An Adventurous Mobile Camping Safari in Okavango Delta

Dawn arrives with an echo, a grumbling lion roar somewhere in the distance. The campfire still burns from last night, an essential mechanism for keeping wildlife to a safe distance. As breakfast is served, you watch the hippos returning to base, plodding back to the water after a nighttime of indulgent grazing. Suddenly five giraffes are within 20 meters of the camp; you're not sure how they got there, but somehow they've appeared while you were sipping on your coffee. Perhaps you were focusing too much on the colobus monkeys resting in the trees on the other side of the water. Mornings are magical on a mobile camping safari, because as the Okavango comes alive, you have the ultimate view.

Over these three days, you journey to remote sections of the Delta in a safari vehicle, taking distant trails across a landscape that changes every day of every year. The day to day itinerary is deliberately flexible, constantly altered dependent on conditions and your own energy levels. Usually, you'll head south, then west and north, a route that combines the distinctive habitats of the Okavango, On wild grasslands, you encounter lions, large prides that delight in harassing buffalo. Not that the buffalo run away; the big males protect the youngest of the herd, huffing and panting as they point their horns in defense.

Following elephant trails, you slowly journey through the forest, bulldozed trees felled in multiple directions. Occasionally the water dominates the landscape, enveloping the trail with mud and forcing you to turn around. Marooned animals become uncomfortably close when this happens; not to you, but to each other. There are too many in a small space, which inevitably leads to the drama of conflict. Hippos rule the waterways while vultures dominate the skies, aerial navigators that reveal decaying carcasses and battles between the scavengers.

Each night is spent at a different location although the mobile camp set up remains the same. The large tent is tall enough for you to stand up in comfortably. Two large beds line the edge of the tent with the rear flap opening onto an ensuite toilet and hot bucket shower. A unique system pumps in water and is ready at whatever time you request. Stepping from the tent, your verandah is simple yet ideal for the location; a couple of comfy camping chairs with uninterrupted views over the landscape. All meals are provided, cooked up by a local chef and served on a dining table with views. And when nighttime arrives the fire burns, providing a crackling, warming, and essential piece of the mobile camping experience.

The further you travel northeast, the more untrammeled the Okavango becomes. Hemmed in by the thick Chobe forests to the north, and uncontrollable waterways to the south and east, this landscape has never developed permanent infrastructure. The safari vehicle drops you at the Selinda Spillway, a weaving channel that provides the only access to parts of the Selinda concession. Before departing, you spend time in a broad pool, the guide ensuring that you comfortable controlling the canoe. These broad vessels are designed for gentle long journeys, with padded seating and a bow that isn't usually shunted by underwater currents. You'll need to bring a sense of adventure. But no canoeing skills are required, nor are any extreme levels of fitness. This four-day expedition is all about connecting with nature, not racing through Botswana.

Start paddling, elegantly passing a pod of hippos that grunts as you head into the unknown. Crocodiles sunbathe on the banks, and the landscape opens into broad grassland. Here you have untamed views; giraffes wandering, springbok skipping, hyena poking their heads high before scurrying along. A few hundred meters later and mammoth grass lines the banks, reducing visibility yet enhancing intimacy. A kudu herd sips from the river, their ears eagerly picking up every sound. Elephants bathe in the mud before propelling flumes of water through the air. A cheetah waits patiently in the grass, crouched low as it listens to the approaching zebra. It's a short day of paddling to get you into the safari style, complemented by lunch beside wallowing hippos and a mobile camp that's already far from vehicle access.

Safari is all about slow travel, about taking the time to appreciate every angle. On a canoe, you're almost silent, just the odd splash as the paddle enters the water. Animals don't hear you come like they hear a vehicle. Nor do they see you as a threat. You're just another piece of the landscape, smaller than most things that live in the Okavango. This serene mode of transport enhances the intimacy. Interactions are as authentic as they can be, the herds not interrupting their behavior when you approach. Stop in the river and the buffalo continue to drink. Keep a respectful distance and the antics of a hippo pod are unveiled. Paddle along and the elephants continue their show, babies playfully drowning each other, their trunks poking above the surface. Remember, this landscape has rarely seen visitors, and you're likely to be the first people ever to cast eyes on some of these animals.

Part of the day is spent in the canoe, with walking safaris continuing the immersion. Moving away from the water, you roam into woodlands and grasslands, each footstep accompanied by the sounds of the wild. There is no set route. You are creating the trails, the rangers cutting back branches as they follow minute clues. Pachyderms march in the distance, zebra herds graze just a few meters away, while warthogs stop and stare. Across this landscape, there are dozens of ungulate species and a walking safari offers the best chance to get close to them. Step slowly, stay silent, and the proximity is remarkable. Like your time in Moremi, mobile camps offers comfort in the wild and the chance to surround yourself in nature's charms.

But wait. Isn't this a land of leopards? Of huge hippos and rampaging elephants? Even of lions? The Okavango is filled with Africa's big and potentially dangerous animals, and Selinda is no predator-less landscape. Unpredictability reigns and nobody is ever sure what will be inhabiting the next stretch of river. But it is safe. Communities have coexisted with these animals for millennia, and their ancestral knowledge forms the starting point for keeping you safe. Trackers can glance at a landscape and immediately know if there's something menacing nearby. On closer inspection, they'll tell you that a female leopard and cub walked through the area 36 hours ago. Throughout the trip, trackers take the lead, traveling an hour or so ahead and adjusting the exact route on a continual basis. You're also joined by an armed ranger, a backup that can provide a quick scare if the trackers missed anything. You're traveling with people who have grown up in the Okavango. And they know how to navigate the land just how you might know how to expertly navigate your local supermarket or shopping center.

Four nights in an unseen realm and now you continue through the north of the Okavango, a vehicle taking you from Selinda to Khwai, a concession that intersects the ecosystems of the Delta and Chobe. Your final camp is a semi-permanent one, adding a few layers of luxury after such a remote adventure. Spend the day lounging at the camp, the colors provided by a flurry of exotic birds as tranquil moments are spent along the river. Then head out at sunset, the premier time to find predators on the hunt for dinner. As dusk falls, the lionesses remain active, following scents to grazers who huddle in protective groups. Soon it's nighttime, and the tension rises as sounds guide you onto the floodplain. Cut the engine and tune your ears; a growl, a rustle, a trumpet, something indecipherable in the distance. Your guide's roving spotlight reveals all, and it's usually much closer than you have imagined. Nighttime driving is another opportunity for intimacy, along with the chance to find nocturnal life, like the aardwolves that roam beneath the moonlight.

Khwai offers a sublime location for a final day of safari. By straddling two ecosystems, there's a huge variety of trails to explore and directions to travel in. So on your last safari day, the itinerary can be tailored to anything you haven't seen or experienced during the trip. In particular, the forests are a haven for spotting leopards. Move slowly and keep checking the trees, the cat often draping itself across the middle branches, always with one eye open. Sometimes it's spotted in the grass, a rustle of green betraying its camouflage. And occasionally you find a leopard in hunting mode, gracefully moving a few steps at a time as it stalks an impala, or swiftly pulling a carcass back into the trees and away from the scavengers.

Departing Botswana provides a final opportunity to revel in the scale. You're picked up from the Khwai airstrip by light aircraft, the pilot rising to 1500 feet for sublime panoramas of how the Okavango Delta spreads through the desert. Gradually the blue and green hues rescind, replaced by the dusty reds of the Kalahari. Touch down in Maun, and a representative will assist in transferring you onto your international flight.