We’re Thrilled To Welcome a Surprising New Member of the ABC Family!

We recently received some wonderful news from a couple who had visited our Linyanti Bush camp for an extra-special romantic safari to celebrate their honeymoon! Just two short months after their stay at our camp, the couple found out they were expecting, and after their precious daughter was born, they decided to name her Evelyn, after the host at Linyanti Bush Camp.

We are thrilled for the newlyweds and the latest addition to their family. It is such a privilege to have one of our dedicated staffers honoured in such a special way. At African Bush Camps, we regard our guests as extended members of our ABC family. You can rest assured that you are our number one priority during your stay. This includes making sure you have a fully immersive African safari experience, which is not limited to wildlife sightings or jam-packed itineraries, but making sure you are able to experience our authentic African hospitality through meaningful interactions and conversations, whether it be on a game drive, sunset dinner or while you’re spending time in and around camp.

We were so curious to know more about the Gibbs family, their experience at Linyanti, and, of course, why they decided to name their daughter after Evelyn, so we did a small interview to get more insight.

Read all about it in the Q & A below:

What made you decide to choose African Bush Camps for your safari experience?

“When we first started planning our honeymoon we knew we wanted to do a safari. We originally looked at staying within South Africa for ease of travel but we quickly changed our mind after learning that there isn’t anything quite like an African safari in Botswana. It’s simply the best and we knew we wanted the best. It was also very important to us to have an authentic experience. We wanted our guides to be exceptionally knowledgeable and more importantly, we wanted to have to work at finding animals and not just be able to spot them within a fenced-in park. We truly got a very authentic experience at ABC. It did not disappoint and was definitely worth the trip to Botswana”.

What made you decide to spend some time at Linyanti Bush Camp?

“Our guide Yvonne at Trufflepig helped us with this decision. We told her we wanted a mixed experience on our trip. We wanted a more rustic camp to start off with and then move to a bit more luxurious camp at the end of our safari. Linyanti was the perfect start to our safari experience. It offered an authentic camp experience with a few modern-day comforts”.

How was your experience at Linyanti?

“Our experience at Linyanti was outstanding. This was definitely a highlight of our honeymoon. The moment we drove into camp to the sounds of the staff singing and dancing we knew we had found somewhere special. Our entire stay here completely surpassed any expectations we had. We connected so deeply to the staff who truly went above and beyond for us”.

What were the main highlights of your stay?

“The dinner we had around the boma (firepit) was a definite highlight. Getting to mingle among the guests and other staff and share stories from our game drives that day was amazing. We talked about our families and shared different traditions close to our heart. My husband said his second favorite was witnessing a “kill” of an impala by some wild dogs out on one of the game drives. Our guide Dutch went above and beyond to track animals we wanted to see and share stories. Another highlight for me was going out on the mokoro. Our guide Kem3 (mokoro guide) shared so much knowledge with us. It was so fascinating and special being out there on the water, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it”.

How was your experience with our staff?

“I could write a whole page on the staff alone. Beginning with them singing us into camp to all the little things they did for us during our stay. Our bellies were always full and our water bottles always filled. The attention to detail was extraordinary. Dutch was our guide and we knew we got really lucky with him. He was so knowledgeable and answered any and every question we had. Every single person at the camp always greets you with a smile and everyone is always there to answer a question or fulfill a special request. One of the things that surprised us the most was how outstanding the food was. You could tell the chef took great care in preparing the meals and we ate extremely well while on safari”.

How did you decide on the name for your Baby Girl?

“Two short months after our honeymoon we found out we were pregnant with our first child. Both my husband and I were beyond thrilled. We decided not to find out the gender until the baby was born. All throughout the pregnancy people would ask us if we had any names picked out for the baby and we truly didn’t. I knew I needed to see my baby before naming him or her. My due date of June 19th came and went and I began calling the baby “my wilful child.” On June
27th, 2022 I delivered a baby girl after a very long and strenuous labour. She remained nameless for a few days and due to her difficult delivery, had to spend a few days in the NICU. This meant she wasn’t able to stay in our room with us like originally planned. It also delayed us bringing her home to the rest of her family anxiously awaiting her arrival. Being apart from her was very difficult for me as a new mom.

When my husband and I finally started discussing what we wanted to name her we both knew it had to be Evelyn after our host at Linyanti. Evelyn had just come back from maternity leave and had to be apart from her baby. I remember thinking how amazing and strong she was. She also went above and beyond for us. One of the days I wasn’t feeling very well. I insisted my husband go out on the game drive but I had to stay behind. Evelyn quite literally nursed me back to health. She cut up my fruit into tiny little bites that I could stomach, made me ginger tea and constantly came to check on me. I felt so cared for. It really felt like she was a member of our family.

When it came to naming our daughter we felt that our Evelyn really embodied the nurturing, strong characteristics of our dear sweet host. Our time at Linyanti was so special and it just felt right to give our daughter this moniker”.

Do you have a message for the team at Linyanti?

“We want to say special shout outs to our guide Dutch and Kem3 , you made our experience on safari so amazing. We can’t thank you enough for all of the knowledge and great stories you shared with us. Kem3 we particularly loved the one about the hippo and the fish bones! We look forward to coming again in a few years to visit. Sending lots of love from Canada :)”.

Do you have a message for your host at Linyanti, Evelyn?

“Evelyn, we are so grateful for the amazing hospitality you showed us during our stay at Linyanti. We truly never forgot it and when it came time to name our daughter we knew we wanted to honour you and our time at Linyanti. Thank you for everything you did for us. We look forward to coming to visit when our Evelyn gets older! Sending all our love from Canada xoxo”.