Botswana: the ultimate guide to a luxury safari

Obviously, the wildlife is the star of the show. Chobe National Park, for instance, is home to no fewer than 100,000 elephants – the highest concentration anywhere in the world. So prolific is the population, I almost found myself sharing my luxury tented room with one! More on that later. However, the big cats are my favourites. I could have sat for hours watching lion cubs play-stalk their older siblings, suddenly pouncing on and waking their dozing parents sleeping away the midday heat under shaded bushes. I’ll also never forget coming across a cheetah on a fresh kill, its little cubs – still fluffy with their infant facial hair – playing with a now-detached antelope tail.

I also enjoyed a personal wildlife first – a night safari. It was a revelation. Alongside a darling bush baby, several spring hare and a bat-eared fox family with two young cubs, we even came across the very rare and incredibly mean-looking honey badger. That’s on top of a whole host of lesser-known gems, including the cutesy aardwolf and the tiny cat-like genet. While I was lucky enough to spot the African civet, a distant furry cousin of the raccoon, I missed out on the pangolin anteater. It’s considered the holy grail of animal sightings, with African bush-lore citing it as a sign of great wealth to come. 

It will come as no surprise that a good proportion of your time in Botswana should be dedicated to exploring its waterway maze. Spectacular channels weave between reed islands, grassy plains are animated by a wealth of wildlife and odd, lonely palm trees dot glittering rivers. Even a simple boat arrival to your lodge is transformed into an adrenaline-fueled spectacular. You’ll also want to slow things down with sundowners enjoyed on a floating pontoon boat or a trip in a traditional mokoro dugout canoe, punted by an expert guide. In short, there’s nowhere better in the world for a water safari.

I also highly recommend taking it all in from the air, whether on a charter-flight hop between lodges or a sightseeing helicopter flight. It’s the chance to really appreciate the sheer scale of the delta labyrinth. Then, in the national parks and reserves, you’ll be exploring with game drives, punctuated by stops for refreshing smoothies and, of course, champagne. The wildlife watching continues back at base, with most lodges featuring their own waterholes. It’s the perfect backdrop to evenings spent round the boma fire, enjoying traditional barbecue dinners, African song performances and the views of the inky dark sky glittering with thousands of stars.

While it wasn't an "official trip" our game guide Jason at Qorokwe Camp deserves a special mention. Alongside helping us spot the elusive black rhino, he even insisted on taking us to his village. We were passing and he insisted on inviting us in – a true privilege! 

No other African safari destination offers the range of exclusive accommodation that Botswana does. With restricted visitor numbers, they’re delightfully intimate, typically consisting of between six to eight exquisite tents or lodge rooms. And, peppered away in private concessions, the lodges blend into the ecosystem with environmentally conscious design, offering exceptional views of their privileged setting. What’s more, alongside sustainable practices, the government also encourages community support and conservation projects, ensuring the protection and preservation of its natural treasures.

There’s also more than a touch of luxury. Lodges tend towards the all-inclusive, so you can expect to enjoy the likes of afternoon teas, fine-dining meals and sundowners of ice-cold Amarula – a cream liqueur from the fruit of the same name. The lodges’ amenities are also suitably impressive, and I enjoyed everything from my own plunge pool to a world-class massage on my room’s private deck. However, my accommodations’ most impressive visitor was an interloping elephant, who all but wandered into my luxury tent.

Lastly, across all my visits, the staff were fantastic. I was constantly struck by the friendliness of the people, the warmth of their welcome and the passion for their amazing, land-locked country and her wildlife.