From the airport of Maun, we are only 30 minutes away by car to the South side of Okavango, where the safari begins in a place known “buffalos’ area”. Here, the horses are waiting; the luggage is loaded in mekoro canoes and is transported to the camp while the guest ride and venture on their horse in the Delta.

To explore this water desert on a horse is, no doubt, unforgettable, especially the first encounter with elephants, an experience that would not be remotely the same if we did it from a car. Before the sun sets, we ride to an isolated camp in a beautiful remote island.

What we do that day depends on water levels, the moves of the wild fauna and the duration of the safari. Nevertheless, each place is exquisite since there is a great variety of islands covered by the shades projected by the trees.

We wake up early in the morning and have a light breakfast around the bonfire, at dawn. We spend the morning over the horse, following old elephant paths looking for a variety of wildlife, enjoying the prolific life of the birds and going around the plains recently flooded.

Pack of buffaloes may be close to us, the giraffes lurk around and the Lechwe antelopes splash water over us, while the kudu watches us from the bushes. We head back to the camp to have lunch and take a nap under the shade of big dense trees. We take a night tour to think, listening to the sounds of bushes, and the wheeze and splashing of the horses. Afterwards, we get back to the camp and have dinner under the stars.

We start relaxed, either on foot or by a short sailing trip, we then travel by plane to the Makgadikgadi salt pans. The new camp is simple but comfortable: it has a straw-bale library, a living room and a pool to freshen up. In the afternoon, we go to an introductory ride to get in tune with our horses and take a look around the area. We then have dinner and put aside our horses, in a safe place, before lions get out to make their night round.

At dawn, we have a light breakfast and have a long stroll over the morning through the “Land of the Thousand Island”. Stranded in the bed of the old lake, the sand dunes covered by palm trees are one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the Botswana desert. The island and pastures nearby are loaded with zebras, wildebeest, hares and ostriches, and, of course, predators accompanying them. The mountains of salt among the island make it a great place to go around with our horses. In the afternoon, we return and find refuge under the shade to avoid the sun. We can use the pool. We then get out to spot the species typical from this arid area, such as gazelles and hyenas. At night, we get back in pickups in the middle of the night. The lanterns light the animals that cross over the road and that we cannot spot during daylight.

Today we travel East, to the Xau Xai camp. We leave the salt pans and penetrate the mopan and acacia woods, next to the vast meadows that allow us to speed up and gallop towards the horizon. It is possible that we see Kudu along the way, and maybe some elephants. At lunch time, we reach the Baobab wood, called like that for its millenary and magnificent baobabs trees. We have lunch. If we really pay attention, we will find objects from the Stone age. This is not weird: after all, we are where humankind originated, the beginning of everything. We then continue our journey until we reach the camp, we rest there, lying on the floor, connecting with the star and nature.

We get up to a steaming cup of coffee and prepare ourselves to go out in the search of meerkats. We go on foot given that this is a protected species. Meerkats are not docile by nature, but they got used to human contact. For instance, it is possible that on a cold day, one of them curl up against our body. We watch them interact between them, moving, controlling the environment. It is one of the most extraordinary experiences in Botswana. Then, it’s time to head back home.