Ride along on a horseback safari in Botswana.

BY CHRISTINA TABACCO

A brilliant moon cast light on the flat plains of the Okavango Delta. All the while a chorus of crickets, bats, frogs, and birds—punctuated by the occasional low honk of hippo laughter— performed with gusto. I was sleeping soundly. But soon I awoke to rustling leaves, breaking branches, and the scratching of leathery legs. African elephants were nearby.

I pulled off my sleep mask in time to see a large gray elephantine rump and swishing tail disappear through the cluster of trees surrounding my tented chalet. I gasped, delighted to have such a close but safe encounter with Africa’s graceful giants.

Three elephants milled around my tent—feeding and enjoying the quiet of camp at night. One shuffled up to the termite mound adjacent to my deck. It made the perfect size pillow for the pachyderm to lean against for a bit of shut-eye. I fell asleep, hypnotized by his slow, rhythmic exhalations.

Sunset at camp was beautiful to behold.

| Making Camp at Macatoo |

Thus began my time at Macatoo, an unpretentious yet luxurious camp situated on 500,000 acres of pristine and protected land in the southwest corner of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the world’s largest flood plain.

Macatoo primarily offers horseback safaris, but also gives guests the options of game drives, motorboat and mokoro safaris (a traditional canoe propelled by river-bottom poling), and casual fishing excursions.