14th June - 4th July
14th - 15th June
Grassland Camp/Lodge on the edge of the Kalahari desert.
The Lodge takes part in Predator Preservation so we were really lucky to get to see their lions, leopards and wild dogs being fed.
We were also greeted by one of their four rhinos on arrival at the camp.
We spent a morning with Paula, the guide at the lodge, and a local family of bushmen who showed us how they hunt, find fruit and berries to eat and also to make fire. They are amazingly resourceful and were really friendly, allowing us to try out their bow & arrows as well as inviting us to take part in an ”African bush chocolate” spitting competition! Being in the know that this was antelope droppings, we declined 😂
16th - 18th June
Island Safari Lodge campsite - our gateway to the Okavango Delta.
We took a flight over the Delta which really gave us a sense of how huge an area it covers. There is not a lot of water at the moment but it is still stunning.
We made our first solo game drive in Moremi Game Reserve which was both scary and exciting. We were able to get so close to the animals and it was a real pleasure being able to spend as long as we wanted watching them, with the added bonus of not many other people around.
To give us a day off from being on the road, we went into the Delta in a mokoro (canoe). Newman was our guide and driver and was so knowledgeable about everything we saw. As part of our day in the Delta, we did a 2 hour walk through the bush which was slightly nerve wracking as Newman didnt have a gun and we didnt know which animals we would come across! Luckily no lions came to say hello (apparently if you do come across a lion you are suppose to stay calm and stand very still rather than scream and run away!) and the giraffe and zebra kept a safe distance away 🙂 We also got out first sightings of hippos and being in a small boat, made our hearts beat a little fast.
Our campsite was also home to the local monkeys (but they didnt get our dinner this time!)...
19th - 20th June
Khumaga Campsite - by the Boteti River and Makgadikgadi Salt pans.
We shared our campsite again with the local monkeys and the local impala who happily wandered through at will....
We saw elephants, zebra, wildebeest all drinking at the river and were able to get up really close.
The salt pans are huge, I think the largest in the world, and stretched as far as the eye could see. It felt like we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
21st - 22nd June
Back to Island Safari Lodge for a days rest and stocking up on supplîes before our travels north to Kasane & Chobe National Park
23rd June
Dijara Campsite - close up and personal with the wildlife. Our most basic campsite with only a bucket shower with cold water. It did have a flushing toilet but both only surrounded by not very high canvas walls - no roof!
We camped by the river so could hear the hippos splashing around and had elephants visiting during the night coming to drink and then eat at the trees near to our car. Really pleased we were sleeping on top of the car rather than in a tent on the ground!
24th - 29th June
Thobolos Bush Camp - a bit a luxury after our night in the wild at Dijara.
Our trip from Dijana to Thobolo’s took us through Savuti which is very dry & barren but has some amazing rock outcrops, one of which the guide book told us had thousands of year old rock paintings. There were actually only two!
It took us 7 hours to do the 120km to get there as the roads were incredibly bumpy and sandy so we could only drive at about 20km an hour - it was really hard going and some well deserved beers were had when we arrived.
Eskimos have umpteen words for snow. We’ve developed a similar vocabulary for sand!
Smooth sand – Flat, smooth, straight, with nothing more than the tread pattern of the previous vehicle. As rare as it is smooth. Bliss. Big right foot required.
Corrugated sand – regular hard small bumps every few inched. Put it in 3rd, put your foot down and smooth it out by only hitting the tops.
Deep soft sand – Saps power, put it in 1st. Don’t stop. Loads of revs required.
Bowling alley – Two deep ruts you can’t get out of, you just bounce off the walls. Steering makes little difference. Why bother!
Dips – Probably puddles in wet season. Gentle in, gentle out. OK so long as you don’t hit them too fast. Concentration required. Encountered in series they do a good impersonation of a fair ground ride. Wee hee!!
Potholes – Technically the absence of sand, but nonetheless encountered on sand roads. Frequently on nice fast smooth sections. Bugger. Requires heavy braking and the shouting of “Slow Down!” from the passenger seat just as you dive in. Evil.
Headbanger bumps - Rhythmic bumps where the left side of the vehicle is up as the right side is down. Feels like you are going to crack your head on the door post. Slow required.
Bucking bronco – Rhythmic bumps where the front is up when the back is down. Feels like you are going to bang your head on the ceiling. Slow required again.
Boob buster bumps - Rhythmic bumps where all four wheels are up together and then down. Sports Bra required.
Future sand – More commonly known as rocks but erosion has not yet taken its toll. While it shares a name with Col’s favourite music, it has no rhythm. Up, down, left, right, jiggle, jiggle, lurch. Feels like the Land Cruiser has learnt the Dad Dancing moves to Sweet Child o’ Mine. Of course, nature is good at mixing it up, so you never know what’s more than a few yards ahead.
You can’t beat a nice graded gravel road!
Thobolo has the only waterhole in the area so we were privileged to see huge herds of elephants coming to drink both during the day and at night. Zebra, baboons, impala, warthogs and water buffalo also visited. We heard lions but never got to see them.
We also did two solo game drives into Chobe National Park and again were so lucky to see elephants, giraffe, zebra, water buffalo, baboons and lions.
Thobolo is owned by Mike and Diane Gunn who are passionate about conservation and in particular saving the elephants and rhinos.
We were unfortunate enough to see a elephant collapse and die quite close to the waterhole on our last day at the camp. Diane told us that it would have probably have died from anthrax which elephants can catch from the ground. They have a weak immune system so are prone to getting this quite easily. Very sad but part of nature......
30th June - 1st July
Mwandi View Campsite.
Another game drive into Chobe where we saw the migration of hundreds of zebra from Namibia into Botswana. Also saw crocodile which the zebra were on the lookout for while crossing the river. Kokai was our guide and was very entertaining as well as being well informed about all the wildlife.
The was also a hippo pool close to the campsite where about 50 hippos were residing. They were snoozing when we went to see them but were happy to keep us awake at night with their nocturnal chatting!
2nd - 4th July
Kwalape Safari Lodge Campsite. This is our most bijou camp pitch to date! We have the pleasure of sharing it with mongoose who are very cute....
We had a cultural evening and were treated to some great local dancing and singing. Really upbeat and happy.
A 600am game drive to see the sunrise in Chobe. it was freezing so woolly hats and warm jackets required! This morning we were said hello to by baboons, hippos, a huge breeding herd of water buffalo, giraffe, warthogs and very briefly, on our way home, a wonderful male lion. We also saw black backed jackal.
Off to do a sunset boat cruise tomorrow where we should see more elephants and hippos.
We then head to Zimbabwe and the magnificent Victoria Falls