Birdsong from the surrounding trees is the natural alarm clock at Chobe Chilwero Lodge – a little oasis set in Kasane Forest Reserve. Guests make their way from their suite in the leafy grounds to breakfast, before setting off on a game drive in Chobe National Park, where elephant and impala may be the first sightings of the day. What sets this place apart is that it also offers unforgettable boat rides along the Chobe River – spot grunting hippos and herds of bellowing buffaloes crossing to Sedudu island (on the border between Botswana and Namibia), as well as lone crocodiles watching motionless from the bank. Lunch can be set up on the boat or enjoyed back at the lodge. Afterwards guests love cooling off in the shaded split-level pool, with honeymooners slinking off for a couple’s spa treatment and children squealing with delight over safari hunts and games of croquet on the lawn. Sundowners are back on the boat, where drinks and snacks are set up on the lower deck, before lantern-lit dinners at the lodge (perhaps wood-fired pizza or barbecue) served under the stars.