Welcome to another destination-focused episode of the podcast, hosted by Brett. In this Campfire Conversation, Brett is joined by Jo, who is, by now, a regularly featured safari expert on the pod and who's got bush stories crazy enough to match Brett's. When it comes to Botswana, there are stories upon stories of rogue wildlife in campsites, breakdowns, black-outs, and utterly mesmerising moments in some the world's most pristine natural ecosystems.
Brett travels to Botswana on average 6 times per year, and this is the country Jo has spent the most time in (outside of South Africa) over his 10+ year long career as an overland safari guide.
These are two people who know Botswana extremely well. It it South Africa's northern neighbour, it's wild and unfenced, and emergency radios are a staple in each camp (because WiFi and air-conditioning are not a given!) Botswana offers that curious allure of high-end luxury that is not necessarily dictated by amenities, and rather by total remoteness and wilderness. Roads are flooded, camps are inaccessible other than by air, there are paths shared by humans and animals alike. Then there's the sheer magic of being on the water at sunset.
As one of safari's most celebrated destinations, we talk about Botswana a lot with our guests and our colleagues, and we frequently find ourselves debunking some assumptions about what a Botswana safari looks like. For the rates associated with travel in this country, there's an expectation for what 5-star should be, but what we want our guests to know is that the luxury you're getting is defined by something much greater and deeper than satisfaction at the touch of a button. It's in the exposure to true nature, to age-old tradition, to immersion, to close encounters with the big, wild animals in Africa whose territory you find yourself in. No fences, no signal, and sometimes no ice!
Nothing gets these two more excited than diving into a chat about a place we know well and love even more. This conversation had to be cut purposefully short, but not before we covered some of Brett's and Jo's combined memories of best moments, hair-raising encounters, and plans for exploring more of Bots in the future!
Tune in and enjoy (and if you're a previous Botswana guest of ours, enjoy this reminiscent chat about some epic adventures).
Thanks to Karabo Ramuhashi @karaborej who edited this season of the podcast for us, and to Trent Ashton @trent_ashton_nightingale who gave us his hand-drum beat to use in our intro.