A Journey to Beautiful Botswana – Guest Feedback by Natasha Allan

 

We always love hearing back from our guests once they are all settled in at home after their holiday on safari. We know we have truly done our job when our clients fall in love with Africa and feel the need to return again and again, as is the case with our visitors from the Bahamas, Maggie, Julian and Bonny. Maggie wrote us a wonderful email about their latest visit, which took them all over the Cape Peninsula and then to Botswana, where they revisited some favourites and discovered some new territory. This is Maggie’s gorgeous account of their journey to beautiful Botswana.

 

As part of our itinerary for our trip to South Africa we arranged to be in Cape Town on 15th March to take part in a demonstration against the cruel and dastardly practice of what’s called canned lion hunting. This is where lions are bred in captivity and then when they reach maturity, are released into an enclosed area where they are shot like sitting ducks by wealthy trophy hunters. We have been on many safaris and have been absolutely thrilled by all our wildlife sightings, so we were very pleased and proud to have done our little bit of payback for one of the most fabulous animals of the African bush.

 

We were also thrilled to be joined at the demonstration by the Sun Safaris vehicle driven by the glamorous girls from the Sun Safaris office. It was great to see them there carrying their banner. It was also very encouraging to note the number of people in the street cheering us on and motorists blowing horns enthusiastically.

 

 

Our safari in Botswana was to begin shortly after that.

 

We had spent the night in Johannesburg ready to catch the Gautrain to the airport and then Air Botswana to Maun, a small town where many an exciting  African safari begins. We then hopped on a tiny plane for the 25 minute flight to Camp Moremi set in a wooded area in the Okavango Delta. We had stayed at this camp twice before and were familiar with several of the wonderful staff, including Frank, who was to be our guide. We were so worried that our flights might have been late, so were relieved to find that we were not only in time for an afternoon game drive, but also had time for jolly old afternoon tea!

 

We noted that the area was much wetter than we’d ever experienced before and many of the roads were impossible to navigate. At one point our safari vehicle, which was usually good in all terrain, became stuck in the mud. Luckily another vehicle was nearby and we were quickly pulled out.

 

On our drive we saw zebras, red lechwe, waterbucks, elephants, huge varieties of bird life and of course the ever-present impalas. Common as they are, one cannot help but be struck by the delicate grace and beauty of these elegant animals and be saddened by the fact that they make such good fodder for so many predators.

 

 

Back at the camp we were escorted from our tents to the lovely dining area for a delightful dinner, which even we vegetarians heartily enjoyed.

 

We awoke on our second day at Camp Moremi to a light rain, which later became a downpour. Frank issued us all with rain capes and we were off at 6.30 a.m for our morning game drive. Many of the animals were squeezed in bedraggled fashion under the bushes, but eventually the rain abated and we were delighted at the sight of a female cheetah and her two cubs who peeped from the undergrowth a little distance away. Near the cheetahs was another animal of interest – an old bull buffalo sat very comfortably in a pool of water covered by a host of ox peckers nibbling at the annoying insects and ticks on his body.

 

We arrived back at camp in time for a delicious brunch and siesta and then after tea and cake we were off again for the afternoon game drive. Once again our vehicle got bogged down in the mud and since nobody was around to tow us, Frank got out an enormous tyre jack and we all dashed around looking for suitable sticks and branches to push under the wheels. Our efforts were successful and we headed back to camp with soaking wet shoes and pants. A good time was had by all!

 

 

It was our last morning at Camp Moremi and we had time after breakfast for a quick game drive during which we were lucky enough to have a good sighting of a male leopard who was very busily marching around marking his territory on just about every bush and rock. He is a well-known cat  in the area, due partly to the scarring on his nose, and he seemed to be getting ready to find a mate. Too soon it was time to go to the airstrip for our 35 minute flight to our next destination which was Camp Lebala.

 

The camp is absolutely lovely and you enter over a small bridge onto a leafy shaded deck with comfortable couches and views over lush green reeds where elephants graze and zebras whinny and snort. We were in time for an excellent lunch and then shown to our spacious tents which boasted quite unnecessary extravagances like his and hers showers and wash basins, which is rather funny if you’re not a his or a hers!

