Within 20 minutes of arriving in Botswana, I’ve spotted a lone elephant and a herd of water buffalo striding through the waters of the mighty Okavango Delta – which totally makes up for not seeing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who visited this very same destination just a month earlier. From our Cessna Caravan light plane, the delta is a vivid green vein that courses through the otherwise arid landscape of northeastern Botswana, a life source for wildlife and locals alike.

The waterway acts as a compass, guiding us towards Chief’s Island, a traditional tribal hunting ground in Moremi Game Reserve, where the delta eventually trickles out into the parched bush. Here, breathtaking wildlife in abundance, including the ‘Big Five’ (elephant, water buffalo, rhino, hippo and lion), and the ultimate safari-luxe experience await at Sanctuary Chief’s Camp.

Before we land in the delta – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the pilot circles to make sure the runway is clear of any (four-legged) hazards, then it’s touchdown on the sandy airstrip and a bouncy jeep drive to the camp. Botswana’s pioneering conservation legislation has led to an increase in wildlife numbers throughout the reserve. Hunting is banned and camps are capped at 12 bungalows – and this low-impact, high-quality approach to safari is benefiting everyone involved.

“Did you hear the lions roaring last night?” photographer Jaime Kowal casually asks between sips of coffee before we head out on our morning safari. Lions? The South African sauvignon blanc by the fire the previous night followed by the pulsing choir of insects and hypnotic beat of the fan above my luxuriously soft bed had lulled me into a deep sleep well before any nocturnal growlings.

Our guide, Norriah, a 31-year-old delta man with seemingly super-human tracking abilities, leads us into the bush where we spot a dazzle of zebra, a jenny of giraffe, grazing elephants, a cheetah and her cubs, a pack of rare wild dogs and a sounder of warthogs off the bat. The next six hours melt into one another as we traverse the dry floodplain, scouring the horizon for movement.

The Batswana have a fierce national pride, and given the low levels of conflict, corruption and poverty, the tiny population of 2.25 million is justified in this. Today is their national Independence Day, and to celebrate, dinner is a song and dance affair in the bush around a fire pit, which I think is to create that intrepid ambience as we move around with an orange glow reflected on our cheeks, but which I’m later informed is to scare away the mossies and lions. On the menu are national dishes including boiled mopane worms, which have a musty-cellar flavour; seswaa, the national dish of pulled beef served with pap (white corn meal, similar to polenta); morogo (wild spinach); and barbecued crocodile and boerwurst (farmer’s sausage) with chakalaka (spiced tomato chutney).

Breathtaking wildlife in abundance, including the ‘Big Five’ (elephant, water buffalo, rhino, hippo and lion), and the ultimate safari-luxe experience awaits at Sanctuary Chief’s Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. The camp is comprised of only 12 villas, each with their own freestanding bathtub, private deck and plunge pool, and there’s a central open-air restaurant, pool and fire pit for sundowners after a hard day on safari.

Mokoro are the traditional dug-out canoes used to navigate the delta, and this afternoon Norriah switches up our mode of transport, gliding Jaime and I through the still waters at sunset. Birds fly overhead and buffalo drink in the distance, but the highlight is the sensation of bathing in liquid gold as the water reflects the heady light in all directions like a disco ball.

On our way back to camp we stop at a pop-up bush bar for sundowners, slaking our thirst with the local Windhoek beer. Still pinching myself at the beauty I’ve experienced in such a short time, I open the door of my bungalow to be met by the most superlative bubble bath of my life. The bubbles tower above the freestanding bath like cappuccino froth and a bottle of South African brut ramps up the fizziness factor. I come to understand that the Sanctuary style of safari compounds the thrill of the chase with the delight of surprises at the hands of nature and the overwhelmingly hospitable camp staff.

Today’s border crossing involves a jeep, a light plane, a minivan and a speedboat before we are in neighbouring Zambia and on our way to our second Sanctuary property, Sussi & Chuma Lodge, nestled on the banks of the Zambezi River.

Dry season is best for spotting wildlife, who have no leafy trees to hide behind, but it paints the landscape in a muted palette of earthy tones, and our thatched villas on the riverbank only come into focus at the last minute when we are roused by the guttural grunting of a hippo.

The camp is a pearl-string of circular treehouses connected by elevated walkways that lead to a central lounge with an impeccable safari-chic fit-out and an overwater deck for sunset drinks and star-gazing at night. We eat dinner on the deck – the menu offers local ingredients with global appeal, such as spiced beans with roti and freshwater bream – as the Zambezi’s notorious population of crocodiles slice through the inky water below.

We start the day with a walking safari along the riverbank, where a snoozing herd of 12 rhinos, all horns and legs in the air, perfectly illustrates how the locals deal with the intense heat. It’s the dry season and Victoria Falls is only at about 30 per cent capacity, but the thunder of the gushing water and the clouds of mist it creates as it smashes into the ravine below are enough to cool us off.

On the way back to camp, we stop at Chipego Bike Shop in Nakatindi village, which is part of the lodge’s philanthropy program. The locals explain that bicycles are the only mode of transport in remote villages such as these – evidenced by the lurking shapes we have passed on the carless highway swaying side to side under their towering loads – and the benefits of the bike shop are far-reaching: empowering the community through mobility and increasing access to hospitals, schools, work, food and water; plus the shop is run by a savvy group of local women who have been trained to service the bikes – they have a secure income and the village gains from this ongoing service.

We trade in the wetlands and savannahs of safari heartland for the pulsing heart of the rainbow nation. Cape Town is a cutting-edge urban destination – a melting pot of people and cultures – and while scars of South Africa’s recent past remain, the city has reinvented itself as a hotbed of creativity and innovation. Exciting new places to eat, drink, shop, stay and visit seamlessly link the rich fabric of the country’s history with a modern identity; it’s no wonder South Africa has been dubbed one of Lonely Planet’s ‘Top 10 Countries’ to visit in 2018.