The Okavango Delta in the North of Botswana is one of Africa's last great natural sanctuaries.
With its abundance of wildlife, this spectacular marshland is a popular destination for safari tourists.
You can discover nature without disrupting it by taking a local boat called a Mokoro.
It's quiet and doesn't pollute the environment.
We join tour guide Shabba, a local who learned to operate a Mokoro
from his family when he was a child.
But thoughts and relaxation are quickly interrupted: by a nearby, overactive hippo.
The 20,000 square kilometer Okavango Delta is one of the largest
and most animal-rich wetlands in Africa.
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.
The delta is an especially important habitat for animals that live in the water.
In addition to hippos, there are numerous species of fish, reptiles and amphibians,
as well as many bird and mammal species.
Traveling in a mokoro is not only environmentally friendly, it also has a long tradition.
It's been a means of transportation for locals for centuries.
However, modern Mokoros for tourists are made of fibreglass
and Shabba also gives his guests a chance to try steering.
Keeping one's balance isn't easy,
especially knowing that hippos are swimming nearby.
Shabba works in the Khwai Private Reserve in the Okavango Delta, run by Natural Selection.
The company has a special focus on sustainability.
The lodges are built with local materials by local designers.
Building with concrete is not allowed in the area.
Everything must blend in with the nature.
Toilets included – and they even have a view of hippos.
Staying there isn't exactly cheap, costing at least 800 euros per person per night.
The price of the journey with a small bush plane is not included.
But at the end, you're surrounded by nature.
People are becoming more interested in knowing that when they travel, they travel with impact.
If we don't conserve this and work close with the community,
and if they don't buy into it, there won t be this wildlife
which guests are coming to see.
1.5 percent of what guests are paying goes to communities
and conservation projects, like Elephants for Africa.
Botswana is seen as a role model in Africa in many aspects
for its good governance, fair distribution
of the diamond wealth, and conservation efforts.
There is also a growing number of elephants in the area.
Researcher Walona Sehularo is documenting them.
Essentially, we are trying to build a database
to try and help us analyze the social networks between the elephants.
Essentially the same as you would have in social media.
To see: this person is close friends with these people, but they have
a larger acquaintance circle, which includes this person,
this person and that person.
Botswana is home to the world's largest elephant population.
About 130,000 elephants live here, and the number is growing.
But this doesn't come without problems.
The elephants devastate the farmers' fields.
That's why Elephants for Africa has built a massive electric fence around the fields.
Since then, no incidents have been reported.
Being able to provide them with mitigations that keep elephants and other animals away
from their fields means they don't have to worry about elephants destroying their fields.
And they can take that time to consider elephants as something other than a threat.
As a result, attitudes towards elephants are changing although there are still concerns.
Back on the water, Shabba Kebonyetsala also has many stories to tell
about encounters with wild animals.
Living and working in this environment is a blessing for the mokoro operator.
His five children are still too young, Shaba says, but he can't wait
until he can teach them how to operate a Mokoro.
Then they too can show travelers from around the world the beauty of the Okavango Delta.