By July, up to 4 trillion gallons of water cover the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.Explore lush lagoons, where elephants wade before the waters recede again.

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s most amazing, sensitive and complex environments – the placid waters and lush indigenous forests offer a safe haven for countless bird and animal species.

We’ve chosen for the BLACK@ Guest a place right in the heart of classic Okavango Delta habitat, regarded by many as the Okavango’s Maasai Mara because of the sheer volume of wildlife. Duba Explorers Camp offers 6 luxury expedition-style tents, each with its own view of the surrounding floodplain. The service is subtle but attentive, and the comforts extraordinary.

A little further north lies another jewel in Africa’s crown. Victoria Falls is home to the world’s largest waterfall spanning nearly two kilometres and dropping about 108 metres. But this UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site is but one of the region’s great attractions. We have chosen Mpala Jena Camp as the BLACK@ Guest’s home while in Victoria Falls. Situated in the Zambezi National Park with only 4 rooms, this contemporary take on classic Africa has injected a fresh energy into the area.

The elephant is an extraordinary prehistoric animal, mammoth in size but gentle in nature. As one of Africa’s vulnerable species (its numbers dwindling due to poaching), few words could adequately describe the impact of being up really close. The Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary and Orphanage on the banks of the Masuwe River brings the BLACK@ Guest in touch with a team of remarkable guides who have shared an incredible journey with the elephants in their care. This moving interaction with both man and animal forces a person to question the things in life that really matter. And how better to express emotion than through art, coaxed from hand through brush onto canvas by an expert tutor under the shade of an enormous Mopane tree?