Okavango Delta

Awesome!

First the bad news: the flights (usually at least 3) are endless and exhausting; for most mortals; for most mortals, the prices are painful; getting up at 5:30 every morning is not my idea of pleasure; and there are mosquitoes.

The good news is that the wildlife and the vistas more than compensate for the long flights, the high prices, the early rising and the occasional itch. The wildlife is forever changing from camp to camp and from day to day. You experience the wildlife with an electrifying, personal immediacy - - - without the distraction of competing vehicles that mar game viewing in much of southern Africa.

After three separate visits to Botswana and stays at some 10 different camps, we have come to prefer the smaller (perhaps 12 guests) and less luxurious camps.
We are too old to enjoy roughing it, but jacuzzis seem out of place to us. We also prefer for a longer time at fewer camps, getting more familiar with the locale, the local wildlife and the guide.

The photography is wonderful, but it can be a distraction. From time to time, the distracting camera should be put back in its bag while you just breathe in deeply and try to absorb the scene around you. Another photographic distraction might best be described as 'lens envy". There is always someone at your camp with a longer, faster lens. The pricey equipment makes sense for professionals and serious bird-watchers, but most of the game is so large or gets so close that lugging a $5,000 is no necessary.

The pleasures of Botswana reflect the commitment of the government, the camps and their skilled staff to sound, protective care of the environment and the creatures in it.