuary Retreats’ Global Director of Sales & Marketing, Pieter van der Schee, was in Sydney late last month to update trade partners, travel advisors and media on the group’s current transitional period, which includes investment in Africa, China and Egypt as the company looks to drive change and improvement in the industry.

Sanctuary Retreats’ Nile cruise Sanctuary Sun Boat IV has been relaunched after an extensive refurbishment.