As the tiny bush plane was taking me from one natural wonder (Victoria Falls) to the next, I took in the rapidly changing landscape from my front row seat in the cockpit. The bumpy and slightly nauseating 45 minutes ride was nevertheless a stunning spectacle, leaving me breathless with my nose stuck to the curved window the whole time.
Flying first over a dry and remote section of Chobe National Park, my view soon filled with towering trees, emerald wetlands and deep blue water channels branching out like veins, quenching the desert’s thirst with new life. I had arrived at one of the most incredible wilderness sanctuaries in Africa – the awe-inspiring Okavango Delta.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site is widely regarded as one of the continent’s best safari destinations. As we were descending, I could easily recognize the familiar shapes of elephants drinking in the ponds and zebras running in the high grass, an imaginary African drum beat accompanying the gigantic grin on my face, as wide as if I had found my lost Eden.
I arrived midday under bright blue skies and the hot African sun and hopped into the familiar open safari vehicle, camera in hands.
An elephant herd on the way to the lodge seemed like the most natural of occurrences.
All the design and travel articles I had read about the luxurious Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge were taking shape as I walked into what has to be one of the most architecturally impressive lodges in Botswana, and even Africa. The structure, mimicking the shell of a pangolin, rises out of the trees and perfectly blends with its surroundings on top of being built entirely out of biodegradable materials.
I could have easily spent the day lounging in the guest area, making plans for my dream home which I would want as organic and sustainable as this with the sophisticated bohemian flair from the décor as well.
Besides the luxurious and drop-dead gorgeous accommodation, what makes Sandibe such a piece of wild paradise is the huge private concession surrounding it over which the lodge enjoys exclusive safari rights. You heard that correctly – no one else besides the guests (max 24) has access to the pristine swampland and forest that go on for miles and miles all around. As far as conservation goes, I must say Botswana has the upper hand with its limitations on tourists, favoring small luxury groups to preserve the habitat and wildlife for generations to come.
While things seemed calm in the middle of the day (too hot for the animals to be wandering about), the reality of a private concession is that you’re smack in the middle of the action as the welcome panel below points out. I’ve had quite a few encounters myself on the property with some non-domestic four-legged creatures!
Understandably, a guide escorts you to your room outside of daylight hours, though the bright afternoons can also see large mammals standing in your way. Good thing there’s such an attractive guest area to go back to if the road isn’t clear…! I made it to my suite no problemo, yet another example of splendid modernist and ecological design.
A vision of off-grid luxury, the nest-like suite is all natural looking with rusty tones, copper sinks, light fabrics and sculpted, recycled wood all around. The open front overlooking the floodplain sets the stage for daytime sighting and nighttime symphony of animal calls.
Crickets and inoffensive spiders might make their way in…
…though the show-stealer was definitely the elephant eating right in my backyard by the plunge pool. How cool is that?!
I would have gladly kept him company but lunch was waiting, and meals at Sandibe are not to be missed.
The Kudu, an African antelope, has been known to be the world’s best-tasting game meat and I was in absolute agreement upon sinking my teeth into this juicy burger.
I wasn’t the only one salivating over the burgers. That cheeky monkey was seen jumping on my neighbors’ table moments later, leaving with the top bun which he happily snacked on high up in the trees.
As much as I enjoyed the lodge and its inhabitants, I was dying to get on the afternoon game drive to explore the concession filled with towering palm trees, giant baobabs, and known for its impressive game viewing opportunities.
As if on cue, a few minutes in and we were already veering off track – they had spotted two cheetahs!
It was my first sighting of the world’s fastest land animal and the first thing you notice is its slender body clearly built for speed.
The brothers were following each other at a distance, climbing on every little mound to scan the horizon as they were visibly very hungry.
We stood and watched at the ready for a while until a herd of Tsessebe emerged from the bush.
Our hidden cheetahs had obviously seen them too and got into a crouching ‘on your mark – get set’ position, ready to pounce.
The ‘go’ came seconds later and we all held our breath as the herd of Tsessebe dashed in the bushes, cheetahs chasing them. Well, to everyone’s surprise one cheetah came back soon after, clearly empty handed which is proof that speed isn’t everything in this obstacle-filled landscape. He stood there calling for his brother, a totally unexpected sound more akin to a bird chirping! You can hear it in the video below – nature truly is fascinating!
