Best Hotels & Lodges

Deep in the belly of the Great Rift Valley, where soaring peaks clash with great expanses of desert barely touched by man, Koros is the picture of rugged adventure. Emerge from your tent to gaze over acres of scrub and forested outcrops, and contemplate your next outing to the Jade Sea (Lake Turkana) where thrashing crocodiles thrill, and you may well tread the same ground as early man. Although Koros is most definitely in-tune with its surroundings, the camp hasn't lost its homely touches: tuck into pizza on blankets laid under the stars whilst listening to the stories of the Samburu, before falling soundly asleep in your downy bed.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Bushmans Kloof's 7,500-hectare wilderness reserve, Koro Lodge is a renovated farmhouse turned private sanctuary. Named after the San word for 'open vistas' – and you'll soon see why – this is an all-inclusive family retreat with its own dedicated chef, host and wilderness guide. The Cederberg Mountains provide the backdrop: rust-red sandstone formations, 755 species of fynbos plants and over 130 ancient rock art sites daubed by the San thousands of years ago. It's a place where kids can roam free (the reserve is predator-free), and where the only agenda is the one you set yourself.