When contemplating how to commit pen to paper to describe the best moments of my first ever safari adventure courtesy of the peerless Great Plains Conservation in Botswana and Zimbabwe, I struggled to conjure up the suitable words (not usually a problem for me) such is the awe-inspiring experience of safari in Africa. Especially if you’re lucky enough to be a guest of Great Plains. Omg-once-in-a-lifetime-pinch-me-stuff-of-dreams doesn’t even begin to cover it - there are so many amazing memories to choose from.
Was it when we’d just landed from our helicopter in the middle of the Okovango Delta, totally off grid on Sitatunga Private Island and were greeted by a family of elephants almost straight off the chopper? Or was it brushing my teeth at 5am, just as dawn was breaking in my stunning suite at Zarafa camp and hearing the gentle low purring of a pride of 14 lionesses and their cubs outside the camp? Or was it that moment, every evening at around 6pm just before the sky explodes into zebra stripes of oranges, pinks, reds and purples, (a Botswana sunset hits completely different than any other point on earth) when our guide set up a makeshift Bush bar so we could enjoy a gin and tonic and with the hippos mooing in the background and giraffes grazing across the plain? I simply cannot decide.
However what a travel writer of course won’t often admit to is, ahem, that a picture can tell a thousand words. And what Great Plains offers above all other luxury safaris in the region is the opportunity to unleash your inner David Bailey and capture your African adventure with world-class professional photography equipment. All guests at the Great Plains Reserve properties are loaned a Canon SLR camera and set of lenses for the duration of their stay, which is awaiting in your room upon arrival in its big box and after a brief lesson from your guide, you can go out on a photographic safari and snap away to your hearts content. At the end of the trip, all pictures are downloaded from the memory card and you will be sent home with a customised Great Plains SD card, so that your memories speak for themselves (and on Instagram.) It really is a phenomenal perk of the trip, saves faffing about with an iPhone and is an extra touch that helps to make a safari with Great Plains so unique.
The reason for this? Great Plains Conservation - which counts Lucy Liu, Lily James and the late Robert Redford as fans - was founded nearly two decades ago by the famous wildlife photographers, documentary makers and explorers, husband and wife Beverly and Dereck Joubert. Hailing originally from South Africa the Emmy-award winning couple created Great Plains Conservation in 2006 in Botswana and now they have fourteen safari properties in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The pair noted that like themselves, their guests always want to capture the magic of safari forever in the best possible way, so they thought why not save them the hassle of lugging top of the range cameras to the camps when it would be much easier to provide them to guests on site. As such, all guides know their way around the cameras and can give guests a quick tutorial. The open 4x4 Toyota Land Cruisers are equipped with stabilising bean bags and camera mounts to facilitate the photography. It really is super fun and adds another level of excitement to the whole experience. Giant prints of Beverly's photography are framed all over the camps, providing daily inspiration for budding Beverly's and her latest book, Wild Eye: a Life in Photographs, has just been published by National Geographic, showcasing some of her most incredible images of wildlife from a career spanning over four decades.
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While I was staying at their camps, I was also fascinated to hear about all the conservation initiatives the company runs including sustainability programmes - Great Plains is widely renowned to be one of the most ecologically friendly camps in Africa, restoring ecosystems and protecting the wildlife. The company is also dedicated to empowering local women from the region with two brilliant initiatives: Solar Mammas whereby local women are taken to India for training in solar power to return and share knowledge. Then there's the Female Ranger Program which trains local women to become Wildlife Rangers thus shifting gender stereotypes and establishing strong female role models. Indeed, our ranger at Zarafa camp, was the brilliant female guide Ntombe - arguably the most badass and fearless Toyota Land Cruiser driver in Botswana and a bona fide lion whisperer, such was her ability to locate the Channel pride of lions - including the Daddy - who roam the Selinda Reserve. Ntombe was also on hand to help us with our big cameras for capturing the big cats and helped us all make the most of the wildlife photographic opportunities while on safari - and made a mean G&T at the end of the day.
I travelled at the end of November, spending two nights in Zimbabwe and four in Botswana, staying at Great Plains camps: Situtunga Private Reserve and Zarafa Camp in Botswana and Mpala Jena camp, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The vibe
I’ve never travelled anywhere where I have felt as ‘off grid’ as I did when arriving, via helicopter and a small plane, to the stunning Sitatunga Private Island Reserve situated deep into the Okavango Delta. From the air it’s easy to get a sense of the extraordinary, living mosaic-like landscape of water and land that makes up this exquisite and entirely unspoiled, remote part of Botswana. With thousands of reed lined tributaries and channels meandering around tiny desert islands all stemming from the upper reaches of the Okavango Delta, it’s a wildlife paradise of tiny waterways and lily pad covered lagoons with hippos wallowing at every turn, crocodiles basking on the banks and elephants enjoying a dip. It's also a birdwatchers paradise. And Sitatunga Private Island sits right in the heart of all this magic. Opened in 2023, the camp is surrounded entirely by water and most impressively it is built from 100% recycled materials making it one of the most sustainable safari camps in the whole of Great Plains sustainably-minded repertoire. It is also entirely solar powered. All Great Plains camps operate around the ethos of ‘leave no trace’ and are therefore not permanent and could technically be packed up at any moment, with zero footprints left behind. Sitatunga is also trailing a new bio gas food waste programme that fuels the power in the staff quarters. The camp is super exclusive and comprises just two separate and stunning suites, hosting four adults. Each suite has a private deck and plunge pool overlooking the Delta - and my favourite touch, an exercise bike, so you can workout while elephant and hippo spotting! The wonderful Lizzy is on hand to look after you and cater for your every request - she is the unflappable and entertaining heart and soul of the camp.