The brother eventually came back and we moved on with our game drive. Tsessebe and other preys were as chilled as can be, basking in that golden hour light.
So glad we spotted that adorable Steenbok, the smallest antelope living on the concession (and very reminiscent of Bambi – look at that face!).
Large birds taking flight into the setting sun were another beautiful spectacle, gracious and moving as if in slow motion.
For up close photos though, there are smaller and much more colorful birds such as the little bee-eater.
Our last stop for the day was at the hyena’s den, the center of clan activity where the cubs are raised.
It was feeding time for the young cub and a chance to observe closely the spotted hyena, also known as the laughing hyena (comparisons to the trio from Disney’s The Lion King are quick to come to mind!). The scavenger has a bad reputation among humans, mostly seen as an ugly villain, but in truth they are extremely intelligent creatures, great hunters, AND females dominate the males – go hyenas!
The cub seemed really interested in chewing our tires.
When the sun has started sinking behind the trees, it’s time for a well-loved safari tradition – the sundowner!
It’s essentially the wildest happy hour you’ll get (in the natural sense) as your driver and tracker concocts you a gin & tonic or pour you some wine alongside some tasty snacks. Expect the local jerky, called biltong here, some nuts, dried fruits and chips/dips.
The picturesque spot is mainly what makes this stop such a treat as you sip your drink overlooking a remote pond, the sounds of animals all around you, and the sunset turning the unobstructed sky into gold.
After a nice shower, can’t believe we’re eating again, and who could turn down this lantern-lit BBQ dinner?
5:45am is wake-up call as you get your coffee or hot tea delivered to your suite before jumping in the shower. 6:30am is breakfast time with a humongous display of pastries, cheeses, ham, fruits, cereals, etc. which you’ll inhale before embarking on the morning game drive.
The air is brisk so early in the day and despite all my layers and puffer jacket, I’m glad they gave us a warm woolen blanket to cover us, at least for the next hour until the sun gets a little higher! The animals are well awake and alert as we pass by, like this Francolin bird.
A male kudu shies away, and I’m being reminded of yesterday’s delicious burger…
The next turn put us face to face with a bunch of fluffy feathers, ostriches!
Our destination this morning was deep in the bushes and well worth the off-roading and branch slapping we endured to get there. When my eyes fell on those spots hidden in the tall grass, my whole day could have ended there and I would have been happy – leopards!!
After yesterday’s lucky cheetah sighting, this was the icing on the cake. Two baby cubs and their mother frolicking a mere 3 feet from the truck!
I snapped away, even made a short video, wanting to capture this moment forever.
While it’s not quite like being there, click on this video to see a snippet of that cuteness in action.
Looking at this insanely cute and fuzzy bundle, I can understand our desire to have them as domestic pets even though they’re clearly at home here.
Don’t be fooled by their cat-like looks, leopards are skilled killers and will eat almost anything they can find. Another particular trait is their ability to haul their victims high up in the trees to keep them safe from scavengers like lions and hyenas. Our guide was pointing at that tree though it’s only when we got closer that I recognize the shape of what was dangling from the branch…
An impala carcass (what was left of it) was hanging by a thin stretch of its own skin, a gory picture the likes of which I’ve only seen in Hannibal on TV.
Moving on from the chilling scene, we found solace in the myriads of stunning birds perched on every other tree, like this iridescent blue specimen.
Red-billed hornbills are everywhere and another well-known character (remember Zazu in The Lion King?)
But the real stunner has to be the lilac-breasted roller.
This spectacular bird has one of the most breathtaking plumage I’ve ever seen.
The open plains are easy and prime viewing spots for the bigger herds that roam the concession like these Cape buffalo.
Much more pleasing to the eyes were the zebras, the fashion darlings of the wild.
There doesn’t seem to be any wrong way of photographing them, the results always stunning, the stripes always striking.
A huge hippo skull was too well staged for us not to take a photo.
Nearby, one very much alive was comically running under the scorching sun to reach the nearest source of water. I must say hippos can run surprisingly fast considering their bulky shape.
Thankfully for him, a large body of water was nearby, reminder of the unexpected wonder that is the Okavango Delta. While by definition a delta usually leads to the open sea, in Botswana the river instead empties onto open lands and floods the savannah, creating lagoons and islands on the way.
