Best For: Tented Luxury
Tuludi – Okavango Delta, Botswana
Hidden within the game-rich Khwai Private Reserve, in the northern reaches of Botswana’s lush Okavango Delta, you’ll find Tuludi. Peeking out amongst towering termite mounds, on land criss-crossed with leopard tracks and elephant footprints, the camp blends seamlessly with its woodland surroundings. But get close enough and you’ll see that this is a seriously good-looking safari spot.
Seven palatial stilted tents (each over 100 square metres in size) come with sprawling private decks – furnished with plunge pools, claw foot bathtubs and cosy swinging seats hanging from gnarled mopane trees – as well as giraffe-high canvas ceilings and décor ranging from jacaranda wood chandeliers to marble and gold bedside tables. The multi-level communal spaces are set out treehouse-style, with a cosy treetop library, al fresco lounge scattered with monkey-print Ardmore cushions and an eye-popping mosaic-tile bar decorated with gleaming pangolins, ground hornbills and thirsty leopards.
You could simply sink into one of the squishy zebra-print sofas, icy gin and tonic in hand, and watch as elephants trudge across the surrounding wetlands, but head out on a game drive and you’ll be rewarded with packs of rare wild dog on the hunt, mighty big-maned lions and all manner of bird-life speckling the gleaming Delta channels.
Back at camp, settle in for a sundowner on the romantic private platform, watching as hippos grunt and bluster in the water in front of you, then tuck into a dinner of smoked salmon, tender beef and South African Sauvignon Blanc under the (shooting) stars, while the throaty calls of distant lions fill the air.
BOOK IT: okavangodelta.com