OKOVANGO DELTA Undertaking a safari in the Okovango Delta is usually incredibly expensive. Botswana on the whole caters for the exclusive traveller and works on a policy of 'high income, low impact' tourism. On our budget, a trip into the Moremi Game reserve was impractical, however a cheaper alternative is to enter the Okovango Delta from the north west, known as the Pan Handle. From this area it is possible to pick up a guide or 'poler' who punts you around the wetlands in a dugout canoe called a mokoro. We hired a mokoro from the Nguma Lagoon Lodge and set off for a two day safari, choosing to spend a night out on one of the islands in the middle of the delta. We felt rather lost without Biggles as we packed up a ground tent and all our camping gear into rucksacks, needing to be self sufficient for a couple of days. We took a high speed boat out to the island, spotting lots of fish eagles, crocodiles, and the illusive Sitatunga Antelope on the banks. Then for the next couple of days we were punted along through the beautiful delta filled with reeds, papyrus and water lilies. It was a very relaxing way to see the delta. We enjoyed watching the sun set with sipping gin and tonics whilst floating our bowl of crisps and nibbles on a nearby waterlily! As we gently floated back to the camp an aggressive hippo chased our mocoro, making our poler extremely uneasy. It is not unknown for hippos to overturn the dugout canoes! Camping on the island was extremely relaxing and it was great to get away into the middle of nowhere. But as we staggered out of our sleeping bags at dawn we realised one thing - camping in a ground tent is definitely less comfortable than a rooftent!