Into Botswana

Friday 11th December 2015 – Up at 6am, we quietly packed our bags, had breakfast, donned our backpacks and strode along the dusty road to catch a bus to cross the river to Botswana…along the way a taxi pulled up and two hot, red Dutch faces popped out of the window! We had shared an 8 bedded mixed dorm with them and they asked if we wanted to share a taxi…bartering a good price with the driver we set off along the surprisingly straight road (the Romans would be proud!).

Half way along the taxi driver did a complete U turn on the road and pulled up on the other side. There majestically standing was our first sighting of an elephant! Around her five or six calves played hide and seek with one another among the Zambian bushes and trees. My heart melted…wild…free…and how they should be. We all sat and gazed at the playful scene as her ears flapped happily, cooling her as she snacked on branches and watched her offspring with amusement…the scene, painted in my memory, never to be forgotten.

We drove on, arriving at the River Zambezi, we checked into customs, bought our ticket and crossed the narrow river over to Botswana. There we were befriended by Rachel, who guided us to a taxi, insisted that we swap numbers and chat later to see we were safe and then shared our taxi to our next stop, Thebe River Lodge. It was still only 9.30 am and we booked a bedded tent for two nights and reserved our morning game drive and night river cruise for the next day. Popping into town (where we copied the locals and shared a taxi to town for 24p) we got provisions, headed back to camp where we found that our tent had been erected with two comfy beds made up, it really was glamping! That night we slept soundly under Aaron’s mosquito net.

Saturday 12th December 2015 – Up at 5am, we were meeting our game driver at 5.45 to drive for three hours through Chobe National Park. There were only two others with us…South African Hendrik with his raven headed Dutch lady friend awaited our arrival…Hendrik was already set up for a morning of capturing animals on his 300 times magnification lens and tripod! We climbed in the back of the safari jeep and Jeff, our guide, sped off to the park. Our first sighting were two butch male warthogs, comical and entertaining in their posture and movements…a little further six spotted hyenas nervously tried to pass in front or behind our vehicle…the African bush was living up to its name! We pulled off down a dusty track and came to the water hole, just beyond impala skipped and jumped…many of them young almost like a nursery. Buffalo next lazily grazing by the water, fish eagles eyeing up their prey and then…under a tree, in the shade, a magnificent male lion, his lioness next to him, flicking his tail in contempt of us…his glorious mane crowning him. On the road out of the park by the water front a lone elephant bull started walking our way…we quickly started to video his ascent towards us, tail swishing from side to side to swat the flies. He passed right in front of us, looked us right in the eye with knowing and intelligence and journeyed on to graze on higher ground.

Back at camp we napped then awoke for our evening cruise on the River Chobe.  Arriving at our boat, again Hendrik was awaiting the masses of us that leapt on, around 40 of us in total. Again, like deja-vu, we sat behind him…his tripod again in prime location! We drifted off down the river Chobe for another three hours of animal magic. Hippos, crocodiles, birds of so many kinds, elephants, water bucks, a warthog and her three offspring, kudu, and then in the distance, graceful, gentle and glorious…a family of eleven giraffes…stooping low to drink, then craning their necks to feed…a sight to behold. Three hours later we docked and returned to camp, had an early dinner and looked through our photos with awe.

Sunday 13th December 2015 – We showered, packed our bags and got a shared taxi into Kasane. There we got a bus to Nata and a second bus to Maun. In total an 8 hour journey across Botswana in a south west direction. We finally arrived at our new camp, Audi Camp, chose a luxury bedded tent for three nights and settled down to drinks and dinner looking out over the Okavango Delta.