Five open-plan huts sit on the shores of a private island, deep in the wildlife-rich wetlands of Lake Baringo. In the morning, after a breakfast of fresh fruit, take a canoe out to spot hippos and some 450 species of birds. Doubles from $690, Samatian Island, Lake Baringo, 254/(0) 72-723-2445, samatianislandlodge.com.

Photo courtesy of the Safari & Conservation Company/Flickr. This appeared in the July/August 2012 issue. Read Matt Gross’s feature on running in Kenya.