She’s been to 42 countries, made a film in the wilds of South Africa, and knows exactly where to find the best facials, fashion, and five-star views. Filmmaker, traveler, and tastemaker, Marcia Kimpton shares her deep love for South Africa, her commitment to wildlife conservation, and why traveling solo might just be the ultimate power move.
Glamour: You’ve been to over 42 countries, but South Africa clearly holds a special place for you. What keeps drawing you back to SA?
Marcia Kimpton: I have been to South Africa 6 times. I am going back in April of 2026 because truly, there is no more of a beautiful place with a more varied landscape, with better wine and food and a coastline that matches the beauty of California (where I have lived for 30 years.) I love South Africa, and my favorite place for safari is Pafuri in Northern Kruger. I have been there twice.
Glamour: What inspired you to set your next film project in South Africa, and can you share a little about how it ties into the local culture or landscape?
Marcia: I have filmed both my film AN AMERICAN ABROAD (soon to be released in South Africa) in Pafuri in Kruger National Park, and my travel show BRIGHT LIGHTS LATE NIGHT in Stellenbosch. I purposely wrote my next movie to be filmed in South Africa because it was so easy filming there. You have a bustling film industry that is affordable and with great talent, especially the lighting crew I worked with, but also the cinematographer, hair stylist, and make up artist. I will be filming my next project TANZAN about the human-elephant conflict that is happening in villages in South Africa, and how there are solutions developed in South Africa to solve this ongoing problem. My hope is that the movie meets with success and I give back to local villages we film in as well as the foundations that are solving this problem, because I really want to help animals not perish.
Glamour: You’re donating a portion of your upcoming project’s profits to wildlife conservation. Why is that cause close to your heart?
Marcia: We must protect wildlife because 70% of animals worldwide are gone. It just kills me and I think if more people could afford to go on safari their heart and pockets would be helping save the animals. But safari is expensive and I have been lucky to go on safari 13 times, 4 of those times in South Africa. We have to save the animals and I think South Africa, especially the luxury camps of Singita, are doing this because once the animals are gone we have lost a part of this earth and our ecosystem.
Glamour: What are your top luxury safari lodge recommendations in South Africa for travelers looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience?
Marcia: Singita hands down is my favorite luxury brand and I love how almost all your money goes back to saving animals, conserving the land and helping the locals. I have stayed in almost all of their camps. I did enjoy Londolozi, which I stayed at before I found Singita, but because Singita’s heart and business paradigm is all about conservation with their dollars, I will only stay there in South Africa. Plus the luxury is unbeatable. For those that can’t afford a luxury safari, I highly recommend Aquila (where we filmed) because it's so affordable. We also filmed at the Pafuri lodge, and if you check often they have great sales. Plus the price point is half of Singita’s price with a lot of luxury, with locals running the camp.
Glamour: As someone always on the go, what are your skincare must-haves for long-haul travel and different climates?
Marcia: Well I stayed at the Delaire Graff Estate when I was filming in Stellenbosch and I had the best facial ever by Hildegard Carstens, who was the spa director. She has since left to start her own spa, which I personally invested in, and my only South African investment to date because she is exceptional in consulting on Zoom or giving the best spa treatments for the face. While at the luxurious Delaire Graff boutique hotel, she recommended I try the Augustinus Bader. She told me before the brand truly blew up, and now it's everywhere. I must say no one in the world knows more about great skin care than Hildegard, and her beauty reflects what she suggests works. You can book her by emailing her at [email protected]. I must add that everywhere I go I carry in my purse the organic True Botanicals Pure Radiance Oil for dehydration. I love Lawless Overnight Lip Plumping Mask that I use all day because my lips never get dry.
Glamour: You’ve mentioned your love for discovering beauty products in pharmacies abroad, any gems from South Africa or other countries we should know about?
Marcia: I do often pick special products at a local pharmacy, and Hildegard recommended I buy Esse Organic Probiotic Serum (this product is the world's first live probiotic serum with clinically trialed results!) The Bio Medical Emporium HA Contour Mask and Environ Ionzyme C-Quence Serum. They are all South African made.
Glamour: Your new film An American Abroad is part romantic comedy, part mockumentary. How much of "Marcia" in the film is the real you?
Marcia: It’s all me. But it’s an extension of my wacky mind. I memorized all the scripts that I wrote but the only real clips in the entire film are the late night show I had in my 30’s in San Francisco. I will say you can't produce, direct and act in a film and be that wacky as the character or you would be in a constant state of chaos.
Glamour: What was the most challenging part of directing and starring in a film that’s so close to your own life?
Marcia: It’s actually easy to do a character who is me but the hard part is getting the lines down perfectly and not having anyone to turn to and ask if I nailed the performance. I’ll ask my co-writer and co-actor, Brian Gross, or my cinematographer, Justin McAleece, but truthfully I have to stand up and look into the camera to know if I nailed it. I don’t have the time to do that for every film take so I had to trust that I got the performance, and that is really hard. Plus how can you be a harsh critic of yourself? I think acting and directing is the most difficult artistic challenge I have ever given myself. I am not sure I want to do it anymore. I am proud of this movie and what I accomplished, but doing both is really a challenge.
Glamour: How does your background as the daughter of Bill Kimpton influence your approach to travel, hospitality, and storytelling?
Marcia: My dad loved to travel so much so I really believe this influenced my love for traveling. But my Dad went to Europe many times and only once on African safari, so I think we are different in that I love Africa, especially South Africa. I plan to visit so many more times despite the very long flight from California. All of my dad’s hotels were great and had that very boutique feeling. I heard the Dorp in Capetown has that boutique feeling, so that is my next reservation in April. When I go to Capetown (my favorite city in SA) I usually stay at the Mount Nelson hotel or the 12 Apostles, and because of my dad I really can't stay at a bad hotel. It's not in my DNA, and I am lucky I can find great hotels at all price ranges. My dad was a great storyteller in person but I don’t think it influenced the stories I tell, but he loved movies so much that we would go to the theater to watch movies like Charlie Chaplin. His love of films inspired me to be a filmmaker.
Glamour: You’re known for your impeccable taste in boutique luxury experiences. What defines a truly unforgettable hotel or destination for you?
Marcia: I think Cape Town is an unforgettable destination with its beautiful coastline, its incredible food and wine, and I love the art and boutiques when shopping. An unforgettable hotel is the Singita Lebombo safari lodge, and if I was going to go outside South Africa it would be in Tanzania’s Singita, Sasakwa. Both of them define elegance, style, top notch hospitality, exceptional wine list and food, incredible landscape, and with every dollar spent there is conservation increased. To me this is the perfect travel experience. If I was to go outside Africa nothing tops Hotel du Cap in Antibes, France. It is a perfect 10 on all levels and a place I have been 3 times. I hope to return many more times in the future.
Glamour: With so many travel content creators out there, what do you think sets your channel, Kimpton’s World Travel, Comedy, and Film apart?
Marcia: Being a travel guru and having so much knowledge about traveling the world is what sets my channel apart. My goal is to have people view the videos on my channel and see the places I have traveled to and loved, and thus recommend for them to visit.
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