Exploring Botswana

Well here we are nearly a year on from our amazing trip to Africa and part three of the blog in Botswana had not even been started. I am writing the final segment in a very different world now that covid-19 has arrived -but let’s put that aside and look back on the last amazing section of our trip with Merubisi Safaris

I start this as we leave Namibia and head into Botswana. Here are some shortcuts if you want to jump to sections further on as it is long:

• Maun
• Khwai
• Moremi
• Final day

Days 15/16 Caprivi strip

1. Where we stayed
   Ngepi Campsite 
2. What we saw
   buffalo, bush buck, carmine bee-eater, egret, egyptian goose, elephant, fish eagle, hippopotamus, kingfisher (white fronted), kudu, lilac breasted roller, giraffe, goliath heron, oryx,  ostrich, oxpeckers, roan antelope, springbok, spur-winged geese, stalk (marabou and yellow beaked), steenbok, warthog, waterbuck, crocodile, zebra
3. Tip of the day
   Take time to smell the roses, no matter how long you are there you will still never see everything.
4. Fact of the day.
   You can tell the gender of the little crocodile we saw by the colour yellow is the female and dark is the male. They can stay under water for 2 hours.

Travelling to Ngepi

Leaving our quick overnight stop at Fiume Lodge we had a long day in the vehicle ahead. Made all the longer for me as I had my first unsettled tummy and toilets are not that common.  It was interesting driving though watching the villages and homes along the roadside. There seems to be a real vibrancy to them, while they look very simple, they are clearly incredibly functional. The buildings are set around a central area for animals. For protection maybe.

As we got off the main road and headed towards our accommodation for the night at Ngepi we hit another sand road. There was a hilarious sign that said Land Rovers and 2-wheel drives one-way, Toyotas the other. The Toyota route was the hardest, having a dig at Land Rovers. So we of course we went the Toyota way and promptly got stuck in the sand. Adding insult to injury we were passed by a Land Rover. I guess you had to be there, but it was extremely funny.  Not what we wanted at the end of a long day but letting a bit more air out of the tyres and disconnecting the trailer saw us in action again. Then we hooked the trailer back up and were off to our accommodation.

Oh, wow the accommodation was impressive. Tree houses built over the river. We didn’t really have time to explore on arrival as we had a boat trip to do but we left our bags with Ras and couldn’t wait to get back and see which one we were in.

Boat ride on the delta

We were running a bit late at this time and I had to ask Bora: “if it was possible if we could ever arrive anywhere on time?” He good-naturedly just laughed. One thing you learn on a trip like is that things happened in the time that they happened and to be fair they always did actually eventuate.  This day had really taken it out of me but that was all about to change for the better.

The boat ride was a motorised raft on the river and was another one of many big highlights of the trip. I think after an exhausting day pulling out the gin and snacks and sitting on the raft watching endless birdlife, hippos, crocs, elephants, etc. you can imagine it was hard to beat.

The variety of birds was just incredible, and they were all just hanging out at the sides of the river. The true experience though was as we floated past a family of hippopotamus and one of the adults raised his head out of the water let out an enormous yawn and gave us the classic shot. Just wow is this for real.  We also watched a herdsman bringing his cattle across the river – with crocodiles and hippopotamus everywhere we assume he knew how to read the river.

We continued for quite some time like this, finishing at the end of the day watching a large flock of Carmine bee-eaters on a cliff face and watching elephants coming down to the water’s edge to drink in the dying sunlight. Honestly it was such an incredible experience.

Evening in the treehouses

Next it was off to the tree houses to unpack into the huts. They had no doors or walls just a screen you could drop around the bed and below you was the river with hippos grunting and birds everywhere. It really was quite magnificent though I think I would have been nervous if I been there on my own. Dinner tonight, back with a great meal produced again by Chris, right by the water’s edge. The guys were tenting this time right near the river.  We all crashed early deciding to have a morning off tomorrow to catch up. We would head out later tomorrow to give us a break from the crazy pace.