 

We were very impressed to note that not only did we have Partner as our guide, we also had a tracker who sat on a seat on the very front of the truck. He was a venerable and knowledgeable gentleman called Mr. More and his skill in being able to sniff out the most interesting game sightings was incredible. We stayed out until after dark and thanks to Mr. More, we had our second leopard sighting of the day.

 

 

We were up early and reported to the campfire for breakfast where a huge kettle was boiling ready for our tea. We vegetarians were delighted to be served sourgum porridge, which was also cooking on the fire. Some of the more hearty meat-eating types seemed not to be so delighted and were reluctant even of giving it a try. We held out of bowls for seconds and thirds every time!

 

On the morning game drive we saw wild dogs and all were whining in states of great excitement. At first we thought they must have been positioning themselves ready for hunting, but when an impala dashed by and they took absolutely no notice. Partner, our guide told us what was going on.

 

Apparently both the alpha male and the alpha female had died recently and all, both camp staff and dog pack, were on tenterhooks wondering what the next move would be. Two females were on heat and mating was going on, but would the two contenders for the leadership position split the pack or would just one take over? We will be in contact by email with Partner to find out the result.

 

Back at camp for brunch we discovered a bull elephant very near our tents and we sat and relaxed in the lookout tower watching him and the myriad birdlife in the tall grass.

 

The afternoon game drive started at 4.00 p.m and once again we found our wild dogs as excited as before, plus a couple of hyenas were hanging around them, no doubt hoping for a game drive of their own. After observing the dogs for a while, we continued on our way and as the sun began to sink, we stopped for cocktails by a waterhole. Suddenly we heard a haunting sound that we’d never heard before. It was the rallying call to gather the pack together. One dog appeared very close to us and he was clearly trying to determine where the others were. He first ran in one direction and then back again. Several other dogs appeared on the other side of the waterhole and he dashed off to join them. The excitement when they finally came together was very obvious and much whining and tail wagging ensued. Much as we are often horrified at their hunting techniques, their love and care of each other is quite heart-warming and it’s so delightful to see them all snuggled together and sleeping in a patchwork heap.

 

 

After dinner our elephant visitor of the afternoon appeared near the campfire, chomping away on the tasty foliage of the pool area. Another good day in the African bush!

 

Sun Safaris, you promised us an exciting camp that we’d never visited before and Lebala is certainly that!

 

We decided that since we hadn’t seen any lions in the Lebala area, it was time to go hunting. After driving for nearly an hour, we got news on the radio that a lioness and cub had been seen, but were tucked under a very thick spreading bush. We located the bush and after peering searchingly through the branches of an extremely thick bush, the tiny face of a little cub could just about be seen. Luckily a little later we were rewarded with the sight of two male lions sleeping in the grass. Lions are such lazy creatures. They can sleep all day long and these two hardly bothered to open their eyes as we observed them from just a yard away.

 

During the afternoon drive we spotted a female leopard with her impala kill. She had killed the previous evening, as the meat wasn’t that fresh, but at that point neither vultures nor hyenas had discovered it and she was busily eating her second helping. What a lovely creature she was!

 

 

It was our final morning at the lovely Lebala Camp. The day before we had heard that elands, the largest antelopes, had been sighted in the area, but being extremely timid, all our tracker, Mr. More, had managed to sniff out for us, were their droppings in the undergrowth. This time we got lucky and we sighted a large herd of about fifty of them, but once again they disappeared into the bush at full speed.

 

We stopped at a waterhole for morning coffee and flapjack things, which Partner always referred to as elephant dung because of their fiber-filled appearance, and they did very much resemble the stuff – delicious though! Over our coffee we had a long talk with Partner about life in Botswana. He described how he had taken in various children of relatives and how young kids are sent to live with grandparents at the cattle stations. We asked if his family ever came on safari at the camp, but apparently his daughter prefers the shopping mall and his wife doesn’t like elephants. Who would marry somebody who doesn’t like elephants!?

 

We again found the leopard that we’d seen the day before. She was relaxing, legs akimbo in a tree with her much-reduced impala kill down below. This time other predators had got wind of the prey and two hyena were skulking around and several vultures looked on from another tree.

 

On our way back to camp we saw several of the wild dogs snoozing in the sun. Then a quick lunch and off to the landing strip for our short flight to Savute. We had to drive up and down the runway to chase away a bevy of ostriches and then a sad farewell was bade to Partner and Mr. More.

