It’s not often an elephant knocks on your door while you’re getting ready for dinner.
He’s just a trunk length away and I’m frozen.
As I peer into his pink snout, now tracing a section of netting on my wood-framed safari lodge, I wonder if he’s intelligent enough to open the door.
He probably just wants a peek inside my suite. And who can blame him? Because it’s extraordinary, along with the rest of the camp that’s my home for an all-too-short-while – Atzaró Okavango, which is nestled between the Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains in a private concession in Botswana’s breathtaking Okavango Delta.
The elephant wanders off, denied the chance to inspect my bedroom, accessible 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, named ‘Francolin’, lies a private deck and plunge pool, and at the other, there’s an outdoor shower and copper bathtub.
Inside is a king-sized four-poster bed, a sprawling living room, a sunken bath and a shower. Pinch me.
Jess Hamilton checks in to Atzaró Okavango, a five-star luxury camp in Botswana’s breathtaking Okavango Delta
Jess arrives at sunset after a ‘thrilling’ helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the doorstep of the camp
Jess is greeted at the camp by a herd of elephants and ‘choral singing from the charming staff’. Pictured is the entrance to the luxury lodge
The June adventure begins with a thrilling helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the doorstep of the camp. The 10-minute ride comes with amazing views of the partially flooded plains of the Delta and sets the extravagant tone for the days ahead.
We’re greeted at the camp by choral singing from the charming staff as elephants linger nearby.
I conclude already that the camp is fit for royalty.
The lodge, one of the largest in the Delta, seamlessly blends into its surroundings. The common areas, decorated with French mid-century furnishings and housed under natural thatched roofs, include a lounge, bar, dome-like dining area, and a 20-metre pool, all overlooking the expansive plains.
The grassland typically transforms into a lush lagoon between June and September when water from the Angolan highlands travels southwards via the Okavango River and floods the area.
But the current dry weather still provides unmatched views – best observed from the lookout deck, where high tea is served in the afternoons.
It’s a sanctuary that’s hard to leave. But enthralling game drives in a 12-seat jeep beckon, with expert guide Maitapiso’ Mighty’ Mosiiwa at the wheel.
During a night drive we spot zebras, spring hares, impalas, aardwolves, jackals, wildebeest and buffalo. Mighty points out the animals with bright torchlight, amazed at how many are in the area.
‘The lodge, one of the largest in the Delta, seamlessly blends into its surroundings,’ Jess writes (file image)
The common areas include a lounge, bar, dome-like dining area, and a 20-metre pool (above), all overlooking the expansive plains
Pictured is the lounge area, which is decorated with mid-century furnishings and housed under a thatched roof
Jess describes her suite as ‘breathtaking’. It’s one of 12 suites and two villas at the lodge
Inside Jess’s suite is ‘a king-sized four-poster bed, a sprawling living room, a sunken bath and a shower’
At one end of Jess’s suite is an outdoor bath and shower area, equipped with a freestanding copper tub
On a 6.30am morning game drive, snug with hot water bottles and blankets, Mighty explains that the animals in the area all know that the game-drive vehicles are no threat.
But it still doesn’t stop my heart racing when we come across a pride of six lions, two of which are feasting on a warthog.
We observe in silence as one young male playfully drags the remains past the rest of the pack, who have already had their fill. ‘They’ve had their meal now, don’t worry,’ Mighty says as we follow them to a watering hole.
We’re so close we can see the blood on their paws. The sight is hair-raising, but the ever-calm Mighty assures me we’re not a threat unless we step out of the vehicle.
We see them again on an afternoon drive in slightly less intimidating postures, lazing in the shade and fighting to keep their eyes open. Full from the feed, they barely register our presence.
The suite boasts a private deck and plunge pool overlooking the private concession
The suites are connected by ‘winding wooden walkways’ – with elephants occasionally seen stepping over them (see video)
Elephants graze near the lodge, which is nestled between the Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains
Jess is treated to sundowners in a scenic area ‘where cocktails, a fire and smiling Atzaró staff are waiting’
Jess drinks a gin and tonic before a ‘striking red sunset and a lagoon where a bloat of hippos are swimming’
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 comes across a pride of lions on a game drive. ‘The sight is hair-raising,’ she writes
After all the excitement, Mighty decides it’s time for sundowners and drives us to a scenic area where cocktails, a fire and smiling Atzaró staff are waiting for us.
Behind us is a striking red sunset and a lagoon where a bloat of hippos are swimming. Unfazed by their croaks, I notice how quickly fear disappears after a gin and tonic.
It’s one of many unforgettable moments of the trip. Other (arguably less appealing) sights include a pair of warthogs mating and a lone hyena devouring a dead hippo.
We also run into baboons, porcupines, pelicans, a honey badger, bat-eared foxes, an African civet and a pack of rare African wild dogs.
As we battle the lumpy roads back to the lodge, I ask Mighty if he’s afraid of any animals. ‘No,’ he says. ‘I feel safer in the bush than I do in the city.’
I think I know what he means – even the squeals and sounds of snapping branches at night don’t frighten me, but instead help lull me to sleep along, of course, with a king-sized bed fit for royalty.