The only permanent safari accommodation within the national park, Chobe Game Lodge is essentially a, luxury hotel in the midst of the African bush. This is a solid, extensive construction which can sleep up to 94 guests in 47 spacious rooms and suites that overlook the river. There are ultra-modern facilities that you don’t often tend to find on safari, with a gym, a conference room, cigar bar, billiard table and salon. Some of the public areas are extremely pleasant, including a boma area for traditional local dance performances, a refreshing swimming pool, comfortable lounge and a terrace for al fresco dining. There are well-manicured gardens where warthog and antelope graze and a deck for stargazing at night.

The varied activities include boat cruises, game drives and sundowner excursions on the river, led by an all female guiding team that is unique in Africa (as far as we know). The morning activities set off extremely early in the morning and head west, offering earlier access to the wildlife than for visitors arriving from outside the park. Although not the most intimate, this is an excellent lodge for families and there is no doubting the outstanding game viewing activities. The lodge hit the news in the 1970s when Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor visited on their second honeymoon, and it still retains a slightly old fashioned feel redolent of that era. However, recent innovations mean it also has very strong eco-credentials and an increasingly contemporary approach.