Botswana: Nature's Playground by Paul Rubio

A wonderland of prolific floodplains, dense woodlands, and nutrient rich semi-deserts, Botswana’s landmass is a recipe for wildlife prosperity. With fewer than 2 million people in a nation the size of France, it’s the animals that rule this precious tract of planet Earth; and it’s the adventurous traveler who is handsomely rewarded for taking southern Africa’s road less traveled.

Botswana’s game-rich north headlines the safari diaries of the globe’s savviest wildlife enthusiasts. The remote safari camps of the Okavango Delta pepper the breathtaking floodplains, reached exclusively by small, light aircraft required to traverse the undeveloped terrain.

Lodges here are categorized as either “wet” or “dry,” depending on proximity to the permanent flood zones, thus determining if a vehicle or a boat will serve as the primary method of transportation after touchdown.

Though located on a “dry” edge of the thirstlands bordering Moremi Game Reserve, &Beyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp showcases the best of the delta’s dichotomous offerings. Extensive dirt roads weave through the 17000-acre wildlife concession Nxabega calls home.


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With exclusive rights to this stunning swathe of land, Nxabega doles out Africa’s most candid wildlife moments without competition from other vehicles or lodges. This translates to intimate, hours-long sessions with prides of curious lions, foraging herds of elephants, and boisterous baby hyenas, at your own pace and with no other humans in sight – a far cry from the more typical crowded safari experience.

Pop culture freaks will also love the resident “Crazy Nastyass Honey Badgers” that wreak havoc around the Nxabega tented camp.

To complement the game drives, the Nxabega team capitalizes on the crystal clear channels defining the delta, offering the splendidly romantic mokoro experience – a leisurely ride through the papyrus-lined banks of the floodplains on a dugout canoe, where 360 degree immersion in the delta’s beauty of low lying islands and papyrus reeds completely ambushes your senses.

Back at the camp, an oasis of al fresco luxury awaits. The Nxabega enclave consists of nine exclusive tented suites, and a number of common dining and social areas, all of which unassumingly blend into the wilderness. The tented suites feature luxurious ensuite bathrooms, private verandas overlooking the floodplain, and just enough canvas to keep you feeling secure when you hear the elephants snoring and the leopards hunting come nightfall.

Whether served in the privacy of your suite, by candlelight in the bush, or in the atmospheric outdoor dining room, each meal falls nothing short of experiential, featuring exotic farm to table ingredients and unbelievable fresh baked goods that should have French top chefs taking note!

From the suite butler to your personal ranger, the team here demonstrates tremendous pride in both their culture and their work. Camp staff often joins after dinner to indulge guests with interactive, traditional song and dance. But no matter what time of day or night, the constant smiles, the effortless hospitality, and the team’s unwavering diligence elevates Nxabega to a category of its own. Africa teems with gorgeous lodges and majestic wildlife, but few places have yet to master this level of service.

Thankfully, Nxabega’s service culture extends to its sister &Beyond camps beyond the Delta. At &Beyond Chobe Under Canvas, a team of two-dozen works tirelessly to facilitate exclusive “glamping” within the boundaries of Botswana’s renowned Chobe National Park.


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Though fewer creature comforts are offered in these five spacious mobile tents, the wildlife experiences at Chobe are both exceptional and impressionable. Plus there is an extreme sense of adventure and excitement from camping inside one of the most wildlife intense national parks in the world.

Blink too long and you might miss your 105th hippo sighting of the day or your 1000th elephant sighting of the afternoon! Not only is Chobe home to one of the largest concentrations of elephant on the African continent, but its riverbanks and interiors are loaded with zebra, puku, buffalo, Sable and roan antelope, fish eagles, lion, and Nile crocodiles.

Given so many species in such close quarters, the scene quickly changes from one of serenity to one of explosive encounters in the animal kingdom. No two days - nor two hours - are the same! Though more hardcore and demanding than Nxabega, Chobe Under Canvas is the ultimate untamed wildlife experience and the supreme way to experience Africa in the raw.

Similar to its sister safari lodges in India, &Beyond Africa has been hosting gay travelers for decades and all staff receive gay sensitivity training, a rarity in this part of the world. While I knew of &Beyond’s “gay-friendly” reputation in Africa, I was definitely surprised to encounter so many vacationing gay couples in remote Botswana. It may not be in the nature books, but Homo sexuals are by no means classified as “endangered” in this precious African terrain!