Ngepi full day

Woke up this morning to the sound of the hippos in the river.  Took the tripod literally 3 feet from the bed to capture the sun rising out in front of us, how easy is this. I really do like my sunrises so was happy with this view. Meanwhile Cam didn’t even need to get out of bed to see it.

Having decided last night we all needed a quiet morning there was time to catch up and just wander around this very cool camping spot. The owners clearly have a fantastic sense of humour; the signs around the place and the way they named various facilities was very very funny.

It also gave us a chance to send a couple of emails to the family and just take our time before our afternoon drive. Cam even managed to get a run in at this spot as it was one of the places where we knew we were safe from animals. Generally, Cam is a wonderer and easy to lose but travelling in Africa those tendencies had to be curbed. So, it was great that he got to have a good explore watching the locals getting about their daily tasks.

Today was one of the few days we only did one drive and it was at a much more relaxed pace. The wildlife here were less abundant but we ticked off some animals we had not seen yet. The landscape though, with massive baobab trees and wind storms around the tributaries, made for yet another interesting drive.  The highlight was at one waterhole where some very large bull elephants turned up. One walking within meters of the vehicle and watching the oxpeckers just covering any animal coming to have a drink.

A bit of nausea that had been building up gave me a bit of trouble today.  Over the next few days, I would realise that it was linked to my malaria medication I had recently started and eventually had to cease.

Day 17 Maun, Botswana

1. Where we stayed
   Audi Camp
2. What we saw
   Birds (many at breakfast), cattle, donkeys, hippopotamus, horses
3. Tip of the day
   Don’t be tricked by a ‘tar’ road, still plenty of potholes to dodge
4. Fact of the day.
   Leopards are most seen out of trees. They climb trees mainly to secure their prey, get a vantage point and avoid predators.

Driving to Botswana

We woke up to another beautiful sunrise on our deck at Ngepi. You are literally just in among the bush completely open to the air. This accommodation will certainly be in our top few list and we would fully recommend it. Just check though that you get a treehouse over the water. Carol and Mike’s tree house was on the bank of the river and during the night a hippopotamus walked up and slept outside!

Today was another day of travelling as we headed to Maun. The roads were sealed that did not mean they were pot hole free. More fantastic views out the window watching the villages as we went through.

Arriving at Maun and we were deposited nicely at a very cool (literally) cafe. A great chance to catch up on a few chores on the internet and chill out a little. The team was busy restocking and preparing for the next few days in the bush.

Audi campsite

We stayed tonight at a campsite just out of Maun where we had the luxury of permanent tents complete with ensuite. We really enjoyed the safari tents on the trip but having a little bit of room to move around and your own bathroom is certainly a treat.

The river at Maun runs through the town.  Our campsite on the outskirts of Maun was beside the river, but the river was completely dry so watching the animals coming down to drink was not going to be a happening thing. The Okavango delta still had plenty of water we were told. That definitely turned out to be the case.

Dinner was at the restaurant tonight. Bora gave Ras and Chris the night off as they both had family and friends in Maun to catch up with.  During dinner a group of local school boys turned up to entertain us before we crashed in preparation for another big day.

Day 18-20 Khwai, Botswana

1. Where we stayed
   Camping by a waterhole at Khwai
2. What we saw
   African barred owl, African jacana, bateleur eagle, carmine bee-eaters, elephants, fish eagle, giraffe, great egret, great heron, hippopotamus, hyena and pups, leopard, lion, little bee-eater, martial eagle, opened beak stork, secretary bird, reedbuck, roller birds, springbok, waterbuck, warthog, yellow billed egret, zebra
3. Tip of the day
   As a make-do lubricant, pour a bit of water on your dusty hi-lift jack
4. Fact of the day.
   Mechanic/welders do remote callouts on Sundays from Maun

Drive into the Game Reserve

We were off to Khwai for 3 nights in the bush.  We were all excited about this part of the trip, we are seeing so much and experiencing so many different locations but heading to the bush was certainly high up on the list for Cam and I. Loaded up with groceries and drinks for a week in the bush, we were warned that it was going to be a bumpy ride.

