Is this the world’s best safari destination? The Mail films an insanely amazing trip to Botswana, with breathtaking helicopter flights and a camp so luxurious that even the animals want to move in!

It’s not often that an elephant knocks on your door while you’re getting ready for dinner.

He’s just a trunk length away and I’m frozen.

As I look into his pink snout, which now follows some of the mesh on my wooden safari lodge, I wonder if he is intelligent enough to open the door.

He probably just wants to take a look at my suite. And who can blame him? Because it is extraordinary, along with the rest of the camp that has been my home for far too short a time: Atzaró Okavango, located between the Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains in a private concession in Botswana’s breathtaking Okavango Delta.

The elephant wanders off, denied the opportunity to inspect my bedroom, reached by a winding wooden walkway and one of twelve suites and two villas.

Panoramic windows and mesh frame the suite’s individual rooms, giving me nearly 360-degree views and partial exposure to the elements.

On one side of my suite, called ‘Francolin’, there is a private terrace and plunge pool, and on the other side there is an outdoor shower and a copper bathtub.

Inside you’ll find a king-sized four-poster bed, expansive living room, sunken bath and shower. Pinch me.

Jess Hamilton checks into Atzaró Okavango, a five-star luxury camp in Botswana’s breathtaking Okavango Delta

Jess arrives at sunset after an ‘exciting’ helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the camp’s doorstep

Jess is greeted at the camp by a herd of elephants and ‘chorus singing from the charming staff’. In the photo you see the entrance to the luxury lodge

The June adventure begins with a thrilling helicopter transfer from Maun Airport to the camp’s doorstep. The 10-minute ride offers fantastic views of the partially flooded plains of the Delta and sets the extravagant tone for the days ahead.

We are greeted at the camp by choral singing from the charming staff as elephants linger nearby.

I’m already concluding that the camp is fit for royalty.

The lodge, one of the largest in the Delta, blends seamlessly into its surroundings. The communal areas, decorated with mid-century French furniture and housed under natural thatched roofs, include a lounge, bar, dome-like dining area and a 20-metre swimming pool, all overlooking the vast plains.

The grassland typically transforms into a lush lagoon between June and September, when water from the Angolan highlands flows south via the Okavango River, flooding the area.

But the current dry weather still offers unparalleled views – best seen from the viewing deck, where afternoon high tea is served.

It is a sanctuary that is difficult to leave. But fascinating game drives in a twelve-seater jeep beckon, with expert guide Maitapiso ‘Mighty’ Mosiiwa at the wheel.

During a night drive we spotted zebras, spring hares, impalas, earth wolves, jackals, wildebeest and buffalos. Mighty points out the animals with bright torchlight, surprised at how many there are in the area.

‘The lodge, one of the largest in the Delta, blends seamlessly into the environment,’ writes Jess (file image)

The communal areas include a lounge, bar, domed dining area and a 20-metre swimming pool (above), all overlooking the vast plains

The photo shows the lounge area, which is furnished with mid-century furniture and housed under a thatched roof

Jess describes her suite as ‘breathtaking’. It is one of the lodge’s twelve suites and two villas

Jess’s suite features “a king-size four-poster bed, expansive living room, sunken bath and shower.”

At one end of Jess’ suite is an outdoor bath and shower room, fitted with a freestanding copper bath

During a morning game drive at 6.30am, cozy with hot water bottles and blankets, Mighty explains that the animals in the area all know that the game drive vehicles pose no threat.

But it still makes my heart beat faster when we encounter a pride of six lions, two of which are feasting on a warthog.

We watch in silence as a young male playfully drags the remains past the rest of the pack, who have already had their fill. “They’ve eaten now, don’t worry,” Mighty says as we follow them to a watering hole.

We are so close that we can see the blood on their paws. The sight is horrifying, but the ever-calm Mighty assures me that we pose no threat unless we get out of the vehicle.

We see them again on an afternoon ride in slightly less intimidating poses, lazing in the shade and fighting to keep their eyes open. Full of feed, they barely register our presence.

The suite features a private terrace and plunge pool overlooking the private concession

The suites are connected by ‘winding wooden walkways’, over which elephants occasionally step (see video)

Elephants graze near the lodge, located between the Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains

Jess is treated to sunsets in a picturesque setting ‘where cocktails, a fire and smiling Atzaró staff await’

Jess drinks a gin and tonic in front of a ‘striking red sunset and a lagoon where a group of hippos swim’

Atzaró Okavango rates start from $690 (£545) per person and go up to $1,490 (£1,177) per person per night during peak season

Jess encounters a pride of lions during a game drive. “The sight is horrifying,” she writes

After all the excitement, Mighty decides it’s time for sundowners and takes us to a scenic area where cocktails, a fire and smiling Atzaró staff await us.

Behind us is a striking red sunset and a lagoon where a group of hippos swim. Unaffected by their scratching, I notice how quickly the fear disappears after a gin and tonic.

It is one of the many unforgettable moments of the trip. Other (arguably less attractive) sights include a pair of warthogs mating and a lone hyena devouring a dead hippopotamus.

We also encounter baboons, porcupines, pelicans, a honey badger, bat-eared foxes, an African civet cat and a pack of rare African wild dogs.

As we battle the bumpy roads back to the lodge, I ask Mighty if he’s afraid of animals. “No,” he says. ‘I feel safer in the bush than in the city.’

I think I get what he means – even the squeaking and sound of breaking branches at night don’t scare me, but instead help lull me to sleep, of course, with a king-sized bed fit for royalty.