greeted with ice-cold drinks feels like stumbling across a desert mirage. Unpacking my ‘trunk’ (well, OK, suitcase) in these traditional, stylish canvas tents make me feel like a 1940s explorer, with Persian rugs, carved wooden furniture, and cabinets of curios like ostrich eggs and hippo skulls. It’s no surprise to find out that Taylor Swift loved the old-school glamour of Jack’s Camp so much she chose it as one of the settings for her Wildest Dreams video. Once I’ve cooled off in the oasis-like pool at Jack’s, it’s time to wrap a kikoi (traditional woven sarong) around my head to protect myself from the salty breeze and the sun, jump on a quad bike and zoom across the immense nothingness of the Makgadikgadi. This harsh, stark environment is home to aardvarks, springbucks, brown hyenas and – best of all – wild meerkats, who scrabble in the dry earth for scorpions to snack on and are so inquisitive they think nothing of using my head as a human lookout post. My guide tells me that when the rains come, clouds of flamingo come to feed here and vast herds of zebra and wildebeest make the migration, but even in the arid season it’s still stunning in its barrenness. After rinsing off the salt back at Jack’s in my outdoor shower, we venture back into the bush for a special meeting. The San tribe were the first people of the Kalahari and today many cling to their traditional customs. Communicating in a language of clicks, and wearing leather thongs and beads, they lead us on a hike through the bush, showing us how they can survive in arid climates for days by extracting water from a particular tree root, smoking leaves for their medicinal powers and hunting animals with poison sap. They set up a large campfire, which they light by rubbing sticks together, and begin to perform a ‘trance dance’. Part religious ceremony, part party, part doctor’s clinic, the San believe that during this ritual one member of the tribe will enter the spirit realm and can then touch each member of the group to heal diseases. The clapping, chanting and stamping starts just before dusk and will go on well into the night. It’s a mesmerising experience even as a spectator. Just before the sun disappears, we take our leave and hike back to... well, yet more nothingness… to lie on the desert floor, watching the earth’s shadow grow as the sun sets and then scanning the sky for shooting stars. It occurs to me that it’s one of the few times in my life I’ve ever experienced absolute silence and it feels weirdly emotional. Although spotting animals in their natural habitat has been exciting, and spending time with the San people has been fascinating, just lying here might be the most memorable moment of the trip for me. And I can’t even capture a photo of it. But maybe that’s the point.
Clockwise from top: Relax in one of Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge’s wooded suites; Camp Savuti is one of Africa’s best known game areas; the vast inland Okavango Delta