South Africa and its neighbor to the north, Botswana, are two of Africa's most coveted destinations. While the countries couldn't be more dissimilar, together, they offer everything that is most exciting and appealing about Africa. From cities like Cape Town, as famed for their commerce and cultural diversity as they are for their legendary beaches and mountain ranges, to Botswana's Okavango Delta, a wondrous wetland in the heart of the Kalahari Desert, this is Africa at its most enthralling.
This was our second trip to Africa, and I know it won't be our last. We eased into our holiday with stays at Cape Town and Rocktail Bay. But the Safari really began in Botswana's Okavango Delta. With waterways, marshes, islands, and flood plains, the Delta supports an incredible diversity of wildlife year round.
We stayed at three luxury camps in the Delta and each seemed to be our favorite. Vumbura had large herds, lots of baby animals, and our kids' favorite guide. We took both water and land safaris and even saw the elusive leopard! The kids didn't want to leave...until we got to Abu and met the elephants that would take us on Safari. It was easy to bond with these gentle giants and the men who love and train them. The elephant is really the king of the jungle, completely fearless, and you too become fearless atop its back. Ali, my youngest, was completely taken with Baby Abu.
Our last camp, Mombo, was also remarkable; the buildings and walkways are built on stilts with openings for resident or visiting game to walk through as they please. So you can just sit back and relax in camp and enjoy what nature brings to you, or venture out again to explore the land and see the animals that time forgot. This turned out to be my favorite camp as I got to go out on several photo expeditions with a photographer/guide.
