Fodor's Expert Review Ngala Safari Lodge

Guests return again and again to this classic safari lodge with its timeless Out of Africa ambience. A massive, double-sided fireplace dominates the lodge, opening onto a lounge filled with elegant comfy sofas and chairs on one side and a dining room on the other. Dinner at Ngala is quite formal (kids on their best behavior, please!); it's served in a reed-enclosed boma or a tree-filled courtyard lighted by lanterns with crystal and silver. Comfortably furnished air-conditioned guest cottages, in mopane shrubveld with no views, comprise two rooms, each with its own thatch verandah. However, you can easily make up for the lack of room view with an overnight stay at the luxurious andBeyond Ngala Treehouse (can be added on to any stay at andBeyond Ngala Safari Lodge or andBeyond Ngala Tented Camp). The remote off-the-grid sanctuary soars 39 feet into the air offering sublime birds-eye scenery. There's a full bathroom with an outdoor shower and two sleeping areas—one covered and weatherproofed, the other an open-sky sleep-out platform for the outstanding star-gazing.