Five Best: Jungle Retreats

1. Amanwana, Indonesia

Reef and rainforest all in one on this remote Indonesian island. The hotel lives true to its title, "peaceful forest": the only tourist address on Moyo, a thickly forested island off the coast of Sumbuawa, Western Indonesia, where deer, macaque monkeys and wild boar vastly outnumber residents. Part of the exclusive hotel group, this "Aman Hideaway" comprises 20 extravagantly appointed tents set in a jungle shaded cove, overlooking the aquamarine Flores Sea. You may feel like a castaway here, but with a coral-walled spa, resident dive master, and a fleet of exquisitely converted fishing boats moored off the reef for moonlit dinners, Robinson Crusoe you ain't.

Aman Resorts (0800 2255 2626; www.amanresorts.com). A double tent costs US$787 (£413) per night, full board, based on two sharing

2. Sani Lodge, Ecuador

Floating water hyacinths, wild manatee and anaconda are your companions as you journey across Lake Challuacocha, the setting for this Amazon eco-lodge. Located in a pristine track of rainforest between the Cuyobeno Reserve and the vast Yasuni National Park, Sani is a superb place from which to explore, on foot or by boat, this part of the Ecuadorian Amazon, one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. Ten double thatch-roofed huts, each with a modern bathroom and insect screened windows, make up the guest rooms, lit at night by gas lamps. Fresh bread is baked daily in the main house (powered by solar panels), served alongside dishes cooked from local jungle produce.

Sani Lodge (00 593 9434 1728, www.sanilodge.com). Three days/four nights costs US$450 (£236) per person, all-inclusive

3. Thala Beach Lodge, Australia

Another retreat where reef meets rainforest; in this case the Great Barrier Reef and 450 miles of World Heritage rainforest, near Cairns. Spacious timber huts done out in bright tropical colours are set on high stilts, raked down a steep jungle-clad hillside. If you want to play Crocodile Dundee, nature trails cut their way through the lodge's 145 acres of pristine rainforest and eucalyptus woodland. Water babies can choose from this private peninsula's two beaches or lounge in the three-tier pool. The Balinese style lodge-house has an open reception and lobby, and an elevated restaurant with tree-top views that only the local monkeys are usually party to.

Thala Beach Lodge, Private Beach Road, Oak Beach, Port Douglas 4871, Australia (00 61 7 4098 5700, www.thalabeach.com.au). Doubles from A$336 (£136) room only, based on two sharing

4. Jungle Bay Resort and Spa, Dominica

Known as the Jurassic Park of the Caribbean Windward Islands, Dominica (pronounced "domineeka," and not to be confused with the package holiday haven of the Dominican Republic) has little in the way of development. Its towering volcanic interior is thick with rainforest, home to rare species of parrot and orchid, hot springs and thermal lakes, making this prime trekking territory for nature lovers. This recently opened holistic retreat, comprising 35 simply decorated tropical hardwood huts, offers daily hikes and jungle biking, along with yoga, tai chi and the services of a fully equipped outdoor spa set on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic.

Jungle Bay Resort & Spa Point Mulatre Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies (00 1 767 446 1789, www.junglebaydominica.com). Doubles from XC$207 (£41) based on two sharing, including breakfast

5. Four Seasons Tented Camp, Thailand

This Four Seasons "campsite" located in the Golden Triangle comes with canvas cabins set over recycled-teak floors and en-suite "exotic rain" showers. Access is by chauffeured riverboat, and once onsite, guests are given driving lessons: specifically how to ride an elephant. The resident mahout teaches the basics in pachyderm piloting before sending initiates off on guided safari through the surrounding bamboo jungle. Alongside the abundant wildlife to be spotted in this region, on the border with Myanmar and Laos, the camp offers numerous cultural excursions plus nightly formal campfire dinners and cocktails in the stilt-top riverside bar.

Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, Thailand (00 66 53 910 200, www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle). From £863 per person per night for a three-night all-inclusive tented adventure package

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