The first leg was 3 hours on a very pot holed road. Less than an hour in the trailer did a particularly large bump and buckled the spring. We were going nowhere. While the team worked out the best way to get this welded and repaired, we waited to see what the plans would be.

Rescue

Lucky for us another Safari vehicle came past that the guys knew and while it was a private trip the people on the trip were really happy for us to sit in their guides’ open Safari vehicle while they were comfortable in an enclosed four-wheel drive. With Ras, lunch, and cameras accompanying us we were off again. Leaving Bora and Chris to solve the vehicle dilemma on a Sunday afternoon in Maun!

We were hugely grateful to continue our trip, be it a very dusty one on a dirt road in a completely open vehicle. Still plenty of giraffe to watch sitting in the shade (first time I saw a giraffe not standing up). All was going well till we got a flat tire! I think this is the reality of travelling in Africa much of the time the roads are rough. It didn’t take too long to get that fixed, with our experienced Ras showing his mastery with a hi-jack lift and we were off again.

There are several gates that you come into the park through where you must show your permits. We ended up in a slightly different part of the reserve but it all got sorted. They got their private passengers sorted while we had a look around (though not going far). There was a rickety old bridge we were about to pass over with monkeys walking all over it, elephant herds feeding in the river and it was just like wow all over again. I also found a little reference booklet here with pictures of the animals and birds you might see, to tick off as you go. The book was a lifesaver helping me remember names of the huge variety of wildlife we saw.

Mokoro

The team that had rescued us kindly took us further on to join a planned mokoro trip to finish the day. We were hugely grateful for their generosity in helping us out. The mokoro are a dugout canoe that you sit in while someone stands at the end and takes you through the water it means you are eye level with the birds and the animals and the hippopotamus!

While we were getting tired by now, the planned 3hrs turning into all day, this was the perfect way to finish off.  It was just the four of us with a mokoro each the drama of the day just melted away.  The guides were so informative and there was so much going on. Being later, we also got the light as the sun was setting and the colours were just fantastic. The silhouette of the sun caught Ras in a mokoro he was testing out while waiting for us.

The drive back to the campsite remained. A highlight along the way was watching an elephant decide a tree was just a bit hard to eat standing up so it just pushed it over with its massive head. Some quick videoing to capture this, it was impressive!

Camp

The campsite was amazing, huge tents for us (which could contain a bush version of an ensuite), a big dining tent and then right outside of us a river pond complete with a resident hippopotamus. No fences and the sounds of animals all around. Cam and I were in heaven, this was just the ultimate experience we were looking for.

Ras and the locals finished setting up the campsite while we waited for the truck and repaired trailer to hopefully join us.

Bora and Chris had managed to find someone to weld and repair the trailer on a Sunday out of nowhere. Impressive, I think. But then just metres from the campsite the trailer got a flat tire -honestly, what a day!

Finishing the day though, sitting outside around the campfire with a gin, listening to the animals around us and reflecting on what was a pretty exhausting but remarkable day was just the perfect end. We were all alone here too, there were other campsites around but none very close by.

The safety rules were strict on us here so we could not leave our tents without getting one of the guys to guide us to the toilets. There was no wondering off even during the day. That certainly challenged Cam 😊. Fairly fair rules, given you could sit outside your tent and watch the hippopotamus in the pool, elephants wandering around and hear lions roaring. Seriously this was unreal.

First morning at camp

The morning gave us an opportunity for a good look around having arrived in the dark. The hippopotamus pool was very close!

About 4am we could hear the chomp chomp chomp of him coming back from grazing overnight as he returned to his pool. We thought he had to be pretty close to Carol and Mike’s tent. The trail marks and poop piles suggested he brushed the corner of their tent fly!

