Botswana Safari and Stellenbosch Wine

Eleven nights that begin by a lagoon in the Selinda Reserve and on the waterways of the Okavango Delta, with game drives, boat trips and walks. The journey ends in the winelands of Stellenbosch, with galleries, tastings and the country roads between the estates.

Length: 11 nights
Pace: Three stays
Style: Safari, delta, wine, art
Route: The Selinda Reserve, Botswana to The Okavango Delta, Botswana to Stellenbosch, South Africa

The Selinda Reserve, BotswanaThree nights
The Okavango Delta, BotswanaFour nights
Stellenbosch, South AfricaFour nights

An antelope beside a termite mound, reflected in still water in Botswana. — Photo: Edmund Loh / Unsplash

Days 1 to 4 · three nights

The Selinda Reserve, Botswana

The journey opens in the Selinda Reserve, where the days follow the wildlife: drives out across the reserve, boat trips on the lagoon and walks through the bush, with elephants, lions and wild dogs among the animals to look for. Each suite has binoculars and professional camera equipment to borrow, and the photographs taken are copied to a USB drive on departure. A short flight of about 30 minutes then leads on to the delta.

Where you stay

Zarafa Camp

Zarafa Camp stands beside the Zibadianja Lagoon in the private Selinda Reserve, with large suites under canvas. The camp runs a wildlife conservation programme and is known for leopard viewing.

An elephant standing in shallow water among reeds. — Photo: Greg Mei / Unsplash

Days 4 to 8 · four nights

The Okavango Delta, Botswana

Four nights in the Okavango Delta, explored by mokoro, the traditional dugout canoe, and by motorboat. The channels are home to around 200 species of bird, as well as elephants and hippos, and boat outings go in search of the shy sitatunga antelope and crocodiles. A flight of about three hours then crosses to the Western Cape.

Where you stay

Duba Plains Camp

Duba Plains Camp lies in the private Duba Concession, a reserve of palm islands, floodplains and woodland in the heart of the Okavango Delta. It has five tented suites in a 1920s safari style, each raised on decking with a veranda and plunge pool looking over the floodplain.

Birds flying over the mountains of Stellenbosch at sunset. — Photo: Alexey Marchenko / Unsplash

Days 8 to 12 · four nights

Stellenbosch, South Africa

The last four nights are spent on a wine estate in the hills above Stellenbosch. There is time for the town's galleries, among them the Gallery University Stellenbosch, the Sasol Art Museum and the Stellenbosch Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery, and for a tasting led by the estate's winemaker and sommelier, including a vertical tasting of older vintages. The rest of the stay is free for driving the country roads from one winery to the next.

Where you stay

Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa

Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa stands on a wine estate near Stellenbosch, with landscaped grounds and views to the mountains. The lodges each have a private pool, and the estate has a spa, three restaurants and more than 400 works of art and sculpture.

Ways to make it yours

Several camps are possible in the Okavango Delta; the source also names Sitatunga Private Island, an island camp with river safaris.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.