The basket sits quietly on a wooden table overlooking the floodplains. Guests pass it on their way to breakfast. They pause, run a hand along its woven edge and turn it over to study the intricate detail. Some leave it where it is. Others carry it to the counter, curious about where it came from and who made it.
What they cannot see is the journey behind it. Long before it arrived in a safari camp in the Okavango Delta, it existed as an idea in the mind of entrepreneur Gorata Bantsi, founder of Adorned, by Rati. Inspired by natural textures and everyday comfort, she creates handcrafted baskets, bags and home pieces designed to bring warmth into living spaces.
Like many makers, Bantsi works in a world where the value of an object is not measured only by its function. A basket is never simply a basket. It carries traces of the hands that shaped it, the inspiration behind it and the stories woven into it.
Through the CURO Shops introduced by African Bush Camps, Adorned, by Rati products are finding their way into the hands of travellers from across the world. The retail spaces, currently operating at Atzaro Okavango and Khwai Leadwood, are dedicated to locally produced goods and offer guests an opportunity to encounter Botswana beyond its wildlife.
That story now extends to some of Botswana’s most celebrated safari destinations.
Through the CURO Shops introduced by African Bush Camps, Adorned, by Rati products are finding their way into the hands of travellers from across the world. The retail spaces, currently operating at Atzaro Okavango and Khwai Leadwood, are dedicated to locally produced goods and offer guests an opportunity to encounter Botswana beyond its wildlife.
There is something fitting about finding these pieces in the Delta. The landscape itself is an exercise in craftsmanship. Channels carve their way through reeds.
Termite mounds rise from floodplains. Weaver birds build intricate nests that sway in the wind. Everywhere, there is evidence of creation. The products of Adorned, by Rati feel like an extension of that same instinct.
For African Bush Camps, creating space for businesses like Bantsi’s is part of a broader belief that tourism should benefit more than the visitor. Every item purchased creates a direct connection between traveller and maker. Every sale extends the story beyond the camp and into the communities where these products originate.
Many visitors will return home with photographs of elephants, lions and sunsets. Some will return with a woven basket tucked carefully into their luggage.
Years later, it may sit in a lounge, hallway or kitchen thousands of kilometers somewhere in New York, Tokyo, Brussels, Beijing, or London. And every time it catches the light, it will tell a small part of the story of where it came from.
Founded by Zimbabwean guide Beks Ndlovu, African Bush Camps is a leading luxury safari operator dedicated to authentic, conservation-focused travel. “Our Experiences offer bespoke safaris that celebrate Southern Africa’s diverse landscapes, wildlife, and communities.”