My nausea peaked over night. I woke with seconds to get out of the tent. No more description necessary. But given you’re not supposed to leave the tent in the middle of the night it was a tad spooky but there was no other option! Luckily my tummy settled, after that I stopped taking the Malarone and never had any more trouble.

Once it was light enough I got my escort to the toilets. An open top tent structure with toilet on one side and shower heated by firewood on the other. Yes! again this is what it is all about!

Getting ready to explore

Ras was our guide while we were in the in the bush, as this reserve is his home territory and he knows it well.  You can also get a little off-the-beaten-track here if you know where you’re going so, we got to have a fantastic and free explore over our days here. The guides also talk to each other and share sightings amongst themselves which increases the chances for all of us to see some of the highlights.  It is reciprocal though, if you find something you share it or you will soon find out you don’t hear much. We still felt like we were exploring alone though as its not highly populated.

Chris and Bora stayed at the camp and Bora was not going too far today with a sore back that was really giving trouble. I offered up my large bag of ‘just in case’ pain med drugs but not yet ‘let’s wait and see’ I thought.

First bush game drive in Botswana

Ras’s first tip off was a leopard in a tree. This was a definite for us to check out, high our list of things the four of us wanted to see.

We headed off with that in mind but first spent some peaceful time with an elephant herd. They wondered quietly past our vehicle taking little notice of us eating what appeared to be very dry and bare trees. Elephants are pretty plentiful here but you never tired of them.

We found the leopard sleeping amongst the branches and leaves of a high tree. What was left of his kill was hanging above him. There were a few other vehicles also watching but it was easy to find a safe spot to just stop and take it all in. It was surreal to experience this but uneventful for the leopard, he just slept totally oblivious and completely peaceful.

We spent the rest of the morning just driving around the reserve exploring wherever we felt there might be something of interest. We saw another leopard this time stalking some pray across the river. That was a cool sighting even if not an actual predatory chase.

The final sightings before lunch was a pride of lions asleep under a tree. This was probably the one moment I felt a little nervous. A lioness appeared to be looking straight at me through the open windows of the safari vehicle and if she chose to have me for lunch nothing would stop her. I could only relax knowing that Ras was super cautious about interactions with the wildlife, so I was probably safe.

The variety of birds was incredible. This is just a tiny selection to give you an idea.

Afternoon drive

We were late back for lunch again. I think Chris was getting used to this now. I think I have said before that great advantage of just the four of us and our own guide was that we could go where we needed to and spend as long as we needed to.  It made for some great experiences but also certainly some long days, which I am not complaining about.

The aim is to try to have a little rest after lunch and then head out again in the early evening for the next drive. We headed back to check on the leopard and he had come down from the tree. Quickly spotted him sleeping in the shade. What a magnificent animal.

The next stop was where Ras had heard some African wild-dogs might be. We found them but once they headed off to hunt we were unable to stay with them.  Instead we headed to a Hyena’s den at the end of the evening. Watching the pups and the mum’s and aunties all playing in the dying light was just beautiful. The drive back to the campsite became a night safari, spotting plenty of wildlife and adding rare sightings like a serval and plenty of birds. We didn’t choose to do a lot of night safaris as our days were already pretty long and the guys also needed a break occasionally!

Khwai day 2

No dramas last night so managed to sleep right through and stay in the tent, whew. Today day was pretty much a repeat of yesterday as in we just explored the area at our leisure. We saw so many birds and so much wildlife, we just went where the mood took us. Stopping for coffee and snacks along the way. Honestly, this is the life.

We did spend some time hanging out around an area where there was talk of a leopard with cubs. They are amazing at hiding them though, so we didn’t manage to get a look, though we did spot mum. It is useful to understand that while it is still a remote wilderness, these animals are more than use to safari vehicles coming past so we seem to hardly register.

