Abu Camp, Botswana

Well-lit pathways link the tents with the main lounge and dining area, again high vaulted tenting opening out onto a tiered decking surrounding a giant termite mound, one of the characteristic sights of the Okavango Delta. The lounge has been designed to compliment the surroundings using natural, crafted furnishings in sympathy with the Okavango. The artwork, objet de'Art and furnishings were sourced from collectors and stylers who possessed a passion for Africa.

The nomadic behaviour of animals abundant in the area is reflected in the nomadic style of home-ware, borrowing from cultures that have developed over centuries, hand-woven linen fabrics, ceramic light pods, woven seagrass chairs and hand-hewn wooden pieces. The library boasts an aray of absorbing books on wildlife and elephants in particular. Leading off the library is a complete office area for those guests needing to stay in contact with the outside world. A well-stocked bar provides drinks and cocktails for post-safari sundowners around a camp fire while most of the meals are taken al fresco on the deck.

Named after the much-mourned and very special bull elephant, Abu was the original base camp when Randall Moore pioneered Africa’s first elephant back safaris in the Delta 20 years ago. Five years later, Elephant Back Safaris' tender won a concession on 500,000 acres of pristine wilderness in the west of the Delta and the camp was relocated to its present site – a grove of magnificent hardwood trees on the edge of a large lagoon with a resident school of hippos.

An imaginative use of canvas and pole in the design of the new dining and lounge areas has created a modern yet unique blend of sweeping lines in complete harmony with the surrounding wilderness. Each of the six en-suite accommodation units has its own distinctive furnishings and fittings, many of them antique, imparting an air of opulence amid the bush setting. Each tent, too, has its own private elevated deck sculpted around one of the lofty sycamore figs or jackalberry trees, with unobstructed views over the lagoon.