Wild at heart

At the Great Plains Conservation safari camp in Botswana, luxury seamlessly merges with the untamed beauty of the wilderness, writes Danika Porter

Bring us candy!” young Six would yell towards the small planes ferrying tourists between remote safari camps. But he was only ever heard by Miriam, the family donkey that eight-year-old Six rode to his school in Makalamabedi, the closest village but still 10 kilometres from his cattle post. Dutiful Miriam would roam during class until Six honed his tracking skills to locate her for the ride home.

Coming full circle, Six now commutes on those planes as camp manager for Great Plains’ newest property in Botswana, Sitatunga Private Island camp. His career backstory is one of many shared tonight by Six during sundowners by the fire. We are floating on a circular pontoon, silhouetted against a fiery sky that pairs with the colour of my Aperol spritz, on an exclusive 17-hectare island within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta.

With only three guest tents, Sitatunga exemplifies Botswana’s tourism model. It’s one that limits visitor volume with premium offerings that ensure low environmental impact. The camp design draws inspiration from the delta – each waterfront tent is cocooned within a striking arc of bamboo poles to represent traditional Bayei funnel fishing baskets. The “tents” are actually multi-room suites larger than most apartments.

With my own private bar and plunge pool, the only thing that lures me out of heavenly solitary existence is chef Herold’s wizardry. My first meal ranks amongst my all-time culinary experiences – beef carpaccio with Sichuan pepper emulsion, followed by clear chicken soup with a vermicelli nest cradling a cured egg yolk, and a main course of ostrich fillet with chilli dark-chocolate sauce.