Sunset campfire in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Golden Hall in Musikverein, Austria
Behold the greatest sunset of your life at an African sundowner( Botswana) – You may be familiar with a“ sundowner” as a drink that’ s enjoyed at sunset. But in Botswana, a sundowner is a ritual that you enjoy at the end of your day on safari. It’ s a complete experience that marries wildlife and wilderness: a sunset, fellow travelers, shared stories and, yes, a cocktail. Picture yourself seated on an elevated wooden platform of your safari camp in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. The sun has morphed from bright white to a deep orange glow resting just above the horizon. You sip your chilled sundowner beverage— an earthy, local sorghum beer— and focus on the African elephants in the distance, their large ears and skinny tails waving as silhouettes against the sun. You share stories of today’ s game drive— sighting a leopard and her cub high in a tree, a glimpse of a cheetah as it disappears into the camouflage of tall yellow grasses and the sound of buffalo hooves as a herd tramps by. As these stories float between you and your travel mates, the setting sun shimmers, casting the entire scene in front of you in crackled diamond light, and you feel more alive and present than you’ ve ever felt.
Hear the most magnificent melodies at the Musikverein( Austria) – Does sound have a shape? Does it curve, float or bend? You might consider these questions as you sink into your plush seat at the Musikverein, a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, revered for its historic splendor and acoustic magic. Here, sound seems to have a shape. You notice that everything about this place is surprisingly tactile— the hands of the orchestra performers as they hold a violin’ s bow or the tap the keys of a flute, the subtle electric charge in the air from the collective human energy and the vibrations coming through the wood floor that tingle the soles of your feet. When the music begins, it becomes clear that this place is acoustically special, and the layers of melody feel as though they are wrapping around you, intertwining you with your fellow listeners. This moment becomes a collective sensory experience. You may even find yourself closing your eyes, absorbing every single beautiful note, and wondering if this is what transcendence is like. Sometimes life’ s darker seasons come with unexpected gifts— like helping us see what really matters. Why not start your new season with some awe and joy? Reach out to our travel agency today and begin planning your own lifeaffirming journeys.
12 · ESCAPE Winter 2025