Safari
noun /səˈfɑːri/
an expedition to observe animals in their natural habitat.
Though the word has its origins in the Bantu language of Swahili — and its very sound evokes the savannas of the Serengeti — safari has been shaping a global identity all of its own, one that extends beyond the deltas and deserts of the Okavango and Kalahari. Over time, the concept of safari has come to encompass a thicket of travel experiences outside of Africa; from sailing routes around the Galápagos, to polar tours of Churchill, Manitoba. This year, safari reinvents itself again, making its debut on home soil. So, from Polperro to Pembrokeshire, we’re rounding up our big five: the properties with a front-row seat to all that’s wildlife and wilderness. What it lacks in hyenas and wildebeest, it makes up for in basking sharks, Atlantic puffins, soprano pipistrelles, and perhaps a leatherback turtle or two... even Attenborough himself would be hard-pressed to withhold commentary.
Nevada
To those who wish to find solace in the natural world, we offer Nevada; a former water bailiff’s home turned copper-clad pad on Cornwall's Drift Reservoir, close to the cormorants, gannets, and basking shark of Newlyn.
The Glasshouse
With its own annual salmon run, The Glasshouse is a grown-up's summer camp. The iconic flash of metallic scales can be seen in spring and autumn, as the migratory fish travel from the sea to the fresh water of the River Teifi.
Lost Cottage
Lost Cottage and Limehouse Cottage hide in Ireland's answer to Yellowstone: Glenbeigh. With upland lakes attracting golden eagles, peregrines falcons, and mountain goats, it's the kind of scene best seen on horseback... or from bed.
Leopoldina
Bringing Cape Dutch architecture and the energy of Stellenbosch's winelands to the South Hams, Leopoldina has a private beach on the River Dart, making easy work of otter-spotting while sipping Pinot from the estate upstream.
Raffia
Meet Raffia, Polperro's could-be treehouse, whose former owners spent their 1950s childhoods "building basecamps and having barefoot battles.” These days, it's the realised dream of dolphin-spotters and oystercatcher-watchers.
Feeling inspired? Read about the places in Britain that feel like private islands, discover the homes that feel at the ends of the Earth, or browse the full collection of luxury homes in the UK and Ireland.
