Imagine sleeping in a luxurious bed on a raised deck in the middle of a game reserve, surrounded by the calls of nocturnal creatures, with nothing between you and the brilliant stars of the African night sky.

Sleep under a blanket of starsThere are camps/lodges in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Kenya which offer specially constructed beds built on treehouses or raised platforms. Sleep-outs on 'Star Beds' or ‘Skybeds’ are furnished with comfort amenities including flush toilets and are offered in a few specialised locations, particularly desert areas, where there is little likelihood of rain and the clarity of light is pure and stunning. Crystal clear skies reveal an unbelievable number of stars – satellites and galaxies can be observed with the naked eye and meteors make occasional fleeting appearances.

Africa's quintessential glamping experienceBeds are often set up on platforms some distance from camp so as not to be affected by any noise or light and to offer complete privacy. There is usually a thatched roof of some kind under which the bed can be pushed to take cover in the unlikely event that it rains during the night.

Guests are escorted to the sleep-out platform by their guides in time to enjoy a cocktail or two as the sun sets over the magnificent wide-open landscape beyond. From the picturesque sunset to the sumptuous bush dinner prepared by one of the camp’s chefs, this is paradise in nature. The guide will spend the night a discreet distance away and everyone wakes up to a spectacular sunrise and an early morning chorus of birdsong.

Starry night siestasFor those who want to experience an hour or two under the stars and then sleep indoors, some camps/lodges can set up a sleep-out on the decks or on the flat rooftops of guest villas. Guests can relax and read a book or just lay back and admire the Milky Way, then retire to their luxurious accommodations inside… although many do choose to spend the whole night sleeping out on the roof, luxuriating under the wide starry African sky!

There are few sights that can rival the night sky of Africa, making a stargazing sleep-out a must-do safari experience.