In the wild, the oldest female leads. Elephant herds follow their matriarch to water. Lionesses do most of the hunting. Spotted hyena clans are run by females. The Yoga Safari is built on that wisdom: slow down, pay attention, and trust the women who know the way.

Every morning starts on the mat, rooted and steady. Every day after that is Africa at full volume: the thunder of Victoria Falls, elephants at the river, lions in the long grass. In yoga we call the art of watching sakshi, the witness. On safari you practice it for real.

We travel as a small group with everything handled: lodging, meals, transfers, activities and daily yoga with Shelley Carroll, who has led retreats on six continents.

🐘 The Yoga Safari: 8 nights · Sept 18–26, 2027
Two nights in Victoria Falls and six nights at a private safari camp in Chobe. The heart of the trip.

🦁 The Full Expedition: 13 nights · Sept 18–Oct 1, 2027
Everything in The Yoga Safari, plus four nights on a fully serviced mobile safari through Savuti and Khwai, at the doorway of the Okavango Delta, in peak dry season. Then one last night at Victoria Falls. This is the bucket-list version.

This expedition is rooted in community, reverence, and responsibility. We travel in small numbers and partner with locally operated teams who live and work on this land. We honor the ecosystems that hold us, move with awareness, and approach this experience not as spectators but as respectful guests. The practices woven into our days — movement, breath, shared meals, conversation around the fire — are meant to deepen connection to one another and to the wild places that sustain us. This is travel that expands you while honoring where you are.

We land in Zimbabwe and go straight to the water. Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, "The Smoke That Thunders," is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. You feel it in your chest before you see it. We walk the rainforest trail through the spray, settle into our partner lodge, and open the journey together over dinner.

Day two starts with sunrise yoga on the Zambezi, followed by lunch overlooking the river. The rest of the day is yours. Rest, wander, or add an optional excursions like a helicopter flight, sunset cruise or a rhino game drive.

On day three we cross into Botswana. A Chobe River boat safari takes us past elephants bathing on the banks, hippos surfacing and crocodiles sunning themselves, with lunch served on board. Then we head to camp, watching for wildlife the whole way.

For six nights, a private-use safari camp on the edge of Chobe National Park is ours. Glamping tents overlook the savannah. An open-air shala feels like part of the bush. A chef learns your name, and the guides grew up on this land.

Days follow the sun. We practice at sunrise, then head out in open 4x4s into Chobe National Park, looking for elephant herds, buffalo, lions in the long grass and leopards in the trees. We glide through quiet channels by mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe. We take guided nature walks on the floodplains near camp, reading tracks and learning the plants. We spend a day with the Basubiya community: a village tour, a visit to the local school and museum, and basket weaving or drumming. Evenings end around the fire, with a bush dinner under the stars and a boma dinner with traditional dance.

Chobe is vast and intimate all at once. Over six days we slow down, pay attention, and start to move like the matriarch: steady, aware, and sure of the way.

Sept 26: The Yoga Safari closes with a final sunrise at camp and a transfer to Victoria Falls Airport (VFA), about three hours through Chobe National Park.

Full Expedition only · Sept 26–Oct 1

On day nine, The Yoga Safari heads home. The Full Expedition keeps going, and you'll want to be on it.

The landscape shifts. The roads narrow. The sky gets bigger.

For four nights we move deeper into wild Botswana on a fully serviced mobile safari. First comes Savuti, where elephants gather in staggering numbers and lions patrol the dry riverbeds. Then Khwai, the doorway to the Okavango Delta, where the water draws everything in.

Water, earth, sky and fire. Movement at sunrise, stillness under the stars. We start at the thunder of Victoria Falls, cross the Chobe River and go into Chobe National Park. For the Full Expedition, we continue through Savuti to Khwai at the edge of the Okavango Delta. We cross some of Africa's wildest country and go deeper into ourselves and each other. Africa widens your view and makes it very clear what matters. The Yoga Safari is your invitation to follow the matriarch and come home clearer, together, and changed.

