Hovering in a helicopter over the summit of Tower Butte, a sacred 5,287-foot red sandstone formation located on Navajo Nation land in Northern Arizona, I do a double take. Just below us, a decadent brunch table is piled with banana bread French toast, poached eggs and salmon, while chef Shon Foster of Sego Restaurant in Kanab, Utah, fries elk sausages on a stove. A Diné flutist plays nearby. It’s all been arranged by EXP Journeys, an experiential travel outfitter that works with the Navajo Nation to gain unprecedented access to the site.
From Yellowstone to Acadia, few countries offer epic landscapes, wildlife and cultural history with the same diversity and scale as America. One thing that isn’t as enticing: Driving a run-down camper van across the Southwest while you desperately try to navigate on spotty GPS, pitch a tent, and cook baked beans over an open flame.
Perhaps that’s why so many Americans—myself included—tend to skip our own backyard in favor of destinations like Zambia and Rwanda that, though remote, have developed a five-star-plus hospitality infrastructure rivaling that of cosmopolitan hotels in New York or Paris. (I’ll take my campfire with Michelin-level dining and wine cellars, thank you very much.) Safari used to entail dangerous bush planes and roughing it in tents; now it often means sunning by the pool under the watchful gaze of an elephant. Today, it’s so easy to connect to Africa’s otherworldly lunar deserts and baobab-filled savannas that some people go on safari regularly—I’ve been at least 20 times.
But as I learned firsthand, even the most particular of safari enthusiasts can be swayed into visiting America’s national parks when it’s done properly—and lavishly. Inspired by the African tourism model of pristine wilderness meets unexpected luxury, savvy tour companies and brands are luring travelers who aren’t traditionally interested in exploring Yosemite’s sequoias or Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos. EXP Journeys, for example, curates private, bespoke itineraries featuring once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Think dinner with one of the last Navajo Code Talkers and dinosaur bone digs with celebrated paleontologists.
“The whole point for us is to connect people with nature,” Kevin Jackson, CEO and founder of EXP Journeys, tells Observer. “People go back to Africa year after year because of the feeling it gives them; that’s what we’re trying to accomplish. We want to share our national parks and natural resources with people in a comfortable but authentic way.”
The Start of the National Park Craze
It’s a concept that clearly resonates with a lot of people. The National Park Service experienced a record-breaking number of visitors in 2024, as well as an 11.7 percent increase in overnight stays at lodges from 2023. Like so many trends these days, this particular tourism boom was triggered by Covid-19. When indoor activities and international travel were limited, people flocked to the great outdoors.
“We first started seeing inquiries coming in from people who had traveled to Africa with A&K,” says David Linde, managing director of Abercrombie & Kent’s USA and Canada DMC, a company that launched on the Mother Continent. “That trend is now becoming the norm. [The pandemic] really changed a lot of people’s perspective on life and what’s important to them.”
Rising demand has exposed a conspicuous gap in the market that operators like EXP Journeys and A&K are rushing to meet. For the uninitiated, the American West—where many of the most popular national parks are found—remains an organizational nightmare, lacking enough five-star accommodations, experienced guides and airstrips for those who don’t want to drive long distances. (Spoiler alert: The United States is really big.) This problem has only been compounded since the National Park Service lost 24 percent of its staff due to recent budget cuts from the Trump administration.
Taming the Wild
Africa may seem wild, but don’t let the elephants and lions fool you—many of its most in-demand destinations, like the Okavango Delta, Serengeti and Kruger, have finely-tuned tourism operations that run like clockwork.
“I think a lot of people see value in hiring a company like A&K to manage all the logistics for them,” says Linde. “We use the same degree of careful precision that our colleagues in Africa do.” A&K’s Tailormade Journey National Parks by Air seamlessly shuttles guests from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon to Jackson Hole via chartered plane, while EXP Journeys offers a chauffeur—by helicopter, naturally—to some of their more remote campsites.
Truth be told, calling them “camps” is a bit like referring to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc as “just a hotel in France.” For an average of $2,000 per person per day, guests can expect cozy king-size beds, hot showers, en-suite bathrooms, private chefs, a full bar and most importantly, complete and total privacy. (Singita Explore, a similar concept in Tanzania that invites the well-to-do to “rough it in great style,” costs $3,098 per person per night during the high season.) Each time someone books a mobile camping experience with EXP Journeys, a newly-certified B Corp, the entire site is built and torn down exclusively for their group, leaving nothing but footprints behind.
“We want you to feel like you’re in the absolute middle of nowhere—that this is all for you,” says Jackson. “That is very, very hard to find here in the U.S.”
For those who eschew sleeping outdoors, a spate of upscale properties have recently or will soon be opening near parks across the country, including multiple Under Canvas locations, One&Only Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Hotel Reset in Joshua Tree and A&K Sanctuary’s first retreat in the United States, which will be located in Moab by Arches and Canyonlands. Like the brand’s African properties, the accommodations will feature a central lodge with standalone suites, as well as access to a curated program of cultural experiences, expert-led activities and geological interpretations.
Beyond logistics, more outfitters are beginning to understand—and respect—the crucial role guides play in outdoor adventure, from possessing encyclopedic levels of field knowledge to managing vendors. A true American safari camp, EXP Journeys remains committed to the art of guiding, opening its own training school eight years ago.
“In Africa, guiding is a revered career,” says Jackson, who has worked as a guide in the western U.S. himself. “Historically in the U.S., it’s been seen as a hobby or a day job. Our mission is to change that.”
Where to Go
As for the most popular national parks right now? Montana and Wyoming are having a moment, says Angela Malek, a North America, Oceans and Islands travel specialist at Scott Dunn. “Mixing Teton and Yellowstone works really well if you’re staying within Jackson Hole. We’re starting to see more properties in Montana, as well—before, you had to be booked at least six months in advance.”
Alaska has always appealed to cruisers and intrepid travelers. “It’s kind of the final frontier,” says Jessica Matthews, an Abercrombie & Kent travel consultant manager and Conde Nast Traveler top travel specialist for national parks. “It feels so foreign and far away.” Jackson’s team has started to see an uptick in luxury travel. “They’re building lodges that are more suitable for families. You can go by yacht or stay at places like Sheldon Chalet and Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.”
Utah, with access to many national parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon in one trip, remains a best-seller. “A lot of our clients like to blend high-end properties with roughing it a little bit,” says Malek.
After all, there’s no way to cap off a camping trip like a stay at Amangiri—or its newer cousin, Camp Sarika, a contemporary interpretation of the classic safari lodge. Whether you’re ready to sleep under the stars at the country’s most glamorous camps or prefer to listen to the midnight howls of coyotes from a fully enclosed room, there’s never been a better time to experience the wild of America’s own backyard.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
