African Adventure
Part 2, February 2016
……and not 10mins later we were landing at another short dirt
airstrip after seeing lots of elephants, zebras and giraffes from the air.
A quick transfer to the lodge in a jeep especially designed
for game drives, tour of the facilities and our rooms and it is time for
brunch. Similar set up to the last one, but each camp has its own personality
and unique touches; we are all excited to see what awaits us.
Now its siesta time and already I have adapted to the local
way of life, but our room is so hot I opt for a swim and nap by the pool. Now
that we are refreshed and relaxed it is time for afternoon tea before heading
out on our next adventure. Our driver guide is Max and Sunday is to be his
spotter and tracker, two locals from a small village not far up the road.
We leave the camp very excited, and head towards a large
waterhole only about five minutes away. What a great start five elephants ambling
along beside the water gave us a great photo opportunity with their profiles
reflecting in the water.
First sighting ticked off the list we head off again,
towards the bush in the distance this time as it is time for the animals to
source their evening meal. Just a short distance away we come across two juvenile
giraffes craning their long necks up to reach the new growth on the lower
branches. Mum was keeping a close eye on them from just a short distance away.
As we are now on a private game concession we can venture
off road, and this is what we do in search of our next animal encounter. A sole
elephant was soon spotted not far away. Huge in our eyes as he was so close:
but only a teenager apparently. Showing traits of human teenagers and trying to
show off, he was kicking the dirt with his feet, throwing dirt in the air with
his trunk, showing displeasure at being watched he started towards the rear of
our vehicle. Then he quickly ran straight for us, Max just as quickly threw the
jeep into reverse and showed his domination, the elephant then took off in
another direction. You can just imagine six Australian women, scared by a male
elephant, saved by an African male, thrilled to be in the wilds of Botswana. It
was many many minutes before our heart rates returned to anywhere within an acceptable
range, we were laughing and joking, but the more we talked about it the closer
and faster the elephant charged, bit like a fishing story really.
What else can top that? News that cheetahs were sighted the
day before, in the near vicinity. Being in a jeep means we can cover so much
more ground, we are following a dirt road when Sunday spots some fresh lion
tracks. Quite large and indicating he was walking along at pace,we are hopeful
of spotting him. We weren’t to be disappointed; a large male was lying in the
middle of the road resting, breathing heavily. Another pair of lions had been
sighted nearby (which is who our first lion was looking for). We head off and
soon see another male and female pair. It is Valentine’s Day and they were definitely
on date night. After getting some very close up photos we leave them to their
privacy and start heading back to the lodge. We had come a lot further away
from the camp than expected, so we stop for Sundowners overlooking a waterhole,
before continuing on the dark. Sunday was amazing with his spotlight, finding a
Serval which being nocturnal is very rarely seen.
Another wonderful meal awaits us on our return. Just before
we return to our tents we are treated to a lightening show from the main deck,
but once again the rain doesn’t fall. We are escorted back to our tents as the
danger of wild animals is real. A quick shower in our outdoor bathroom and then
it is time for bed. I am exhausted, so I fall into the very comfortable bed anticipating
a wonderful sleep. About 4am this was interrupted by loud noises outside our
tent. It truly felt like they would be coming in the front door next but the
noises started to fade in the distance. I doze off again and the next sounds we
hear is our coffee being delivered by the staff. On our way to the dining room
we see the evidence of our visitors last night, hippos had sprayed across the
pathway marking their area.
A quick breakfast and once again we set off, a little
further south this time as this is where Max thought the cheetahs may have been
headed. It was also in the direction of the river where we would ride the
mokoros upstream. Some hippos lazing in the water were nearby, and then we saw
some hyenas. We were following these through the scrub when then changed
direction and picked up the speed. They were being chased by a Warthog family,
Mum, and Dad and their young ones. Quite a sight, I feel like we are on the set
of The Lion King.
We had only just alighted from the jeep and set off in the
mokoros when we were asked by our polers if it was alright to return to our
starting point. A little confused we agree, Max is waiting for us very excited
as he has found the cheetahs. We set off as fast as the rough roads will allow
and this time we are rewarded with a mother and her two cubs about a year old. They
are seeking shade to rest from the heat of the day after a morning feed. So
amazing to watch and again we got so close to them without invading their
personal space
Back to the mokoros for a ride up river, morning tea on a
small island before heading back. Very peaceful; but informative at the same
time. Did you know some fish build nests in which to lay their eggs? It true,
we saw many of them. The birdlife here was also amazing.
A short ride back to camp in the jeep and it was time for
brunch and siesta. A swim and relax by the pool before an afternoon nap, I
could really get used to this. A quick afternoon tea and we head off in the
opposite direction towards a large wide stream.
A large crocodile is basking on the bank and ever so slowly
slinks into the water as we approach. Then we come across a large pod of hippos.
Little did we suspect at this stage that this drive should have come with an X-
rating as we were captivated by the male hippo and his harem. The females exhibit
all the signs they are ready, the males then take their pick. Again we dissolve
into fits of giggles with all the commentary from the front seat. Recovering
from that, we continue on and come across a large family of baboons. The males
of this species obviously had the same idea as the hippos but instead of trying
to drown the females, they would chase them up the tree. When the girls were at
the end of the branch, the boys would bounce up and down trying to shake them
off. When the females dropped to the ground the chase would be on again. So
glad we don’t have that ritual.
Sundowners tonight were beside another waterhole where we
saw an otter. The drive back to camp in the dark was once again well rewarded
by Sundays tracking and sense of direction (aided by a radio call from another
group) we came across two wild dogs that had just killed an impala. Apparently
wild dogs are one of the rarest sightings on safari in the Delta so we were
very lucky.
A three course meal with lamb roast as the main was well received
by all as we had burned so much energy laughing.
We opted for one more early morning drive, sadly no new
animals were sighted but we did stop for coffee right beside a waterhole that
was home to about 15 crocodiles of varying sizes.
Sadly this is where we say goodbye to Max and Sunday who
have been wonderful guide’s with great knowledge to share and great sense of
humour. Our next flight is for 1hr 30mins, a little nervous about this ride in
such a small plane but I am armed with Travelcalm and ginger beer………
This is the link to the photos taken on this part of the trip
https://goo.gl/photos/6r6et2sgkeJQoBaVA