Singita Sasakwa Lodge

Sasakwa crowns a hill in the Grumeti Reserves, a 350,000-acre private concession on the western corridor of the Serengeti ecosystem. The lodge was built to resemble an Edwardian colonial manor - stone terraces, a formal library, an observatory, a stable block - and the effect from the lawn is of an English country house that has somehow been set down above an endless African plain.

Guests stay in nine freestanding cottages, each with a private heated pool and a view that runs uninterrupted to the horizon. Singita's service and food are the reference standard in this part of the industry, and the wine cellar is one of the most serious on the continent. A spa, gym, tennis court and clay pigeon range fill the gaps between drives.

The concession is private, so vehicle density is extremely low and off-road driving, night drives and walking are permitted. Grumeti lies on the western route of the wildebeest migration, which typically passes through between roughly May and July, but resident game, including lion, elephant and a recovering black rhino population, holds up year-round.