During the afternoon it was pools of hippopotamus, birds feeding on the river, so many elephants, a hyena full of food heading back to the den and much more. 

The elephants were just feeding in the river, rolling in the mud or bathing themselves in the dust of the riverbanks. Once again, the reality of nature versus just all lovely and pretty paradise hit us. There were a few elephant calves with the end of their trunks missing. This meant they were unable to use them in the intended way to drink and pick up things so had to lean down with their mouths. As they grew this was likely to become more of a problem. We were unsure if it was due to an injury or birth defect.

Afternoon explore

After a lunchtime rest our afternoon drive took us back and around similar incredible sightings to this morning ending up back to check out the hyena den. The parents had not returned and the pups were staying very well hidden. One little pup’s face did pop out to raise our hope but with no adults around he scarpered straight back inside again. Such control those parents have! We had to make the call, as you often do on safari, as to whether to stay and wait for the parents in the dying light or head off to get sunset near the delta pools.

The sunset won this time and man did that turn out to be a good decision. At the pool were hippos everywhere, structural trees that were beautiful in the sunset and many birds fliting around. It was a magical evening, especially with gin in hand while soaking up the last rays of the sun and taking photos. I seem to mention Gin a lot – though there was debate about what I drank was even Gin given how weak it was. Its all about the experience.

Back at camp to another marvelous meal produced by Chris. Yet again a new soup to start the meal how he did it we have no idea but we certainly ate well.  Ending the day once again sitting around the campfire talking and filling in our stories from the day. This is the life; this is what I’ve dreamed of for so long coming true.

Days 21/23 Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana

1. Where we stayed
   Third Bridge, Moremi Game Reserve (Camping)
2. What we saw
   African jacana, black-backed and side striped jackal, carmine bee-eaters, crested guinea fowl, elephants, fish eagle, giraffe, hippopotamus, hyena, impala, kudu, leopard, lion, little bee-eater, marabou stork, pied kingfisher, red lechwe, roller birds, saddle billed stork, southern ground hornbill, springbok, steenbok, vultures (lappet-faced, hooded, white backed), waterbuck, warthog, wild dogs, wildebeest, zebra
3. Tip of the day
   Have your own guide, the information you get and the knowledge of the area is more than worth it.
4. Fact of the day.
   Hyena’s are much maligned due to the lion king but they are hugely intelligent animals and the females are among the most devoted mothers.

Heading to Moremi

Each morning we could check out our resident hippo and our resident fish eagle who just sat above the pool each morning looking for breakfast. This was a pack up and move on morning for the guys so we had a bit more time to take in what was around us. That meant the cameras came out to explore some local wildlife including an owl at camp.

For Kiwis, who are used to roughing it and mucking in, it seemed very strange to be looked after so well. We did what we could but they very much had a system that worked so we just stayed out the way until it was time to move on.

All loaded up, the main drives today were on the way to our new camp in the Moremei Game Reserve. Plenty to see along the way including a few new animals and birds to tick off in my booklet. One of the sights I really enjoyed, was when there are a group of animals all hanging out in the same place. This time it was the large elephants and the much smaller zebras. The contrast is very cool.

Boat ride on the delta

Our stop off on the way was a boat ride on the delta. This one was motorised but more like a raft with chairs.   The drivers son joined us, a very cute little boy who promptly fell asleep as soon as we started. Having so much water around in stark contrast to the dry land was incredible. Birds and elephants were the highlight of this trip though we did also spot a Red Lechwe which is said to be elusive and came near the water and a crocodile. The elephants were wading neck deep in the water eating the grass around them and in contrast to many we had seen they had huge tusks.  We stopped on an island to have a bit of a wander around before heading back to land.

