What began as a reforestation project has culminated in a luxuriously rustic eco-lodge deep in the African wilderness. There are river and forest lodges at Mandina, but the most elegant by far is the Stilted Lodge, perched over the Gambia River. Spread over two levels, there’s a four-poster bed in the main room, a hammock on the deck and a day room from where you can watch life on the river. Live the life of a modern-day Tarzan and Jane and explore with your own guide. A favourite trip is the Bush Trackers Breakfast, where you rise at dawn to follow baboons into the forest then have a breakfast cooked the traditional way – on a shovel over the campfire.
Stilted Lodge from about US$1687 a person for a seven-night stay.
Mandina Lodges
mandinalodges.com