I’ve stayed at more ‘luxurious’ camps than this one, but I would choose this one every time…

Kulete with her cub, Kenya

On most holidays, the hotel is the destination. On safari, it's simply the base from which extraordinary moments happen It’s actually less about the luxury features in a lodge and more about the guiding and wildlife experience in the place you are going.

For example, one of my favourite stays in Kenya was at Kicheche Mara camp. This is not an ultra-luxury camp although it is still ‘safari luxury’. So why was it a favourite? Because this is where I met the lovely cheetah Kulete and her cub. We were often completely alone with them and one day we even had breakfast with her one day, although it was us rather than Kulete doing the eating!

Leopard cub, Kicheche Mara Camp

And this wasn’t just luck. It was because our guide knew her movements, understood her behaviour and knew she was relaxed enough for us to spend time with her. I cannot stress enough the importance of the guiding. These animals are after all their neighbours. They can anticipate behaviours, recognise tracks and often know where to look long before anyone else does. They also know their alarm calls, often so well that they do very good imitations of the animals too.

Elephants, Kicheche Mara Camp

We visited during shoulder season too, when wildlife sightings can sometimes be less predictable than at peak times, yet we saw an incredible amount thanks to the guiding and there were only ever one or maximum two other vehicles with us, but a lot of the time we were alone.

Nor is this unique to Kicheche. Time and again across Africa, it's been the wildlife and the guiding that have stayed with me far longer than the room itself. Mana Pools, for example, combined incredible elephant and lion encounters with spectacular scenery and exceptional guiding.

Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

That's not to say accommodation isn't important. Comfort, good food and a beautiful setting all enhance a safari. But if the wildlife experience is disappointing, no amount of beautiful bathrooms can compensate.

Online, it's easy to compare thread counts, plunge pools and room sizes. What's much harder to judge is the quality of the guiding, the exclusivity of the game viewing and the overall atmosphere of a camp. Those are often the things that determine whether you come home saying "That was a lovely trip" or "That was one of the greatest travel experiences of my life, or, even better, although not necessarily for your wallet, when can I go back?

Kulete and cub