Chris and Ras went ahead to set up the camp. The sand got the better of them and they ended up stuck so were a bit late coming back to get us. We left the spot just as the sun was setting and drove along watching a large herd of buffalo coming towards us while a solitary elephant was walking out into the distance. We could smell and see a kill being cleaned up by vultures. Just animals and birds doing their thing at the end of the day everywhere it was just fantastic to witness. 

Arriving at camp

As we drove into the campsite it was an incredible picture. In the bush, fire pit and candles set up all around by the locals that had helped. It really looked so magical. We were staying at the Third Bridge campsite. ‘Bridge’ is a fairly lose term to describe what we drove across. A row of poles of various lengths, loosely lashed together and mostly floating in the river.

This campsite was also in the bush and we were unable to go wandering off on our own. The facilities were a little more modern and few more people around us but still very remote.

The tents were all set up for us again. Recall that we travel with proper camp beds with mattresses, sheets and duvets, lights, a fan and power to charge our batteries. On this night it was warm, so we just had the fly screens uncovered.

During the night I could hear the animals close by and was both excited and nervous. I decided I did not want anyone looking in at me as their potential dinner and smartly dropped the screen covers.  Later in the day we came across a very elderly lioness damaged from a fight, so we were her only likely food anything else would be too hard to catch! I might have felt bad for her but not that bad so once again we made sure we followed the rules and stayed close to camp. Apparently, it was more likely a hyena I had heard.

First full day Moremi

The days left on the safari were slowly drawing to close and its started to feel very real that this adventure was going to be over soon.  I was very keen to do a very early start and be out while the sun rose. We were often out early getting the early light but I wanted to catch the sun rising in the bush away from camp. A cloudy sky foiled my plan. Cam and I were still up early and when the call came that there were African wild dogs hunting right here right now we were in the vehicle and off with Ras in moments.

We were just in time as they were really close to camp and heading off after something.  Parking the vehicle we just waited, soon they were coming past close to us some walking straight up to our vehicle. We followed for a little while but did not want to leave Carol and Mike behind. When Ras spotted the wild dogs they were not quite ready to rush out with the truck. We went back to the camp to begin our drive proper for the day. Bora and Chris stayed back at camp getting things ready for our return.

A leopard and two lions

It’s hard not to say that every day was a highlight because pretty much it was. But this drive was particularly impressive. As we were driving along Ras heard a black backed jackal barking. He worked out that sound meant that something was close by. Given that we can independently explore here we headed in to see what it was and up. Ahead of us in a tree was a leopard. As if it wasn’t enough Ras noticing the leopard up the tree looking around. He also spotted two male lions sitting amongst an ant hill having just stolen the leopards kill.

We just didn’t know which sight was the most exciting to watch, there was so much to take in. We decided to see how the lion brothers were getting on as the leopard wasn’t going anywhere fast. Watching them come and go from the kill they had stolen, every time they met greeting each other and playing was like being part of some African wildlife production. It just needed the voice over from David Attenborough.

Mostly we could organise everyone to get a good view from our truck. This was one of the few times where trying to get the best position for a photo was very challenging.  “Move forward, no don’t move forward now I can’t see go back, no don’t go back now I can’t see” . Anyhow we all managed to get some great shots and some video of these big cats. All the while the leopard was sticking up the tree. Suddenly one of the lions decided maybe he’d rather have leopard for lunch. He headed over to the leopard’s tree making an effort to jump up to climb it. So exciting and breath-taking to watch, but I think he was a bit full and not that motivated so he just wandered off when his first ascent attempt did not work.

Leopard exploring

The lions eventually moved on and we kept our distance while we kept an eye on what was happening. All this time we had been on our own, no other vehicles anywhere around us. Ras though, in the unwritten rules of good guides, had let others know so a couple of vehicles did arrive.

With the danger of the Lions gone, the leopard came down and then headed off across the park and up another tree. He just casually went about his way, with us keeping an eye on him. At the beginning of the trip Ras had tried to temper our (well my) expectations of seeing a leopard in a tree, but I guess we had been very lucky. It certainly helped we had such a skilled guide.

