Jenny Handley pens her story of learning to draw in the bush
I’m a planner and a dreamer, now a drawer. This year, I decided I wanted to go to the bush, learn how to draw, and treat myself to an art escape. I was euphoric when all three were offered in one invitation—to experience Belmond’s first Sketchbook Safari. Having experienced inimitable Belmond hospitality, from Cape Town to London, Peru to Portofino, Mallorca to Madeira, Venice, and the Orient Express, I knew this would be learning in slow luxury, the Belmond way.
At Maun Airport in Botswana, five creatives and renowned botanical artist Vicki Thomas bonded before the 40-minute flight to Savute Elephant Lodge in the Chobe reserve. Our eyes were opened on the first game drive. Giraffe, impala, and elephant were simply sketched while Vicki gave us basic tips and principles of drawing. Under her tutelage, the shapes of clouds and birds came alive, while grasses, plants, and flowers beckoned. Goms, our guide, patiently stopped for us to draw a sighting of lions quietly crunching away at a porcupine. Our creative spirits had been unleashed, and even during downtime in our luxury tents, we would have a pencil in hand.
LEARNING TO LOOK
On our first sunset game drive—complete with Negronis, bubbles, local Okavango beer, and gin—we learnt about the colours of the sky. Back ‘home’, Vicki captivated us with a watercolour demonstration, and we were eager to try. Her gentle encouragement brought out the best in each sketcher, whether novice or accomplished, and we were fuelled by one another’s efforts.
Every breakfast, lunch, high tea, and dinner presented another opportunity for appreciation. The cuisine was light and local, imaginative and delicious—like Botswana beef peppered with wild mushroom and truffle samp, charred greens, and a balsamic jus. Chef Miss B hand-crafted world-class scones with homemade jams, a featherlight chocolate cake, and the delectable, slightly sweet lebele bread, made from sorghum and sour milk. Native ingredients like baobab powder, marula fruit, jackalberry, and mangosteen were showcased to their best advantage.
DEVOURING DETAIL
As the sun rose to highlight the Botswana skyline, Vicki stopped the game drive for us to botanise, collecting a broad spectrum of flora to sketch. We attempted to capture the impressive sight of a leopard in a tree—easier said than done as she shifted constantly to find comfort on her branch! I was eager to get back to the steady ground of the lodge to breathe colour and life into my drawing of a lion roaring. But first, lunch—always a choice of three salads, three mains, and two desserts. The seswaa and morogo flatbread with pulled beef, local spinach, tomato, and mozzarella was a favourite, with my piquant butter chicken a close second.
AN ELEVATED SENSE OF SOUND
A blissful hour of intense massage by therapist Kennie calmed my game-drive muscles. An unexpected stop in the stillness of baobab trees was punctuated with drinks, snacks, and group appreciation of these trees that have a unique spirit and shadow to cast. Vicki’s comment that art opens the neural pathways rang true as we quietly listened to the symphony of the bush. Early morning coffee was delivered by smiling staff to my deck, which overlooked a waterhole brushed by a kaleidoscope of colours. Used to seeing elephants and buck drinking, the loud arrival of a large pack of wild dogs, squealing, running, playing, and drinking, was thrilling.
FAREWELL SAVUTE, HELLO EAGLE ISLAND
A quick flight to the Okavango Delta brought another warm welcome with a calming cocktail of local melon and sage. The bush telegraph from Savute had informed Eagle Island Lodge of our preferences. Each guest, always greeted by name, was shown to their lavish tent, complete with a huge tub, a private plunge pool, and every comfort. The main lodge, with its soothing, undulating architectural lines, and the Fish Eagle Bar at the water’s edge, was where we would gather for art between memorable meals. There were always light options, like fish or chicken, and enticing tastes for vegetarians too. My dinner of pistachio and cranberry chicken roulade with citrus local greens, Rooibos jus, snap peas, and baby corn was a sterling example.
FEEDING MY SOUL
I managed a quick chat with chef Lee to discover what inspires him to produce such tasty fare, always paired with premium South African wines. He ‘fuels his juice’ with Pinterest and indigenous ingredients, using Asian flavours to elevate his dishes. “The greens remind me of my family and culture. In our village, we plough and pound the local greens. We use lebele (sorghum) and korong (wheat). We eat simply, but the best—anything local, like beef and butternut. The beef we prepare pounded, stewed, or as a fillet, and you can taste the difference in our pasture-fed cattle. At home, we eat the offal before the meat. We also know how to cook Cornish hens, reared in our village. They’re big and tough, so we cook them long and slow.”
That night the dish he is most proud of—trout with pea velouté, roast potato, blistered cherry tomato, and beurre blanc—was a testament to his culinary prowess. His seswaa (pounded beef) showcased his love of local, while the lava cake revealed his baking talent.
THE RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
It was the lure of a restful, long-awaited mokoro trip on the river, and the chance to paint it, that tore me away from watching baboons, impala, and elephant from the serenity of my tent. Amarula cheesecake hit a high spot at dinner, the low spot was being asked to disclose our weight…definitely three kilos greater than on arrival! A surprise heli flip over the undulating delta kicked off the next day. As the helicopter blades whirred, I was overwhelmed by the vast expanse of the desert, a pride of lions, pods of hippo, plus elephants and giraffe from above.
“Game drives have always been from one big sighting to another, now I see the little bits in between,” Seth Shezi, winner of Celebrity MasterChef South Africa 2025.
MAKING A MARK
One by one, the smiling Eagle Island team joined our artist group to sketch, their deep appreciation for the surrounds reflected as they made marks on their paper. Our final sundowner session was on the banks of the river, where we witnessed 20 hippos at play in the water. The sounds of silence and pencils softly scratching on paper were interjected by the throaty chuckles of these large, dangerous yet seemingly innocuous wild animals.
Vicki consolidated all that we had learnt over a sumptuous breakfast. It was with pride and joy that we admired one another’s efforts, knowing that we would never look at life in the same way again.
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