A&K Unveils a New Era of Tailormade Luxury in Africa

Abercrombie & Kent has strengthened its position as the world’s leading experiential travel company with two newly transformed lodges in Africa, signalling a new era of tailormade luxury for guests seeking deeply personal, once-in-a-lifetime journeys on the continent that shaped the brand more than 60 years ago.

For A&K, Africa is not just another destination; it is the birthplace of the company and the foundation of its pioneering approach to responsible luxury travel.

Tailormade journeys allow guests to explore this vast continent entirely on their own terms, supported by a global network of destination experts, specialist guides, and on-the-ground “guardian angels” available around the clock.

Every tailormade itinerary is a fully customised experience, interweaving iconic highlights with hidden wonders. Whether guests dream of tracking wildlife on remote plains, discovering ancient cultures, or reconnecting with family in one of Africa’s most inspiring landscapes, each journey is designed to be as unique as the traveller themselves.

Abercrombie & Kent’s African portfolio has entered a new chapter with the reveal of two extensively rebuilt Sanctuary lodges in Uganda and Botswana, each designed to elevate the experience of Tailormade travel, the luxury company’s signature approach to deeply personal, fully customised journeys.

For more than 60 years, A&K has drawn on its roots in East Africa to craft exceptional, high-touch adventures for travellers seeking privacy, immersion and meaning.

With the reopening of Gorilla Forest Lodge in Uganda and Baines’ Lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the brand is doubling down on the blend of design, wildlife access and sustainability that has long set it apart.

A rare mountain gorilla in the wilds surrounding Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Lodge, deep within Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Gorilla Forest Lodge: A New Benchmark

Tucked inside one of the world’s most biologically rich regions, Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, has long had a singular claim: it is the only luxury lodge located within the actual boundaries of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Already extraordinary in location, the lodge has now undergone a complete transformation — and the result is a deeply refined, fully immersive sanctuary designed with both sensitivity and ambition.

Design that draws from the forest, not against it

The rebuild significantly expands each of the ten guest suites, creating generous private sanctuaries suspended in the rainforest canopy. Interiors draw directly from local craft traditions — banana-fibre ceilings, handwoven textiles, reclaimed woodwork and artisanal detailing made in nearby communities. The effect is layered, tactile and unmistakably Ugandan.

Bathrooms have been reimagined as spa-like retreats, with freestanding bathtubs positioned for forest views and rain showers opening to private decks. Each suite now includes its own lounge, an oversized bed, and an elevated deck where guests often spot the region’s famed mountain gorillas at dawn.

**A newly transformed suite at Gorilla Forest Lodge in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Photo: Damian Russell.**

Conservation and culture at the centre

The lodge’s redesign continues A&K’s decades-long commitment to Uganda’s local communities. Every stay contributes to A&K Philanthropy projects, including education initiatives and healthcare access for villages bordering the park.

Geoffrey Kent’s deep history in Uganda, stretching back more than 40 years, is woven into the property’s ethos. Guests can participate in conservation-oriented activities, guided by expert trackers who work directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

An experience shaped by rarity

Gorilla trekking remains one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences on the planet. Being based inside the park means trekking groups can depart directly from the lodge, often reaching gorilla families in shorter times than guests staying outside the gates.

The result is an experience that feels both exclusive and unhurried, exactly what A&K’s Tailormade travellers value.

**Lounge at Baines’ Lodge, Okavango Delta, Botswana. Photo: Damian Russell.**

Baines’ Lodge: A Six-Suite Masterpiece Reborn in the Okavango Delta

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s most iconic landscapes — a shifting world of floodplains, lagoons and wildlife-rich islands. Within this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Baines’ Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, has emerged from a top-to-bottom rebuild that elevates it into one of the most intimate and design-driven lodges in the Delta.

A River Pavilion in the Wilderness

Set on the banks of the Boro River, the new Baines’ Lodge is constructed on stilts, lifting the six suites high above the floodplains. The architecture embraces an “African pavilion gallery” concept: column-lined walkways, soaring ceilings and open-sided lounges that dissolve the barrier between interior and wilderness.

The colour palette draws from the Delta itself — muted greens, reeds, sun-washed timber, handwoven ceilings and raw natural textures that give the lodge a sculptural quietness.

Six suites, each a private retreat

Every suite has been reimagined with:
• Deep soak tubs with uninterrupted water views
• Private decks and outdoor seating for birdwatching and stargazing
• Contemporary African art and artisanal pieces
• Expansive indoor-outdoor bathrooms
• King beds with mosquito-net canopies
• Soft, indirect lighting that mirrors the Delta’s shifting tones

Despite its refined interiors, the lodge remains deeply committed to environmental sensitivity. Lunawood, a lightweight timber material, forms much of the structure, ensuring minimal environmental impact and allowing the lodge to be removed without damaging the landscape, which is an unusually progressive approach for a luxury property.

Wildlife at your doorstep

Because the lodge is located on a permanent channel of the Delta, game viewing is exceptional year-round. Guests can explore by:
• Mokoro (traditional dugout canoe)
• Motorboat
• Guided walking safaris
• 4×4 game drives
• Private river cruises
• Sundowner excursions along the floodplains

The area is known for elephant herds, wild dogs, lions, leopards, hippos and rare birdlife, all often visible directly from the lodge’s deck.