Afternoon drive

As you can imagine with all that happening, we were a bit late back for lunch. After a meal and a bit of a rest, we headed out for the afternoon drive.  Much less eventful but then the morning would be hard to top. Some very cool birds though and lots of wildebeest.

We also took a leg-stretch stop on the say back for Ras to teach us about the termite hills (see fact of the day).

On the way back to camp we spotted the old lioness hiding in the bushes. It’s pretty sad to watch nature in its often-harsh reality. It’s so much easier to just have a nice pretty picture of it all. During dinner a hyena popped its head into our circle. That really did bring home to us that we were in the middle of the wilds. They assured us hyenas could be just shooed away but had it been a lion possibly not so easy.

Last full day in Moremi

I was keen on getting the early sunrise that was hampered the day before. Sadly again it was cloudy. We can’t complain the weather had been amazing just unfortunate to have clouded over again today. Being our final full day in the park it was still good to get an early start.

Ras gave us the choice to go and look where Cheetahs might be, or see a mother and a baby leopard in a tree. We went with the latter as it was a lot more assured and who can resist a baby animal. Well not me that’s for sure. The directions from the other guides were really hilarious – “over the bridge, past the third such and such tree, over this bank, behind this anthill you’ll find a tree with a leopard and a baby.”  I guess it’s just like any direction giving; if the one giving it and the one getting it understand each other voilà you make sense of it. And we did.

A couple of other vehicles were already there when we found the two leopards. We had all day so we waited and watched them literally just hanging out on either side of the tree. We can’t believe how lucky we’ve been with leopard sightings. Not so lucky with cheetah sightings but very lucky with leopard sightings.

We eventually moved on being torn away from the sight in front of us to explore more of the park. Stopping of course for our usual cup of coffee somewhere where it was safe. Also, somewhere we could go “bushy bushy” i.e. boys find a bush that way, girls the other way.

Seeing nature in action

“How about an Elephant carcass” asked Ras. Hmm I was not so sure I really wanted to see a dead elephant, but I was assured it would be quite incredible. As we arrived you could see the enormous carcass and vultures everywhere. I really do mean everywhere, on the ground, in the trees, on the carcass. There was clearly a hierarchy between and within species. Then amongst it all was a hyena just pulling away at the carcass like it was beef jerky. Carol and I, originally not keen, just could not pull ourselves away from it. It was like a sight from the jungle book. But then the wind turned oh boy that moved us on quick.  If your curious we don’t know how the elephant died but it had both tusks so unlikely to be poachers.

Driving back around the park we came across a big flock of Carmine bee-eaters burrowing in the ground and flying. There were plenty of other sights.

Before we headed back, we went to check on the leopards again. This time it was just the cub in the tree. Mum may have gone hunting or for water and he was clearly told to stay put. He was just sleeping, yawning, and looking out across the park. Basically being so cute it was almost impossible to leave. Even a nearby warthog, could not entice this teenage cub to break mum’s ‘stay put’ order.

The thing that is amazing here is the ever-changing landscape in such a small space. There were water tributaries, dry barren dead trees, savannah like grasses – just so much variety.

Final afternoon drive

Our final afternoon drive was heading out to where a pride of lions had been seen. We drove around for quite some time trying to spot them and watching the interactions of other animals to identify where they might be, but it wasn’t to happen. This is after all the wild bush and interactions don’t happen on demand. I think I have mentioned this before, but my pedometer watch catches all the ‘jiggles’ of the safari vehicle. This day was the  bumpiest of them all – I think about 38000 ‘jiggles’. Ras really wanted us to get the most out of this last big safari day.

This was also our first experience of a elephant charge – not that we were looking for one! We drove around the corner and there was mum and baby just beside us. Although we only hesitated a short minute mum was flapping her ears and not at all happy. We were off continuing on the road but not before she fake charged us. I say fake as I assume if she really wanted to she would have.