Food and drink
The Great Plains Reserve camps are all listed in the prestigious Relais Chateaux luxury hotel rating meaning their food really is utterly exceptional. There were many times I had to pinch myself that we were eating such delicacies in the middle of the bush, such was the attention to detail and presentation. Some highlights from Sitatunga from our chefs Lady K, Law and Oppie included an incredible wood fired make your own pizza oven lunch (gluten-free dough provided) and a super special stir fry station where the food was fired up in front of you.
Best things to do at Sitatunga Private Island
This is very much a water-based safari. Our exceptional guides, Mo and Dave, not only knew their way around the camp’s motorised boats, but also, miraculously, the mind-boggling maze of waterways taking us on numerous boating adventures including close encounters with hundreds of hippos at dusk! A floating breakfast watching a herd of over 200 migrating Buffalo crossing the river was a a particular highlight, while Morokos, the ancient local canoe like boats, poled by trained local guides, are also available to go for a trip on and offer a really close up experience of the water wildlife and easier access to the smaller riverways. When the waters are low, its worth exploring the land on foot on a walking safari which feels very intrepid. It is a really special way to - safely, following Mo and Dave’s strict single file instructions - see wildlife close up, especially the incredible variety of birdlife in these parts.
The vibe
The OG of all Great Plains camps in that it was the first that Great Plains built in Botswana, Zarafa has recently had a glow up and we were lucky to be the first press to experience the newly renovated camp that includes a brand new open air gym and spa. Located within the private Selinda Reserve that links the Okavango Delta with Chobe National Park, Zarafa - meaning ‘the beloved one’ in Arabic - sits overlooking the Zibadianja Lagoon. It really is at Zarafa where you get a true sense of the great plains of Africa. And what's more, it's so perfectly situated that you don't even have to leave camp to see wildlife, as elephants or impala often wander through the camp. (Fun fact, Botswana has over 130,000 elephants, the largest population of elephants in the world.) There's a deep sense of the land at Zarafa and I felt a deep connection to my surroundings when I was staying there. Each of the camp's four guest suites are 1000 square foot with open layout bathrooms complete with freestanding bath - which can be run and filled with bubbles for you after you return from a dusty drive out on safari.
Food and drink
Chef Herold's creations were worthy of Master Chef! And no more so than when he served us with a four course tasting dinner by candlelight out in the Bush. An incredible feat following sundowners on a jetty. We even had sushi and caviar!
Best things to do at Zafara camp
The spa at Zarafa is very special and Julia, the massage therapist was truly excellent. An extraordinary experience being massaged while listening to the Baboons and the hippos! A lovely touch at Great Plains is being provided with your own booklet species checklist to check off all the vast array of wildlife, flora and fauna - it's a fun and interactive Bingo type game to play and if you manage to tick off over 111 birds and animals you get exclusive membership - and the coveted khaki green cap - to the Great Plains 111 club! It's worth it! The boutique at Zarafa is also a treasure trove where you can purchase some lovely pieces from the Great Plains d+b Explorer Collection.
The vibe
Nestled on the banks of the almighty Zambezi river, Great Plains’ Mpala Jena camp is named after a small rivulet that runs off the Zambezi on the Zimbabwe side. The peaceful base offers easy reach for exploring the 56,000 hectare Zambezi National Park with an abundance of wildlife and of course, the nearby Victoria Falls. We were lucky enough to stay in the newly opened Private Villas, located 5km upstream from the main camp and created for exclusive-use sleeping up to six adults or four adults and three children in three insanely luxurious suites - it felt like a little slice of Ibiza or even Tulum on the banks of the Zambezi. The property has a large swimming pool - very rare for a safari camp - and each suite has a private butler. The area is a favourite drinking spot for impalas, zebras and even elephants - not forgetting the many hippos in the area who also often amble up on the banks of the river. Both land and water wildlife drives are in abundance at Mpala Jena - our wonderful guide Shepard was brilliant and had some great stories about walking safaris and lions. Be sure to book a sunset cruise on the Zambezi including waterside sundowners.
Food and drink
Chef Yusani was our creative force in the kitchen whipping up gorgeous salads at lunch-time along with such treats such as mini-slider burgers and afternoon teas with cakes that catered with such care for my gluten allergy.
Best things to do at Mpala Jena
Of course a visit to this part of the world is not complete without witnessing the majestic Victoria Falls - or to give it its African name Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘The smoke that thunders’ - one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A guided walking tour (included with the stay at Mpala Jena) around the horseshoe falls that straddle Zimbabwe and Zambia is well worth the $50 single entrance fee from the Zimbabwe side - but bring waterproofs! Even in the summer, when we visited, the spray from the falls is significant. Sky diving the falls and swimming in the devil’s pool (a pool literally on the edge of the falls on the Zambia side) are available for daredevils.
Journeysmiths (+44 1604 628979) offers tailor-made travel to Victoria Falls and Botswana, with a six-night stay at Mpala Jena, Sitatunga Private Island and Zarafa (two nights in each camp) from £9,685 per person all-inclusive, with private transfers, based on two sharing, including return flights from London (Economy Class) with British Airways.
