Apoka Safari Lodge

From its commanding position on the slops of a rocky kopje, the main lounge and dining area has incredible views over the horizon-bending landscape. Stuffed with low-slung armchairs and chunky wooden tables, the open-sided building is spacious and breezy with plenty of shady spots to hide away in. Down a few steps is the rock-carved swimming pool; flop on a lounger and spend a lazy afternoon watching the wildlife at the waterhole below, before dinner is served at the grand, white-clothed table.

Raised on stilts and dotted along the kopje, the 10 guest cottages are cool, creamy and sublimely relaxing. Every feature, from the enormous, hand-carved beds to the easy armchairs and the rain showers in the ensuite, has been perfectly thought out by someone with exquisite taste. Outside, each has a large shaded veranda and a stone carved bathtub – so throw on one of the fluffy robes and settle into being away from it all…

Activities at Apoka are numerous, very well organised and very flexible too. The wildlife in the park is magnificent and a real testament to how far Uganda has come under the Amin poaching years. Head out on a game drive and cruise through vast herds of buffalo and frolicking elephant, walk amongst skittering zebra and towering giraffe or stay put with your binos and spot the birdlife flitting above. Whatever you do, Kidepo never disappoints.