Chobe Chilwero Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary

Chobe Chilwero Lodge stands on a hill above the Chobe River floodplain in Kasane, bordering one of Botswana's largest protected areas — a park that holds around eighty thousand elephants, the largest population remaining in Africa. From the lodge's elevated position you look down over the river and the animals that come to drink along its banks.

The lodge runs fifteen suites, each around sixty-one square metres with a private garden, a free-standing bathtub, and both indoor and outdoor showers. Three of the fifteen are family suites with an extra bedroom. The Pool Suite adds a private plunge pool and a deck for dinner under open sky.

Activities run on land and water. Open-sided four-wheel-drive vehicles go out for game drives through the park. On the river, a double-decked boat — seating up to eighteen, fitted with three-hundred-and-sixty-degree swivel seats on both decks — runs photographic safari cruises and sundowner cruises in the evening. Catch-and-release fishing targets bream and tiger fish, with winter months — May through August — producing the most reliable results.

The lodge is around ninety minutes by road from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and guided transfers across the border can be arranged. Back at the lodge, the spa includes a treetop treatment room, and the main building links a sitting room, library, and dining room to outdoor viewing patios facing the floodplain.