Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge

The thatched, open-sided main area is a lovely place to relax, with couches, a library, games (anyone for chess?), a deck overlooking the waterhole, a spotting scope and a pool. Dinners are served under cover or in the boma beneath the stars. When you enjoy delicious meals created by skilled chefs surrounded by wildlife in the heart of the Botswanan wilderness, you're creating an experience to remember. The lodge also offers internet, a curio shop and 24-hour emergency facilities and communications.

Each of the 12 thatched rooms, all built on stilts, has thick canvas walls and a large wooden platform with chairs and a hammock – the perfect setting from which to watch the animals ambling down to the waterhole and the action at the Savute Channel. The spacious and romantic interiors have aircon, a mosquito-netted four-poster bed, well-appointed bathroom, a reed-screened outdoor shower and a fully stocked minibar. Need anything? The staff will oblige willingly.

Chobe National Park is a dynamic wilderness that changes according to the unpredictable rainy and dry seasons, which have a profound effect on the landscape and the animals. Nevertheless, game drives are productive, with the park's trademark elephant and lion sighted regularly. Visit the Gubatsa Hills, a cluster of rock outcrops where you'll see early rock paintings and creatures such as leopard and klipspringer. Paddle along the channel's interesting waterways, silent apart from the whispering reeds and noises of the animals.