Tanyati by Mukwa River Lodge

Wide brown water fills the view from Tanyati's patio, the Zambezi moving past gardens kept green by its proximity. The villa holds four suites and sleeps up to ten guests, eight adults and two children, each room finished with cotton linen, its own lounge and a balcony angled toward the river. It is a self-contained house rather than a lodge room: a bar and lounge, a cinema, a gym and a spa sit under one roof, with a heated pool and patio stretched along the water's edge. A private chef runs the kitchen, drawing produce from the organic garden next door and building menus around Zambian ingredients and technique. A concierge handles the rest. Guests can fish for tiger fish on the Zambezi between June and December, or go out at dawn or dusk when hippos and elephants come down to drink along the banks. Village and cultural tours run into Livingstone, along with trips to the town's markets and museums, and a guided outing to Victoria Falls, close enough for an afternoon. Tanyati also carries full access to the neighbouring Mukwa River Lodge and its amenities, so the privacy of a private villa comes without losing the wider run of a working lodge. Check-in is from 2pm.