Exploring luxury safaris in BotswanaA light-hearted ramble from a luxury Safari in Botswana
Safaris in Botswana feel like slipping into a nature documentary, with dusty drives at dawn, elephants blocking the road, guides swapping quiet jokes, mokoro canoes gliding through the Okavango, nights smelling of woodsmoke, and that steady thrill of knowing lions are nearby while the stars look absurdly close after long days that somehow pass slowly and too fast together there. Luxury SafariHaving seen numerous wildlife films, I came in Botswana with the vague certainty of someone who felt quite underqualified for the actual thing. This was intended to be an opulent safari vacation, which I thought consisted of khaki clothes, sundowners, and me calmly identifying animals while nodding sagely. The truth was lot more magical and a little more humiliating. I knew from the moment the small plane flew above the Okavango Delta that this would not be a typical vacation. The landscape seemed to have been created by an artist with a quite expansive imagination. Water, grass, islands, elephants wandering about as if they owned the place, which they absolutely do. Though I was secretly hoping not to trip on the way out, touching down on a dirt runway seemed spectacular. 
The camp itself was so beautiful it made you angry. Imagine stylish tents with actual beds, lovely timber decks, and bathrooms better than those I have at home. It was the kind of area that makes you wonder about your life choices while you sip coffee and see giraffes far off. Warm smiles and efficiency let us know the personnel could spot a leopard in tall grass but also knew precisely how I drank my tea. Every day, game drives soon became the most enjoyable activity. Early in the morning, covered in blankets, we would set off feeling quite daring until someone gave us a hot water bottle and homemade cookies. Luxury safari is an ingenious idea. You feel courageous, being quite at ease. We observed lions lazing like overfed domestic cats, herds of buffalo looking somewhat critical, and elephants so near. I briefly considered if they could hear my terrified interior monologue. My own reactions contained some humour as well. I realised I am far less cool around wild animals than I like to believe. Every flutter was obviously either quite emotional or very personal. Our guide, though, was unaffected and nonchalantly pointed out footprints and explained behaviour with the patience of someone who has heard this degree of worry many times previously. 
Evenings were spent around the fire, sharing stories, eating meals that had no business being so delicious in the middle of the woods, and looking at stars that made me feel quite insignificant in the best way possible. Having time to contemplate meant having no phone signal and no actual interruptions. About how seldom I pause. Regarding how nature ignores my emails. Regarding how being a little outside of my comfort zone is good for me. I had changed silently, dustier, and calmer by the time I left Botswana. A premium safari is not only about checking off animals from a list. It concerns the point of view, laughing at your own anxieties, and the delight of understanding that the planet is much larger and stranger than your regular life. I would return in a heartbeat, ideally in the same tent with the same view and the same gentle reminder that I am only a visitor in someone else's amazing home. |
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