Tailormade Africa: The Signature Advantage

While many safari operators offer luxury, A&K’s Tailormade approach is built around something rarer: absolute personalisation.

Guests receive access to:
• Private guides and handpicked specialists
• Seamless logistics across remote areas
• Behind-the-scenes experiences not open to the public
• 24/7 on-the-ground support
• Carefully choreographed transfers between lodges, parks and cities
• Exclusive conservation and community activities

A New African Chapter

The reopening of Gorilla Forest Lodge and Baines’ Lodge marks a significant investment in Africa by Abercrombie & Kent, reinforcing its mission to offer world-leading luxury experiences that honour place, elevate culture and maintain a light environmental footprint.

Both properties are now open, with bookings available as part of fully Tailormade itineraries crafted exclusively by A&K’s global network of experts.

What’s more important than being a good employee right now? Looking like a good employee in the eyes of AI productivity trackers that more managers are using to evaluate their teams.

Employee-monitoring systems are especially popular at tech companies and are also used by other white-collar firms that want to probe how people spend company time. The scary thing: You might not even know you’re being watched because many states don’t require disclosure.

Metrics can include performance data that is undoubtedly relevant, such as sales results. But it also can employ dubious proxies like keyboard strokes and how often your computer screen goes into sleep mode.

We generally accepted, or at least understood, heightened surveillance during the work-from-home era. Back then it seemed reasonable for bosses to keep tabs on employees they couldn’t see.

Yet the oversight has only escalated, and tensions are rising, too.

A group of former Meta Platforms employees alleges in a lawsuit that the company used a “constellation of internal artificial-intelligence systems” when it began laying off about 10% of its workforce in May. Meta says humans make termination calls.

However that case shakes out, a couple of things are clear. Companies eager to gauge which employees are locked in now have sophisticated AI monitoring systems at their disposal. And they believe they have leverage in a tepid labor market.

So while we may chafe at having our worth reduced to numbers on the boss’s productivity dashboard, we have to play the game as it’s being played. Here are some tips, based on conversations with people who make employee monitoring systems—and others who game the systems.

Be meticulous about your calendar

Calendar integration is one way that productivity trackers have gotten more advanced and, ostensibly, fairer.

Let’s say you make an old-fashioned phone call or attend an in-person meeting. Your Outlook or Slack status may switch to “away,” making you appear as inactive as if you were taking an extended coffee break.

Employee monitors like one made by a company called Insightful cross-check your online status with your calendar to see whether there is a valid reason for your apparent inactivity. If that call or meeting is on your schedule, then the system will recognize that you are busy offline. If nothing is on the books, it could look like you’re slacking off.

Hit the activity sweet spot, around 80%

Let’s not go any further without addressing the underlying question: How much downtime is permissible during the workday? After all, people have been scared to let managers see anything non-work-related on their screens since personal computers first arrived in offices.

No one knows this better than Roger Wagner, who is widely credited with creating the first “boss button” in the early 1980s. He designed a keyboard shortcut to instantly display a spreadsheet if the boss walked by your cubicle while you were playing a computer game. Boss buttons have been features of countless diversions since. (I confess to using one built into a March Madness streaming app.)

Wagner, the founder of computer-education company 1010 Technologies, says his original design was a joke—more of a commentary on overbearing managers than a cover for lazy employees. Good bosses understand workers need mental breaks throughout the day, he says.

This matches what I heard from Insightful Chief Executive Ivan Petrovic. He says customers that use his company’s workforce-management platform don’t expect employees to stay on task 100% of the time.

“On average companies are aiming for 60% to 80% of your time being utilized for work during the day,” he says.

Go ahead and exhale. It’s probably OK to watch an occasional YouTube video at your desk.

And if you’re going to artificially inflate your activity level, be careful. Hitting 90% could look suspicious.

Get physical

So don’t leave your mouse jiggler on all day. Choose the right one if you must resort to shenanigans.

There are lots of software applications that mimic the movements of a computer mouse, so you can appear to be working while away from your desk. There are also devices that plug into computer ports and do the same thing.

Corporate cybersecurity systems increasingly block these apps and devices, and productivity trackers claim to be able to detect them. But some workers swear by mouse docks, like one made by Tech8 USA, that keep cursors moving. The company originally made mouse-moving software but now focuses on physical jigglers.

“People are drawn to mechanical solutions because they’re so simple and don’t require software,” says Tech8 Marketing Director Sam Matthews. “As monitoring technology becomes more sophisticated, that distinction has become even more relevant.”

Use AI, but not too much

Another popular metric for employee-monitoring systems is AI usage. Companies want to know who is embracing new tools, and it can be tempting to think more is better.

“There’s a performative aspect where employees overblow their usage of AI so that they appear relevant in the organization,” says Andrea Derler, principal researcher at Visier, which helps companies track and analyze employee work habits.

In a recent Visier survey of 1,000 U.S. workers, 48% admitted to exaggerating their AI usage.

This is already an outdated strategy. Using AI for everything used to score points for experimentation. Now it can seem wasteful because many companies are watching AI token spending more carefully.

Look, productivity theater has always been part of work. Most of us aren’t trying to cheat the system, but expectations are changing so quickly that we need to be savvy about what the latest employee trackers are looking for.

Sometimes it takes a little gamesmanship to get full credit for our contributions.