Roland & Zoe Purcell conceived Greystoke Camp as a wildly exotic outpost. It's the ultimate retreat, sculptured from canvas, wood and thatch: no concrete, no plastic, no shops, and no signposts. Service is attentive, but not over-bearing, and the living is very easy.

Dinners are laid on the beach under the stars, on the mahogany dhow by flaming torch, or in the Mess - a timbered Tongwe chiefs hut - the ultimate chimp exhibit.

The six double tents have little, but the best: linen sheets, down pillows, hand-made wooden beds. Each has a forest bathroom, for showers under the palms, though most choose to abandon their normal selves and bathe in the clear moonlit waters of Tanganyika.