There is something quite magical about Africa. Perhaps it is the images we see of beautiful people, breathtaking landscapes, and unique wildlife that makes us long for an opportunity to visit this amazing continent. When Jamie Edwards, a travel blogger, sent in a visual travel log from her time in Botswana and the Okavango delta while on safari, we just couldn’t get enough. The animals, the landscapes and the people Jamie met and interacted with seem like a the perfect way to get to know a place and creating beautiful memories.

From Jamie,

There is no sound I can think of that compares to that of the African bush. Silence. Almost complete silence, except for the distant (and sometimes not so distant) roar of a lion, the slow, steady, padded thump of an elephant, the crunch of teeth on bone. The chorus of the wildlife. What helps make Botswana especially magical is how remote and small you feel; hours and hours, sometimes an entire day without seeing another soul apart from your guide. I can’t remember ever feeling so happily unplugged, and yet so happily connected.

Arriving by bush plane from Maun, we took a short jeep ride to the delta and headed out by boat to Selinda Camp, our home for the next three days. Within minutes we spotted a giraffe craning its long neck above the tree line. The safari had officially begun! We then passed a pod of hippos clearly unhappy with us for invading their peaceful waters. Our guide, Foster, knew this pod, and their habits, and gave them a wide berth. It was no less unnerving to see their dark eyes slowly dip below the surface, not knowing where they will pop up next. As we pulled up to the Selinda Camp dock, we noticed faint sound of singing, and then, as we got closer, all of the people attached to the lovely voices, announced our arrival. This was just another one of the other unforgettable sounds of the bush.

Life in the bush

Throughout our three days and six game drives, we were treated to one magical experience after another. Tracking a cheetah at sunrise, spending two hours watching a pride of lion devour a cape buffalo, surprising an elephant as we went barreling past in our jeep, and getting a loud, angry trumpeting in return. A hyena on our footpath back to our tent was especially exhilarating as the guides in Botswana carry no weapons. They depend on their skill at reading and tracking the animals at all times.

Our all-knowing and gentle mannered guide, Foster, was one of the highlights of our African journey. He knew the vast delta like the back of his hand, and we ambled, and sometimes dashed at lightning speed, around the open landscape with him confidently at the wheel. His low baritone voice often questioned, “What is the purpose of this day.” Words to ponder while in Africa, and perhaps to take home with us as well.One afternoon, we came upon a pride of lions, the Southern Pride, as they are locally called. We slowly pulled up in our open Land Rover, killed the engine, and spent a few hours observing. The big cats lazed about, yawning and tending to their young. The cubs played like there was no tomorrow, happy and completely carefree. A few times, the lions would find shade in the shadow of our truck — an unnerving experience! As mentioned earlier, Foster was without a weapon. In a low whisper I asked how he could be sure they wouldn’t attack, as they were within two feet of us. He said he could read their movements, he could tell agitation from contentment by the twitch of an eye. He said this, of course, without even for an instant taking his eyes from the lion’s face. Absolute concentration. Foster has been a guide for many years, including having had the honor of taking the president of his country on safari. Did I trust him? Implicitly.Our tent at Selinda was both rustic and luxurious at the same time. Safari-style campaign furniture was on display, originally designed to be folded up and transported distances. No detail was too small: yoga mats in a basket by the bed, a beautifully crafted vintage liquor cabinet stocked with port, bourbon, whisky and complete with etched crystal glasses. There were reading glasses and books, watercolors and sketch pads for the kids, a claw-footed tub and rain shower. And of course, high-tech binoculars. We were told that the resident elephant, Sydney, especially liked to relax around tent #4. One of my favorite moments of the trip was hearing her gentle feet padding past our tent in the middle of the night, her body just barely scraping the soft walls. I was both terrified and thrilled at the same time.The Okavango Delta spans 15,000 square miles, and by August, the water fans out slowly throughout the southern regions of the delta. As you might imagine, this makes crossing it a challenge. There are fewer bridges than you would think, as the water ebbs and flows differently throughout the year. Foster seemed to be able to see the waterways as we would see highways, and navigated with ease. Late one afternoon, we stopped at the water’s edge for a sundowner, on our way back to Selinda Camp. We asked how we were going to get back, as the crossing we made in the morning was hours away. He looked ahead, to the water, and pointed.

Before we could say a word, he pulled up any gear from the floor of the Land Rover, told us to raise our feet as high as we could, and shifted into gear. Within a minute, our truck was more than halfway immersed in the water, just about up to the exhaust pipe poking its head out from the front hood like a submarine periscope. I prayed to the hippo gods that today wasn’t our last. Out of the hundreds of small waterways like this, how was he to know how deep it was? Or what predators were below the surface? Those few minutes of crossing the delta may have taken years off my life but it did save us upwards of three hours of driving.The memory of our last night at Selinda will always stay seared in my mind. After a full afternoon’s game drive by boat, we were happy to get back to our tent and change for dinner. Foster said he had one more thing to show us. We couldn’t even imagine what that might be, we felt that we had possibly seen it all! Following once again our all-knowing guide, we headed into the jeep as the sun was starting its fiery descent. Twenty minutes later we came upon a field of lanterns leading us to a bonfire, an open bar, and a communal table to seat twenty or more. The entire Selinda staff was there to prepare and have our final dinner with us by candlelight. The wine was free flowing, the stories from the day’s drive got bigger and more fantastical, the local food was in abundance, and music and laughter filled the sky. The guides, staff, and tourists sharing one last meal together as a group. The sun finally disappeared behind a row of perfectly placed palm trees and at that moment I decided I never wanted to go home.

Hemingway wrote, in his book The Green Hills of Africa, “All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.”

Hemingway captured my emotions to perfection. How I felt while there, hearing the hippos and lions in the distance, catching the cackle of a hyena. Going to sleep each night was just the next act of an already fabulous show. In my tent, I imagine I was not the only one who fought sleep, not wanting it to end.

Thank you Jamie and we cannot agree, time in the bush and in Africa seems to be the perfect way to get a little lost and learn a lot about nature and all her magnificent creatures.

Jamie’s 5 reasons to get lost in Africa

• Hot water bottles tucked under the blankets and in your jeep for the early morning game drives.
• Sundowners, sunsets and shooting stars in the southern hemisphere.
• Suddenly finding yourself surrounded by a herd of African elephants.
• Driving your Land Cruiser across the delta (practically) underwater!
• Choosing just the right wine for the evening meal from Selinda’s candlelit (and complimentary) wine cellar.

Jamie Edwards is a travel blogger behind I am lost and found. She says her blog started as a place for her to record her favorite places, restaurants, beaches and trips. A creative outlet, a virtual scrapbook, a documentary of travels. A place to showcase a love of photography. She says she is not here to tell you where to go, but rather to tell a story about where she’s been.

{Words and Images by Jamie Edwards, Website: Iamlostandfound; Instagram: @iamlostandfound_}

Travel Log On Safari In Botswana And The Okavango Delta

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