Nyamatusi Camp

With its double-storey, open-plan main area, the lodge is breezy and fluid, so there's a continuous link between indoors and that vast landscape. On the upper floor is a beautiful hardwood-topped bar (fancy a cocktail with that view, madam?), a lounge with comfortable seating, and the camp's favourite, a suspended daybed. Downstairs is the dining room and a U-shaped countertop encircling a wood-fire pizza oven. Outside, the deck juts out across the plain, with soft-cushioned seating and a fire pit.

Six elevated tents have decks and a free-flowing atmosphere. Screen doors shelter you as you sleep in your king-sized bed, but fold back ingeniously when you're ready to surface and take in the views. There's a small lounge and, at the rear, an en-suite bathroom with a double basin, shower and deep bathtub. Outdoor showers are always a treat, and there's a small plunge pool for when temperatures soar. A built-in sofa beneath a shady mahogany is great for scenery-gazing.

Wildlife viewing in Mana Pools means an excellent cross-section of animals, from lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and zebra, to some 400 recorded bird species – enough to satisfy the most ardent of birders. The park has one of the greatest concentrations of hippo and crocodile, thanks to the ever-constant water supply. For us, being able to explore Mana Pools on foot, combined with canoe safaris on the river and game drives with superlative guides, makes this a particularly special destination.