The owners of Jao, Cathy and David Kays, hosted an elegant sleepout under the stars for us. The staff takes great pride in planning and preparing these outings. The attention to detail was amazing...from the handcrafted dinner menus to the handcrafted boxes with bedtime chocolates artistically placed next to our beds. Even the toilet was elegant -- a beautiful piece of woodwork, hand carved from a tree trunk.

The best part of this sleepout was talking with the Kays. David Kay, a third generation Botswanan, and his wife have a strong commitment to Botswana and its people. Although they currently have the rights to the Jao concession, the government does allow hunting and issues permits based on the area's yearly quota. To ensure the game population does not decrease due to hunting, the Kays reserve the entire year's quota for the concession and lose $300,000 in revenue. In addition, as part of the Wilderness Safaris Bana ba Naga program patterned after Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall organization, they are helping to educate the local tribes on conservation. Early in 2003, another of their Delta camps, Jacana, was closed for 2 months to host a number of local underprivileged children. Each group of kids stayed at Jacana for a week, learning about tourism and how it helps the local community. The hope is they will return home enlightened and energized, and educate their elders on the merits of conserving Botswana's natural resources.

This was a camping experience we will not soon forget!