Wilderness Magashi Peninsula — Akagera, Rwanda
Rwanda is known for its mountain gorillas. But less well-known are the Big Five creatures in this park adjoining Tanzania. To the park’s north, Wilderness’s Magashi Peninsula is the only luxury lodge within a private, 23-square-mile concession. Each of the three villas is located on the game-rich shores of Lake Rwanyakazinga, and activities are personally curated, whether that’s a dawn coffee on board a smart Navis pontoon, bird spotting in the biggest protected wetlands in Central Africa, tracking rhinos, or watching a leopard fish at night. The villas are more like spacious bush homes, decorated in the calming wood tones of the wilderness, with such treats as an outdoor shower, a plunge pool, and a netted rooftop bed from which to watch shooting stars and listen to hyenas cackle. Rwandans are rightly proud of their country’s recent progress, and the smiling young staff are eager to please. Food is light, varied, and tasty, from a cake stand of overnight oats, fruit, and croissants first thing, to well-spiced lunches of chilled soups and salads under a tree, to a three-course lamplit dinner, with choices like plant-based pasta and fire-seared steak. The real star? The head guide, Alfonse Ntabana, whose dry wit, intuition, and in-depth knowledge transform every day into a pleasurable adventure. From $2,490. —Lisa Grainger
