The Okavango Delta (16 000km˛) is a wetland wilderness of looping channels edged with tall papyrus. A spectacular oasis rich in wildlife, the Delta is an ever-changing Eden where copper-hued jacanas tiptoe gracefully across lily-lined channels, and the booming bellow of hippos and the haunting call of fish eagles answer the song of reed-frogs. When the grasses mellow to gold, marking the wane of the rainy season, a pantheon of African wildlife is drawn, sometimes in thundering waves, to the perennial water. Sable antelope, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, lion and Africa's monumental wanderers, elephant, drift across the Kalahari sands towards the Delta.

At Sandibe, you can experience the ever-changing miracle of the Okavango Delta on your doorstep. Sandibe Safari Lodge is set within a 270km˛ private concession bordering Moremi Game Reserve in one of the most beautiful parts of the Delta. Located near the perennial Santantadibe Channel, the lodge nestles between permanent water and grass-swept plains where herds of elephant, buffalo and topi (tsessebe) wander amid vigilant predators. Rolling plains stretch into the distance, etched with the silhouettes of palm trees, mud-castle spires of giant termite mounds and ancient Baobabs

The lodge, constructed according to strict environmental principles, was opened in 1998. Prior to opening, a medicine man was called in to protect Sandibe from bad spirits, sickness and fire. After a three-hour blessing, the sangoma intuited an atmosphere of protection, sensing the particularly strong presence of lion. As he left the camp, two lionesses prowled the exit, noble sentinels of CC Africa's Sandibe Safari Lodge.

• Listed among the 101 best hotels in the world in UK Tatler's Travel Guide 2001