This amazing wetland within a desert is home to both water creatures like this big crocodile…
…air-based ones like these huge dragonflies…
… and land mammals which had to adapt to their habitat, like these two lionesses we spotted.
Lions around these parts are unique in their behavior and won’t hesitate to cross water channels and swim in pursuit of their prey.
There are obviously lots of wading birds around, my favorite being the saddle-billed stork, another spectacularly colorful bird and one of the biggest around.
Their particular way of flying with neck outstretched and heavy bill drooping towards the ground makes them immediately recognizable from a distance.
A nice surprise awaited us as we reached a large lagoon where a splendid alfresco lunch was in the work. A glass of rosé at 12pm sure is a fantastic way to celebrate the morning’s successful drive.
The lodge’s chefs had put together a creative spread and were busy BBQing, and no the amazing smell didn’t attract the area’s predators luckily, as most would imagine.
Still in a food coma, our afternoon drive was a tranquil affair in the company of a group of elegant giraffes.
The tallest animal on earth is so quiet, we would usually notice them at the last minute when their heads would peek out from behind the trees they love to feed on.
Look at that poise…either standing still or gracefully walking, they’re undoubtedly the grand dames of the savannah and a treat to contemplate.
The tender-loving relationship that bounds them to their calves (and vice-versa) is pretty unique and one of the most endearing sights I’ve seen here.
They’re pretty social too, seen here with a herd of wildebeests.
A very lucky shot this was, especially as I had missed one in Ghana a few years ago. The strange looking southern ground hornbill is the source of many myths and its peculiar physique with its red eye mask and throat sac is one you’ll always remember. The one I saw in Ghana was close to 3 feet high and they can grow up to 4 feet high – not sure how I would feel coming face to face with this slightly nightmarish creature?
Our relatively quiet afternoon ended with the fading sun and a female herd of impalas.
My final morning game drive in this incredible sanctuary was so packed with the most amazing encounters that it almost felt like they’d been paid to act and be where we found them. We had opted to drive a while to a yet unvisited by us section of the concession (at over 50,000 acres you could never cover it all in a 2-3 days safari!) after being tipped that there might be lions around these parts.
We passed en route tons of zebras, antelopes and birds, which I had seen so often I could now simply appreciate their beauty and presence without my camera. A big herd of elephants had us stop for a little bit though, as you just can’t take your eyes off these magnificent creatures regardless how many hundreds you’ve seen already.
Then the day turned into what we had all hoped for – a lion extravaganza! It started nice and slow with us intruding on a couple lying low under a tree, the male occasionally making a move on his partner though being clearly pushed away.
We had stopped just short of a few feet from them and must have stayed there for a good 20 minutes (you’d be surprised how long you can observe inactive wild animals without getting bored). Despite the serene setting, I must say that when he started staring right into my eyes there was definite fear running through my veins, especially sitting in an open vehicle within easy reach from that beast.
Yes, that didn’t help either…seen those teeth?!?
Conflicting emotions – he still just looks like a big fury cat you’d want to pet all day and lay your head in that thick mane of his…OK maybe it’s time to go now!
We finally reached our true destination after being tipped by another vehicle and we all jumped for joy when we saw this – a lioness and five insanely cute cubs.
We sat and watched them forever as they practiced their hunting skills on each other, their high-pitch roar provoking fits of laughter from the spectators.
They kept going back to their mommy for a little attention.
They were definitely the biggest attraction of the day and everyone was there. This is also a great shot to show the types of vehicles and just how close we get to the action… 🙂
They eventually moved in the shade and we got even closer, witnessing a scary transformation in the mother as she shooed away the one cub that wasn’t hers (guides here know every little details on every herds so they could fill us in).
Her four cubs went ahead and drank hungrily, the outcast watching from the side…:-(
Last stop was to yet another couple nearby, clearly fat and happy from a recent kill.
Not the most flattering position. They both seemed in an intense food coma and just looking at the male’s protruding belly we can guess he had quite the feast.
I don’t think he’ll be doing much today, and sadly it was time for me to catch my bush plane to my final destination, going further into the Okavango Delta. What an amazing way to end my stay at Sandibe though. It will be hard to beat those lion encounters and all the rest!
