Sekoma Island Lodge

Set above the churn of the Mambova Rapids, Sekoma Island Lodge puts each tent on its own raised deck, so the river runs in view and in earshot from the bed. Ten en-suite safari tents hold up to 24 guests, two of them family-sized, each with a full bathroom and beds made up single, queen or family style. The island sits mid-channel in the upper Zambezi, in a stretch of water and sandbar near the point where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia meet. It is reachable only by boat. A dining room, lounge and bar open onto the same rapids view, and a boma gathers guests round a fire most evenings. There is a pool for the flat, hot hours, a library for the slow ones, and Wi-Fi confined to the main lodge. Days here run on the water: tiger fishing is the local specialty, cast from boats working the channels between islands. Evenings turn quiet fast, the sound of moving water standing in for traffic. Transfers run about ninety minutes from Livingstone or an hour from Kasane, crossing the border at the Kazungula Bridge. Malaria precautions apply, and insect repellent is supplied in every tent, though guests are welcome to bring their own. It is a small, family-run camp, built for a slow week on a river shared by four borders.