Days 1, 2 & 3: The Okavango Delta is a real coffee table book illusion that springs to life when you are descending through tall trees to land on a hidden bush strip called Hunda. The pictures are a colourful and exciting reality and my chosen camp is part of this real fantasy. We start our 10 day adventure by being slowly poled along winding and unending waterways in a makoro.

This is wind down time and the pace is being set for the rest of our adventure. We all want to encounter 'big game' and during every game drive and walk this is exactly what we enjoy. The resident chef is a passionate cook who knows how to mysteriously present a tasty feast of real home cooked food, just when our hunger is at a peak, after a morning of game activity. Strangely enough I always seem to have an enormous apetite in the bush, not that I'm implying my wife's home cooking isn't just as good.

Days 4 & 5: Our flight to the next private camp is like a short low-level nature documentary. We fly over glittering fingers of sparkling water and I point out wildlife everywhere - shiny hippo backs, lone bull elephants, peaceful Red lechwes, giraffe... We stay at this camp to humbly experience and learn more about elephants. Doug Crowe (An Africanised American) has dedicated his life to a few tame elephants. We spend a morning walking in the wild with these magnificent creatures.

Days 6 & 7: The next destination, Kwando Concession, is like turning a page in our big glossy book; it's a major contrast. We land on an open grassy plain and head for a small camp, which is sheltered on a tree island that dominates an expansive open savannah. On the way we pass several large muddy waterpans that are dotted with water birds. Solitary heavy-duty storks gracefully glide overhead looking for another pan. This area is full of interesting wildlife surprises. I have seen lion eating hippos and the illusive sitatunga shyly venturing out of thick reed banks.

Days 8 & 9: Flying down the Chobe River and over Botswana's Chobe National Park - home to an estimated 45 000 elephant. Just imagine the view! The small town of Kasane looms up ahead on a hill; scattered, shiny tin roofed houses. We land at Kasane to clear Botswana exit formalities and fly over the point where 4 countries (Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and two major rivers (Zambezi and Chobe) meet. One of my favourite island lodges is a mini paradise. The hosts are proud that their lodge has been recognised as one of the best lodges in Africa. This is a top birding destination. On my last trip we found skimmer nests on exposed sand banks in the Zambezi River.

Day 10: It is impossible to leave this area without taking a short flight to see the famous Victoria Falls. A few high level turns give an amazing aerial view of the seventh wonder in the world (and a world heritage site), then after landing we transfer to an atmospheric lodge overlooking the mighty Zambezi River. The tumbling waters are the hub of a fast spinning adventure wheel - white water rafting, bungi jumping, casinos, restaurants, lodges, hotels, sunset cruises and international airline connections.