Capturing the Moment

What looks like a mighty roar, is actually just a relaxing yawn, from this sleepy young male lion. But look at those teeth!   The Okavango Delta has always seemed like a far off, almost mythical place. I grew up seeing books and photos of it. Lions among palm trees, elephants wading through deep water. There were stories of having to sit up on top of the seat of the safari vehicle because you drove through water so deep it came over the floorboards. Having to take small bush planes to access the interior of the floodwaters. It has always seemed a place where the feeling of wild Africa permeates every moment. This is what I wanted to share with Greg and Sue on our epic 'Best of Africa' trip around the continent. We have experienced the Great Migration in the Serengeti, trekking with gorillas in the Virunga Mountains, and tracking leopards in Sabi Sand, but I wanted to finish with the feeling and experience that only the Okavango Delta can provide.

A male leopard seems to say ,"No, this is mine." as it takes a moment to break from his impala kill to stare right into the lens.   There is something so special about Sandibe Okavango Delta Safari Lodge. It is built to immerse you into the deep wilds of one of Africa's most stunning safari locations. The screens keep the bugs out, but allow all the nighttime sounds of the bush to filter in. In fact, last night I woke up around 2am to the sound of something big splashing in my private plunge pool on my outside deck. After listening for a bit, I couldn't fight the urge to try and see what it was, so I flipped on the outside lights. It was a huge elephant! Luckily, it was not in my pool, it wouldn't have fit anyway, but it was just below the deck, splashing around in the floodwaters and reeds. I watched it for a while before slipping back into bed and drifting back off to sleep. This is the kind of experience that I want to give to guests that I bring here. This is ...

I don't get this experience every day. I feel like my drone is only slightly smaller than this helicopter. It was an amazing view. As we flew I could see the arid, desert environment around Maun, give way to the lush green seasonal swamps and rivers of the Okavango Delta.   Today our safari across Africa, has culminated into a trip to one of Africa's great wilderness locations. We started the day in the buzzing metropolis of Johannesburg, but left the city life behind after a short one-hour flight to Maun, Botswana. This is the typical jumping off point to get into the famed Okavango Delta. However, we were not going to do the normal bush plane ride. Today I had something special set up. We were led out to two small helicopters, loaded up with our bags, and set out on a scenic flight into the wild.