When you book a DDY Travels retreat, we immediately commit real money on your behalf: your room, your meals, your guides, your ceremonies, your transfers. Our partners require payment far in advance, and most of those payments cannot be recovered. That is why all retreat payments are non-refundable, and why we require travel insurance. Please read every word of this before you book.

Protect Yourself: Get CFAR Insurance

Travel insurance is required for every guest. Your policy must cover trip cancellation, trip interruption, and emergency medical expenses, including medical evacuation.

We strongly recommend a policy with Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. It is the single best way to protect your investment.

Standard travel insurance only pays when you cancel for a reason listed in the policy, such as a covered illness or a family emergency. CFAR pays when your reason is on no list at all: a new job, a breakup, a change of heart, a bad feeling. If life happens, CFAR is what gets money back into your pocket. DDY Travels can't.

How CFAR typically works (always confirm the details of your own policy):

• You must buy it within a short window after your first payment, often 14 to 21 days. Buy insurance the same day you book.

• You usually must insure the full non-refundable cost of your trip.

• It typically reimburses a portion of your costs, often 50 to 75 percent.

• You usually must cancel a set time before departure, often at least 48 hours.

You can purchase insurance through WeTravel's partner at checkout or from any provider you choose. Choosing to travel without the required coverage means you accept the full financial risk of cancellation, interruption, and medical costs yourself.

When Refunds Happen

Refunds are rare, and we want you to know exactly where you stand. A refund is issued in only two situations:

1. DDY Travels cancels the retreat. If we cancel for any reason, including not reaching our minimum group size of 10 guests, you receive a full refund of all payments made to DDY Travels.

2. Your spot is filled from the waitlist, within our window. If you cancel in writing more than 90 days before departure, and a new guest books and fully pays for your exact spot, we will refund your payments minus your non-refundable deposit. Both conditions must be met. We will make a good-faith effort to fill your spot, but we cannot guarantee it, and you remain responsible for your payments until it is filled.

In every other situation, including any cancellation within 90 days of departure, no refunds or credits are issued. That is exactly what CFAR insurance is for.

Transferring Your Spot

Can't go? You may transfer your spot to another person one time, with our written approval, before June 15, 2027.. Your replacement must complete our registration and participation agreement. Payments between you and your replacement are your responsibility.

Payments

Your deposit is non-refundable. Your final payment is due June 15, 2027.. If a payment is missed and not resolved within 7 days of our reminder, your spot may be released and the booking treated as a cancellation under this policy.

If DDY Travels Cancels or Changes the Retreat

Our refund covers only payments made to DDY Travels. We are not responsible for airfare, hotels, visas, gear, or any other costs you arrange on your own, so book flexible or refundable flights where possible and let insurance cover the rest.

Itineraries may change because of weather, venue needs, local conditions, or guest safety. We'll always swap in an experience of equal spirit when we can. Changes to individual activities do not entitle anyone to a refund.

Delays, Missed Activities + Early Departure

No refunds or credits are issued for:

• late arrivals or missed transfers

• missed activities, meals, or nights

• early departures, for any reason

• personal schedule changes

• flight cancellations, travel delays, illness, or any circumstance outside the control of DDY Travels

If you are removed from the retreat because your behavior endangers or seriously disrupts the group, no refund is issued and any extra travel costs are yours.

All Cancellations in Writing

To cancel or request a transfer, email hello@ddytravels.com. Your cancellation date is the date we receive your email.

Acknowledgment of Terms

By submitting any payment for The Yoga Safari: Follow the Matriarch in Botswana, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to this policy in full, including the non-refundable payment terms and the travel insurance requirement.

You agree that any dispute about payments will be raised directly with DDY Travels at hello@ddytravels.com, and you agree not to initiate a credit card chargeback or payment dispute for any reason covered by this policy.