Zeenia Recommends: Botswana
There’s a kind of magic in Botswana that sneaks up on you quietly. It doesn’t arrive with fanfare or bold gestures; it seeps in through the stillness, the soft rustle of reeds, and the golden light that seems to pause time itself.
A Morning in the Okavango Delta
I first felt it on a morning in the Okavango Delta.
The world was still dark when I woke, the air cool against my skin as I stepped out of my canvas tent. My guide had brought me a flask of hot coffee on the deck, and I wrapped my hands around it, letting the warmth sink in.
Slowly, the sky began to shift, inky blues giving way to muted purples, then soft peach. Mist hovered over the water like a veil, and the Delta, alive yet hushed, felt as though it was holding its breath.
And then, the moment I’ll never forget: a lone elephant emerged from the tree line. Its massive shape moved gracefully through the haze, trunk swinging gently as it navigated the shallows. The soft splash of water and the distant call of a fish eagle were the only sounds.
I didn’t move. I didn’t speak.
I simply stood there, coffee in hand, completely present.
Life in the Slow Lane
That’s the gift of Botswana, it slows you down.
In a world that often rushes us forward, the Delta invites you to just… be. Days there take on a rhythm of their own.
Mornings begin with the soft light of dawn and the thrill of possibility. We’d set out in a mokoro canoe, gliding through the glassy water as our poler steered between lily pads. Tiny frogs clung to reeds, and flashes of colour marked the kingfishers darting overhead.
Afternoons brought classic game drives, bumping along sandy tracks as giraffes swayed across the horizon and impalas scattered with delicate leaps.
Evenings were my favourite. Back at camp, a fire crackled and the smell of woodsmoke curled into the star-filled sky. There’s something grounding about sharing stories under the Southern Cross, with the distant laugh of a hyena reminding you that this is still the wild.
One night, as we turned off all lanterns, the Milky Way spilled across the darkness like someone had tipped over a jar of stars. I
It’s a sight that humbles you, reminding you how tiny we are in this vast and wondrous world.
Zeenia Recommends
If there’s one experience I wish for every adventurer, it’s to witness a sunrise in the Okavango Delta.
Choose a remote, intimate safari camp where wildlife roams freely.
Pair your stay with both water safaris and traditional game drives to experience the Delta’s unique rhythm.
Spend at least three nights to truly slow down and let the wild seep into your soul.
Botswana is not a place you simply visit; it’s a place you feel. It lingers long after you leave, in the memory of an elephant in the morning mist, in the echo of a fish eagle’s call, in the way the world feels quieter when you return home.
And I’d love for you to feel it too.