It’s not often that an elephant comes knocking at your door while you’re getting ready for dinner.
It’s only a length away and I’m frozen.
As I look at its pink snout, now tracing a section of netting in my wood-frame safari lodge, I wonder if it’s smart enough to open the door.
He probably just wants to take a look inside my suite. And who can blame him? Because it is extraordinary, along with the rest of the camp that will be my home for a very short time: Atzaró Okavango, which is located between the Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains on a private concession in Botswana’s stunning Okavango Delta.
The elephant walks away, without having a chance to inspect my bedroom, which is accessed by a winding wooden walkway and one of 12 suites and two villas.
Panoramic windows and netting frame the suite’s individual rooms, leaving me with nearly 360-degree views and partially exposed to the elements.
At one end of my suite, called ‘Francolin’, is a private terrace and plunge pool, and at the other is an outdoor shower and copper bathtub.
Inside there is a king-size four-poster bed, a spacious sitting area, a built-in bathroom and a shower. Pinch me.
Jess Hamilton checks into Atzaró Okavango, a five-star luxury camp in Botswana’s stunning Okavango Delta
Jess arrives at dusk after an “exciting” helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the camp gate.
Jess is greeted at the camp by a herd of elephants and “the choral singing of the lovely staff.” The photo shows the entrance to the luxury lodge.
June’s adventure begins with an exciting helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the camp gate. The 10-minute ride offers stunning views of the Delta’s partially flooded plains and sets the extravagant tone for the days ahead.
We are greeted at the camp by the choral singing of the lovely staff while the elephants remain nearby.
I already conclude that the camp is fit for royalty.
The hostel, one of the largest in the Delta, integrates perfectly into its surroundings. The common areas, decorated with mid-century French furniture and set under natural thatched roofs, include a lounge, bar, domed dining room and 20-metre swimming pool, all overlooking the sprawling plains.
The grassland typically transforms into a lush lagoon between June and September, when water from the Angolan highlands travels south through the Okavango River and floods the area.
But the current dry climate still offers unrivaled views, best seen from the viewing terrace, where tea is served in the afternoons.
It is a sanctuary that is difficult to leave. But fascinating safaris await you in a 12-seat jeep, with expert guide Maitapiso’ Mighty’ Mosiiwa at the wheel.
During a night trip we observed zebras, spring hares, impalas, aardwolves, jackals, wildebeest and buffalo. Mighty points out the animals with the bright torchlight, amazed at how many there are in the area.
“The lodge, one of the largest in the Delta, blends perfectly into its surroundings,” writes Jess (archive image)
Common areas include a lounge, bar, dome-shaped dining room and 20-metre pool (above), all overlooking the sprawling plains.
Pictured is the living room, decorated with mid-century furniture and located under a thatched roof.
Jess describes her suite as “stunning.” It is one of the lodge’s 12 suites and two villas.
Inside Jess’s suite is “a king-size four-poster bed, a spacious sitting area, a sunken bathroom and shower.”
At one end of Jess’s suite is an outdoor bath and shower area, equipped with a freestanding copper bathtub.
On a morning game drive at 6:30 a.m., bundled up with hot water bottles and blankets, Mighty explains that all the animals in the area know that safari vehicles pose no threat.
But still my heart races when we come across a pride of six lions, two of which are feasting on a wild boar.
We watch in silence as a young man playfully drags the remains past the rest of the herd, which has already had its fill. “They’ve already eaten, don’t worry,” Mighty says as we follow them to a watering hole.
We are so close that we can see the blood on his paws. The sight is eerie, but the always calm Mighty assures me that we are not a threat unless we exit the vehicle.
We see them again on an afternoon walk in slightly less intimidating postures, resting in the shade and struggling to keep their eyes open. Full of feeds, they barely register our presence.
The suite features a private terrace and plunge pool overlooking the private concession.
The suites are connected by ‘winding wooden walkways’, on which elephants are occasionally seen (watch video)
Elephants graze near the lodge, located between the Moremi game reserve and the Gomoti plains.
Jess enjoys a sunset in a picturesque area “where cocktails, a fire and smiling Atzaró staff await”
Jess drinks a gin and tonic before a ‘striking red sunset and a lagoon where lots of hippos swim’
Atzaró Okavango rates start from $690 (£545) per person and range up to $1,490 (£1,177) per person per night during peak season.
Jess encounters a pride of lions on safari. “The sight is eerie,” he writes.
After all the excitement, Mighty decides it’s time to soak up the sun and takes us to a picturesque area where cocktails, a fire, and Atzaró’s smiling staff await us.
Behind us is a stunning red sunset and a lagoon where a large number of hippos swim. Unfazed by their squawks, I notice how quickly the fear disappears after a gin and tonic.
It is one of the many unforgettable moments of the trip. Other (possibly less attractive) sights include a pair of mating wild boars and a lone hyena devouring a dead hippopotamus.
We also encountered baboons, porcupines, pelicans, a honey badger, bat-eared foxes, an African civet and a pack of rare African wild dogs.
As we struggle down the bumpy roads back to the shelter, I ask Mighty if he’s afraid of any animals. “No,” he says. “I feel safer in the mountains than in the city.”
I think I know what he means: even the squeals and sounds of branches breaking at night don’t scare me, but help me lull myself to sleep, of course, with a king-size bed fit for royalty.