We dropped off our safari vehicle at the depot (with no dramas – unlike our trip around Namibia; see point 9), and went to the Safari Air office near Maun Airport to check in for our flight. A light aircraft would whisk us to Camp Moremi – yes, back in the Moremi Game Reserve – for the most relaxed portion of our Botswana safari. Where we wouldn’t have to drive, navigate or look for wildlife by ourselves.

The plane was tiny – seating about 10 – and we flew over the mosaic of waterways, scrub and forests that make up the Okavango Delta, landing at Xakanaxa (pronounced “kah-ka-na-kah”), a lagoon in the Moremi Game Reserve. Camp Moremi staff were already there waiting for us, ready to take our bags.

Pro tip #1: Light planes in Africa only carry soft, sausage-type bags in the hold, weighing a maximum of 15kg. Pack light! Most camps also have same-day laundry service so you don’t need to worry about not having clean clothes. I thought this was obvious but perhaps not, because we saw a number of flustered people at Maun airport re-packing their stuff into suitable bags provided by safari lodge operators.

The camp had only recently been rebuilt – it was barely three weeks old when we arrived. We quickly settled into our beautiful new room and I relished the twin rainshowers. Only once I was shiny clean did I realise I could see our neighbours’ veranda from the shower. Bad luck for them if they popped outside for a smoke.

We did two more game drives that day, seeing more astounding storybook animals – because I had had my fill of giraffe, elephant and even lion, I focussed on spotting birds.

Pro tip #2: If you’re a keen birder, Moremi is a good destination for you – make sure you have binoculars, a big zoom lens if you want photos and a good reference book. The Okavango Delta on the whole, is fantastic for twitchers.

Food was good at Camp Moremi, with dinner served after a bit of song and dance by the staff. I suspected nobody got hired if they couldn’t hold a tune. Because we had free time to kill in the late afternoons, we made this video of the camp.

Pro tip #3: Definitely combine this camp with a water one, such as Camp Okavango and some other part of Botswana – such as the Kalahari to mix things up. Game drives every day can get boring!