Let’s start this tale with an experience I would consider essential on every person’s bucket list, a helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta. After one relatively quick transfer to Maun airport and a safety briefing, it was time to head to our eye in the sky, a completely doors off four-seater helicopter, manned by an incredibly knowledgeable Canadian pilot who was celebrating his last day (I assumed for reasons that were not to do with his flying ability). Four checks of the seatbelt and more importantly the piece of string keeping my phone attached to my wrist later, and we were up in the air. 

For quite a small aircraft, it was incredibly quick and despite the door situation, not particularly windy, which kindled my confidence as group cameraman. I don’t know what I expected, but words almost can’t do justice to the landscape that unfolded in front of us; I imagine it’s how Jeff Goldblum felt in Jurassic Park. A sprawling wetland that extended beyond the horizon peppered with wildlife akin to a Jackson Pollock painting. 

The helicopter descended towards the specs and then suddenly, 1, 2, 3… it was a herd of elephants including their calves below us. This seemed to have a domino effect because after that sighting, every animal came out of the woodworks, from hippos splashing in the water and giraffes gracefully feeding on the vegetation, to what I thought was a lion prowling amidst the reeds (this was met with ‘that’s a baboon’ from our pilot over the headset). 

The 45 minutes literally flew by and no sooner had we taken off, it seemed like we were touching back down, but a once in a lifetime memory richer.

Next on the agenda, the heart of the Okavango Delta. An early wake up call from our guides saw us hop into the back of an open-sided safari vehicle and begin the journey to our camp within the delta. The initial path was wrought with bumps and a true testament to the unwillingness of these vehicles to quit. I advise you to ensure you have your belongings bolted down and your sunglasses on, as it can get quite blustery in the back. Don’t be fooled, however, because the drive is part of the experience and a safari in itself! 

Once we made it past the Northern Buffalo Fence, an impressive barrier separating Maun from the Okavango Delta, the real fun began. The convoy slowly wound its way through the mosaic of a landscape, defined by open plains dispersed by thickets of mopane woodlands, their leaves a blanket of copper and red hues upon the ground.

Evidence of animal activity was all around, from tracks breaking up the foliage to felled trees creating an eerie, ghostlike forest. It wasn’t long before the culprits emerged; a parade of elephants, approximately 15 or so, comprising the lead matriarch and to our delight, 4 babies, trunks uncontrollably flailing about as they stumbled on towards the water hole. 

The rest of the journey was the icing on the cake, as the cast of the Lion King made a few appearances, from Zazu (yellow hornbill) perching in the trees to Pumba (warthog) and his friends running alongside the car. After a few hours we had also seen more zebras, giraffes and elephants than we could keep count of, though each sighting never lost its wide-eyed wonder. We eventually emerged into a clearing, a tented camp flanked by emerald reeds and shimmering waters, our home.

Our final day in the delta was a chance to experience a safari in the traditional sense, by mokoro canoe. These originated as hollowed-out tree trunks used by the Bayei people for fishing and transport within the delta. Ours, however, were authentic fiberglass.

Once I had perfected the balancing act of getting into the canoe, we were away, silently gliding through the waters as our guide pushed us along like a gondolier in Venice. The peaceful experience was punctured by calls from the eagle-eyed guides as they spotted monkeys swinging in the canopies, little egrets flocking for fish, and an African fish eagle perched up high, surveying the land.

We gracefully ran the boats aground and set off on a walking safari, herded along in single file, eyes peeled for any budding animal that may inquisitively approach. Within minutes, two kudu could be seen resting under a tree out of the midday sun, the prominent spiraled horns of the male antelope giving them away. Moving on, it wasn’t too long before we heard the crunching of branches, ears pricked and alert, we looked around and spotted a bull elephant as it emerged into the clearing and continue on its way, the woods merely an inconvenience in its path. Despite him paying us no attention, the guides thought it was best we return to our mokoro’s. Once more, we were gliding through the reeds back to our camp, the echoes of wildlife more prevalent in the afternoon light. 

There is a certain serenity about being in the heart of the wild, where the sounds of nature and one’s own thoughts are all that remain to tether you to reality. A fleeting feeling interrupted by the excited murmurings of everyone around us. In the distance there were ripples at first, followed by sprays of water and sure enough the massive, intimidating, yet somehow adorable head of a hippo broke the surface. In fact, it was a whole pod of hippos that had stirred from their underwater slumber; a sight that did not panic us as we kept our distance and admired from afar during the final stretch of the voyage. 

Arriving back on land marked the end to a day of animal encounters unlike any other and a safari experience that will be immortalised in my memory.

For more inspiration, take a look at our Okavango Delta Holidays pages and our Safari & Wildlife Holidays pages.