1) Faraway Bay: Set in a secluded cove on the Kimberley Coast in Western Australia, this permanent camp of eight cabins combines wilderness luxury with amazing scenery — think white-sand beach backed by red cliffs. Go for long overland walks or 4-wheel-drives to lily filled billabongs (river pools), go estuary fishing along one of the many mangrove-lined creels, or take a ‘dinghy taxi’ and spend the day lounging on a deserted beach. There’s plenty of wildlife around — from salt water crocodiles and dolphins to brolgas and 140 other species of local birds and curious rock wallabies that often stop by to look up visitors at the lodge. Open April 1-October 31. TARIFF $1,500 per person for two nights, including air transfer from Kununurra, meals, drinks, and excursions CONTACT +61-891-691214, farawaybay.com.au
2) Mahua Kothi: Bandhavgarh is the best forest for tiger spotting in India. Mahua Kothi, a joint venture between Taj Hotels and CC Africa, consists of 12 charming kutiyas. The main attraction is of course the safari, which is conducted by highly trained naturalists. TARIFF Rs.23,000 per day CONTACT 011-66503654, www.tajsafaris.com
3) Anjajavy Resort: Located on the western coast of Madagascar, Anjajavy is a microcosm of the island’s diverse flora and fauna. A nature reserve near the resort is home to over 1,800 species of flora, and animals like the Sifaka lemur. TARIFF 110 euros per night CONTACT +33-01-44691500, www.anjajavy.com
4) Hosteria Rincon Del Socorro: This 30,000-acre wildlife refuge and eco-retreat in Argentina’s northeastern Corrientes province is the perfect place for you if you’re looking for solitude, and prefer the company of marsh deer, ostrich-like nandus, and capybaras to chatty tourists. TARIFF From $130 per person CONTACT +54-3782-497073, www.rincondelsocorro.com
5) El Nido resorts, Lagen Island: El Nido is a municipality located at the northwestern tip of the Palawan province of the Philippines. The Linapacan Strait in the north, the Sula Sea in the east and the South China Sea in the west border it. And it has some fascinating geological formations and wildlife. Majestic limestone cliffs stand guard over clear water, which have hundreds of species of tropical fish, corals and three species of endangered sea turtles. The rich tropical forests here host more than 100 species of birds. The resort is set in a cove, fringed by thick forests. There’s a range of fantastic rooms — from beachfront cottages with a view of the entire cove to water cottages built on stilts and forest rooms. TARIFF From $200 per person CONTACT +632-8945644, www.ilink.ph/lagen
6) Wilderness Lodge: This is a 6,000-acre eco-triumvirate of nature protection, sustainable merino sheep-farming and responsible tourism. Nestled in mountain beech forest, midway between Greymouth and Christchurch in New Zealand, Wilderness Lodge Arthur’s Pass has 24 rooms, lounge, library and theatre for evening nature talks. Walk from your room into a natural paradise of beech forest, tussock clearings, moss-lined streams and lakes on a network of nature walks. You may even be asked to help clear American pine seedlings or shear sheep. The lodge works in close consultation with the local Maori tribe at the Kura Tawhiti reserve. TARIFF From NZ$290-490 CONTACT +64-33189246, www.wildernesslodge.co.nz
7) King Pacific Lodge: This luxury floating lodge is moored to uninhabited, 568,000-acre Princess Royal Island in the heart of northern British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest (Canada) – a realm of deep fjords, islands thick with old-growth red cedars, and astounding vertical relief. The channels below teem with salmon, halibut, and killer and humpback whales, and the forest behind you is home to the rare white kermode bear. The King Pacific Lodge is a 17-room, 20,000-square-foot structure. No detail has been spared — from the forged-iron chandeliers to the red cedar walls. TARIFF starting $2,100 per person for three nights. CONTACT +604-9875452, kingpacificlodge.wordpress.com
8) Lapa Rios: Set in a private nature reserve spread over 1,000 acres of Central America’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, Lapa Rios Ecolodge overlooks the point where the Golfo Dulce meets the wild Pacific Ocean. The teak and palm cottages capture a cool breeze — and you peer from your terrace over trees and ocean. The simple, elegant room slips seamlessly into the rainforest. Floors are wooden, the furniture is made of bamboo, and there are showers in the garden. Tropical flowers provide colour, and there’s solar water heating. Its 10 minutes to the beach or the 1,000-acre nature reserve. The main lodge, with its 50ft-high platform, has sensational views. TARIFF starting $198 per person. CONTACT +506-7355130, www.laparios.com