Savute Elephant Lodge, A Belmond Safari, Botswana 

A boutique luxury safari lodge, set on the banks of the beautiful Savute Channel.

In the heart of the world-famous Chobe National Park, this intimate Belmond property sits perched on the banks of the Savute Channel. Savute Elephant Lodge is primed for sightings of Chobe National Park’s extraordinary animals. Solar powered with the environment in mind, the lodge makes the most of the vast animal viewing opportunities from the earthy-hued communal areas down to each tented room. Just below the communal pool, the man-made waterhole is pumped with water by the lodge to attract animals day and night. Overlooking this is a viewing hide, which can be booked for private lunches and dinners and in the evening, the surrounding area is floodlit for nocturnal viewing. Aside from twice-daily game drives, you can visit a corridor of 10-15 giant baobabs and see paintings by San bushmen over 1,500 years old. Otherwise the spa tent, open to the bushveld, offers a unique way of soaking up the scenery. In the evening, guests gather around the firepit for sundowners. The open-air boma is a real highlight serving a traditional African braai while the staff choir may sing heart-lifting traditional songs.