Arriving back for our final dinner was a sad time. We had been asked what we would like for our last supper prepared by chef Chris. Cam asked could we have what your mother would cook for a traditional family occasion. It was a good request with Chris preparing this amazing meal of stew, maise mash and fresh vegies. To think this journey was almost over from what had just been a dream almost a year ago. Having said that, we were all tired after 24 days on the road.  Luckily, Bora’s back was starting to improve – maybe my drugs that he eventually took were working 😊

Day 24 Back to Maun, Botswana

1. Where we stayed
   Audi Camp/
2. What we saw
   buffalo, dwarf mongoose, elephant, fish eagle, giraffe, hippopotamus, stalk (marabou & saddle billed), zebra
3. Tip of the day
   African safaris may not be the best idea for old folk with dementia who wander from their tent at night  – True story Bora had to direct a gentleman back to his tent in the middle of the night at camp!
4. Fact of the day.
   The Kalahari Desert covers over 80% of Botswana. The Okavango River Delta, one of the world’s largest inland deltas, running through the center of it.

This morning was pack up day so again taking photos close to where we were and a final sunrise. It was just my luck this morning was clear but we couldn’t go out and pack up in time. I happily just took my shots from the campsite. I had wanted to go down just a little way on the road to the bridge to catch it but the guys were very clear there was no wandering around. The lioness was still somewhere near. I am not complaining though it was still a beautiful sunrise to watch.

The drive out of the park was peaceful and uneventful. Out through the sand roads to the park gates, stopping and having a cup of tea along the way and chatting to other intrepid travellers. It was a great start to the wind down after so many days and so much excitement. I still managed though to tick off a couple of other animals from my booklet. We also had to go through a bio security check which I am not sure how effective it would be!

Helicopter over the delta

We were heading back to the same campsite we had left at Maun. But we had one big final adventure. We were heading out over the Okavango Delta in a helicopter. Pretty damned exciting. That is until we go to check in and Bora asks where our passports are? Kiwis are a bit lax at this, with documentation not often being required in N.Z. Hence our passports were back at the camp. We hadn’t realised we were going through an airport security point to get on our helicopter and needed our ID.

Cam and Bora did a mad dash back to the campsite and all was well. I have to say this is probably something you need to do more than once. It was so exciting, so many things to see, so hard to get good photos that I think I just missed the fantastic moment of being up there and seeing the world below us. The world that we had just finished exploring on land.

We headed back to have our final dinner at the restaurant at the campsite. I think we were all just quite exhausted overwhelmed and a bit sad it was all coming to an end. It was final goodbyes to Chris and Ras; how do you truly thank them for how well they looked after us and their part in giving us the experience of a lifetime.

Final goodbyes from Botswana

Carol and Mike were heading off the next morning, but we decided to stay an extra day. Originally, we were going to be driving back with the guys to the capital Gaborone but their plans changed. We decided to fly back saving us quite a few miles of travelling. We had talked quite a lot about what to do. Bora kindly offering to drive us up to Kasane so we could see the Victoria Falls and fly from there.  But in the end, you just can’t pack everything into one trip, and we may well be back one day.

We had a lovely day. Popping next door to a restaurant and pool Cam watched the Rugby World Cup game and I really began relaxing.  A final night out for dinner with Bora finishing with me taking a final sunset through the vehicle roof.  Bora dropped us at the airport the next morning to fly to Gaborone. Complete with lots of tips on things to do

I have used a zillion words to try and explain how amazing this journey has been. Getting home I just added a million more as the memories just got better and better.  For an experience I have been looking forward to since I was old enough to imagine it, it was everything I hoped for and miles more.  I will be forever grateful to Bora for putting this opportunity together. And to Carol and Mike for needing 2 more to make their trip work and being the other half of our travelling Sony photography group.

 

Links here to Part 1 and 2 of the Blog

Namibia

Etosha and surrounds