Today’s tented camps set the stage for a traveller’s dream vacation. Each individual tent is separated from the others, so you have plenty of privacy and space to re-charge after a thrilling day in the bush.

You’ll find beds the rival the comfort of the big chain hotels of the world (they’ll even include a warm bottle of water under the covers to keep your feet warm). You’ll bathe in plenty of hot water, heated by solar panels, deep soaking tubs to melt your worries away, and devour delicious international and local cuisine and drinks (usually all-inclusive — major WOW).

Travellers should know that most dining options in tented camps (or safari lodges in general) tend to be communal, family-style experiences. Certainly not a stuffy or awkward affair, but if you sense yourself withdrawing at mealtimes, I do recommend pushing yourself a bit to connect with your fellow travellers. 

Sweetwaters Serena Camp is located in its own private reserve near Mount Kenya around a waterhole, which attracts all sorts of wildlife to come for a sip, day and night. In fact, for humans, there’s a drinking spot of our own, the Waterhole Bar, which offers incredible wildlife-watching while enjoying your own beverage of choice.

Conservation is at the top of mind here, and they have the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa as well as Kenya’s only chimpanzee sanctuary (chimps are not actually indigenous to the region, but they need all the help they can get). Nice.