Botswana

Almost everything on this page is about water. Five of the twelve camps sit in the permanent Okavango and Moremi: on Xugana Lagoon, where a river that never reaches the sea ends; on a private island at Nxamaseri, one of the oldest lodges in the Delta; on the Khwai River at Xakanaxa; on remote Nxaragha Island; and inside the Moremi Game Reserve itself.

Two more are inside Chobe National Park: Chobe Game Lodge, with its private jetty and viewing decks, and Nogatsaa Pans, deep in the park with hides over the clay pans and a safari in the old style. Leroo La Tau stands on the Boteti River, the lifeline of the Makgadikgadi Pans and a link in Botswana's zebra migration. And a long way to the southeast is Saleda Lodge at Lipadi, five king bedrooms and a pool table under the stars.

The other three, Sanctuary Chiefs Camp, Kadizora and Thakadu, we have let speak for themselves below. Twelve is not many. That is the point: each is here because we would send you there, and the line beneath each name is the reason why.