Make 2008 the year you splash out and experience the magic of Africa's rugged wilderness - but without sacrificing any of the creature comforts of home. Here are some top-class places to stay where you'll live in luxury but be just inches away from the incredible wildlife and awe-inspiring scenery of the "Dark Continent".

Tailor-made itineraries to all of these resorts can be booked through to escape to.

Positioned on the edge of a plateau, Wolwedans Dune Lodge is a combination of wooden structures, large canvas blinds and windows that open up to the Namibian desert beyond.

The lodge has the ambience of a tented camp but the comfort and protection of a permanent building. Nine chalets with en-suite bathrooms lead onto a private veranda and vast stretches of untouched sand. Sleeping with your canvas blinds open is as good as sleeping under the stars. From £219 pppn.