A visit to Haina Kalahari Lodge
Nadine had the privilege of visiting Haina Kalahari Lodge in Botswana for an educational. Below is her feedback
DAY 1
My cousin and I arrived at the Haina Kalahari Lodge after a bumpy 20 minute charter flight from Maun. Adriaan, our guide, collected us from the airstrip and we had a short drive to the lodge. Upon arrival we were greeted with colourful cocktails as well as cool, wet towels to sponge us off with. The heat was unbelievable!
We met Wanda (the host and manager) and after our introduction, made our way to our tent, “Itermago”. The tent was truly astounding. A king size bed with a white mosquito net surrounding it is the first thing that catches one’s eye. Then there are double basins as well as a hot tub in the middle of the tent with a toilet and shower, on opposite sides of the tent. The shower has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and you felt as though you were showering under the African sun with the Kalahari at your fingertips!
Our first game drive was rather quiet. We didn’t see any of the cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs). The smaller forms of wildlife as well as plenty of plains game were all around though; Oryx, kudu, steenbok, impala, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog and the boomslang were a few that was sighted.
We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves and enjoyed a delicious supper that evening.
DAY 2
Waking up to a blue sky and the sound of birds tweeting immediately brought you back to the “Kalahari reality”. We indulged in a quick breakfast and headed out on our morning safari drive. The lions and leopards were yet to make an appearance. Again, we saw various antelope as well jackal and bat-eared fox.
When we arrived back at the lodge, brunch awaited us. Thereafter, we lounged around the pool and had a relaxing, peaceful afternoon. Once the heat started to subside, we went on the famous Bushmen walk that is a truly unique aspect of Haina.
Our journey started of foot, with the Bushmen leading the way. They educated us on the different trees and shrubs and what they were used for; weapons, poisons or food sources. Eventually, we entered a clearing with 2 huts and a fireplace. The Bushmen showed us a game that used stones and a grid dug out in the sand. This provided daily hours of fun, they said. They also showed us how to make fire using sticks. Truly remarkable! Then we ate roots and drank the milk of another. This is what the Bushmen were known to survive on, had water become scarce. Our walk ended with a dance and chanting, to which we all clapped and moved to and thoroughly enjoyed. The Bushmen experience was one of a kind and we had tremendous fun!
Our second day ended off with a fantastic 3-course dinner and drinks.
DAY 3
This morning Adriaan woke us up at 5:30 am, for our morning game drive. Again, the cats eluded us. Unfortunately, it was the last day for our fellow campers, a fun-loving German couple, who we had grown quite close to.
The afternoon commenced with an exhilarating quad bike game drive. We saw various forms of wildlife and driving around on our own individual vehicles made it extra special and so much more entertaining.
Temperatures reached a high of 40°C and we survived the day by taking permanent residence in the pool. The heat was relentless!
Just before getting into bed that evening, we heard jackals cackling in the distance. Knowing nothing separated us from the wild animals was quite a scary thought! Nonetheless, we slept the night away undisturbed.
DAY 4
We set off on our usual morning game drive, joined by new guests, 3 English girls, who were our age and so hilarious and friendly. Adriaan had received word of a lion sighting and we quickly followed suit. FINALLY we spotted 3 adolescent lions, who had been evading us for the past 3 days! They were incredibly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Two males and a female were lying under the trees. Adriaan explained that they were brothers and sisters who had been kicked out of their pride. We watched them for almost an hour, studying their behaviour. They were quite passive and we pulled up even closer. Knowing a living, breathing lion was about 3 metres away from you was an experience in itself.
Thereafter, we headed back to the lodge for a leisurely brunch and an afternoon of lazing in the sun. Suddenly, it started storming! The long awaited summer rain had finally arrived. The wind blew and the sky was filled with dark, looming clouds, lightning and thunder.
We went on another Bushmen walk, as the new guests hadn’t yet experienced this. The only difference… we walked in the storming rain! But, it was fantastic. We had our rain jackets on and we laughing and giggling the entire time. The lightning and thunder was bright and loud, but we all agreed that this was an experience no one would ever forget.
During dinner, a certain honey badger known as a frequent visitor to the lodge, made an appearance. It dashed around the table and all the girls screamed and I jumped on the table! What an evening, filled with laughter and great delight!
DAY 5
Our last morning at Haina, we decided to sleep in and do our game drive a bit later that morning. We packed our bags and made our way over the lodge. We said goodbye to our new friends and afterwards ate some breakfast.
During our last game drive we spotted the actual Kalahari pride. The big, adult male lion, two females and three cubs were relaxing at the waterhole. Their tummies looked awfully round and full and we soon spotted why. To the left of the clearing lie a freshly killed eland. It was huge! Adriaan explained that this single eland would most likely feed the pride for the next 2 to 3 days. The cubs were adorable and very playful, always wanting to come closer to the cruiser.
The time had come for us to leave and we said a sad goodbye to all the amazing staff at Haina. They were always pleasant company and made our trip extraordinary. We learnt so many new things about animals and wildlife and being surrounded by nature was such a breath of fresh air.
Our charter flight had landed and as we took off, we waved goodbye to Haina Kalahari Lodge, promising to visit sooner rather than later.
