In the quiet stillness of the Okavango Delta, Lauren turned 30.

She celebrated the milestone not with a party or presents, but with an early morning guided bush walk followed later by a stunning sunset mokoro ride. The setting sun painted the water golden. It was her birthday, but also a kind of rebirth — a closing of one chapter, and the tentative, hope-filled opening of another.

Mokoro sunset in the Okavango Delta, taken by Lauren.

After two COVID postponements, Lauren finally arrived on our ancient shore just as the world was learning to travel again. Her journey had already been a long one: losing her husband to cancer far too young, and honouring the trip they had once planned together by coming to Africa alone.

Her emails to us afterwards were full of grace and quiet strength.
“I honestly can’t even put into words how healing my safari was,” she wrote.
“It truly felt like God used the experience to help me close that chapter of my life.”

Less than four months after she returned home, she met Anthony — now her husband and the father of her two children. Baby Theo was born only days before we wrote this post. Their story is one we carry close.

Lauren on a bush walk in the Okavango Delta.

Why does nature help us heal?

In the stillness of the bush or the vastness of the desert, something shifts. Maybe it’s the scale of the wild around us — the way it reminds us we are part of something much older, much bigger than our own sadness. Or maybe it’s the absence of noise: no phones pinging, no meetings, no algorithms. Just the sound of birdsong, and your thoughts, slowly returning to you.

Giraffe in Chobe National Park, taken by Lauren

Science backs it up. A recent BBC article explored how even virtual experiences of nature — a recording of ocean waves, a window with a tree view, a background image of the Serengeti — can measurably lower stress levels and restore our sense of calm.

But there’s something about the real thing. Walking beside the Chobe River at dawn. Feeling the thunder of Victoria Falls in your chest. Floating silently in a mokoro as the Delta breathes around you. These aren’t just “experiences” — they’re interventions. For the heart, for the soul.

Travelling for your wellbeing

Leopard in the Okavango Delta, taken by Lauren. 

We don’t always talk about travel in this way. It can feel indulgent to say we’re booking a trip to feel better. But perhaps we should.

Research shows that even a few hours in nature can reduce stress hormones and lower blood pressure — but what we see out here is something even deeper. Time in the wild seems to rewire the nervous system. It slows the heart, quietens the mind, and reminds people how to return to themselves.

We’ve seen it time and again – in letters and emails from our travellers like Lauren – how nature and travel offer more than just an escape. They offer perspective. Space. And if you’re open to it, healing.

Darren (Crusty) touches on this in our video “Why do we travel?” on our YouTube channel:

If you’ve been feeling the pull…

Hippos in the Okavango Delta, taken by Lauren.

Perhaps, like Lauren, you’ve come through something difficult. Or maybe you’re just feeling a little off balance. A bit restless. In need of something to reawaken you.

So if you find yourself needing a shift — in pace, in scenery, in perspective — let the wild places do their work. They’re waiting, quietly, as they always have.

And if you’d like more stories like this, reflections from the bush, or a glimpse into life in Africa, you’re warmly invited to sign up for our monthly newsletter below.