 

 

We were very excited to be at Savute Safari Lodge, as we had stayed there on three previous occasions. We knew several of the staff, although the managers, husband and wife team Juan and Priscilla were new to us, and extremely pleasant. We had requested in advance rooms by the water and we had absolutely gorgeous newly-refurbished accommodation with our usual compliment of elephants outside.

 

Soon we were off for our first Savute game drive and were rewarded with a close-up sighting of two very handsome, well-fed male lions sleeping lazily under a bush. The two were brothers and were snuggled together, one with his front paw around the other.

 

 

Our guide was Gee, who we recognized from previous visits. We were also familiar with Bubba, another guide, and Score the barman who’d been there for 14 years.

 

There had been many scrabbling noises during the night coming mainly from under our rooms and when we got up to investigate, we saw in the half light around the waterhole, some funny quivering things gliding along – porcupines! In the morning we discovered huge burrows outside and a few souvenir quills.

 

Our first sighting on the game drive was a single wild dog galloping along. He had a few spatters of blood on his coat, so we felt sure there had been a kill, but were unable to locate it or any other members of the pack. We continued on our way and soon discovered a pregnant lioness with one of our male lions from yesterday and another lioness with two cubs. The mother and cubs were particularly photogenic so we sat there very close to them snapping photos galore.

 

 

Morning coffee was with a herd of zebra by a waterhole.

 

For miles we followed the tracks in the sand of two lions. The spoor was large, fresh and very clear, until they turned off the road and into the bush. We thought we’d lost them, but when we took a detour and wiggled along a few side tracks, we were delighted to come slap-bang into not just two lions, but six of them by a waterhole. There was a lioness with three half-grown cubs, the dad and the brother just a little way away. We stayed there watching them for a long time as they were so entertaining. The cubs just played and played together, sometimes jumping on their mother, sometimes picking up pieces of elephant dung. The father was just a sleepy old thing, occasionally opening an eye to check on things, sometimes not, and the other brother was some distance away, sleeping as usual. They were all fat as butter and in tip-top shape.

 

On the way back to camp we saw yet another leopard and she was in a super position in a tree and later a large group of banded mongoose also posing artistically.

 

 

We always had interesting bugs in our rooms. In the dark we saw as we lay in bed, a firefly flashing its light as it walked over the outside of the mosquito net. There was a three inch long praying mantis on the table and a huge, but rather wonderful dung beetle on Julian’s sweater. On the road as we drove along, hosts of little yellow butterflies flitted in front of the truck and annoying ticks and other parasites plagued the poor animals, but were often picked off by the ox peckers.

 

 

Once again we saw our lion family of three half-grown cubs with their mother and father, and then we stopped for morning coffee by a waterhole with kudu and elephants for company. At this point our driver, Gee, announced to us that he will be getting married in September and described what a very complicated business it was. Professionals have to be hired to approach the family of the intended bride and they must have rather good knees as they are expected to sit down and get up from the floor without using their hands to help themselves up or down. The dowry is then paid, which in this case was six head of cattle and then all sorts of other traditions and even pranks happen before the big day in September.

It was a very interesting and eye-opening day!

 

We awoke to the sad realization that it was to be our last game drive and our last day in Savute – for the present time that is.

We seemed to have seen a lot of lions during our stay and that morning wasn’t to be an exception. We first came across two very big well-fed males who were completely flat out on the grass and fast asleep and then a female with three youngsters. This was a new group that we hadn’t seen before and worth a quick photo before rushing on to see what else was about.

After that we had a couple of interesting bird encounters. Just by the side of the road, almost in a dangerous position if two vehicles passed at the same time, was a Blacksmith lapwing on its nest and she was ready to defend those eggs against anything that came by, whether safari truck or elephant.

 

 

The other interesting, nature-in-the-raw sighting, was when a secretary bird strutted and ran down the road at top speed in front of the truck. All along, it was poking and prodding, searching aggressively for grub. Suddenly, poke, prod and it had a baby francolin, and a second and then a third.

 

“Enough!” we shouted and off it went, thank goodness, into the long grass.

 

Then that was it. We had to go to the airstrip for our plane, but first a herd of elephants had to be shooed off the runway.  One was a female with a tiny baby that couldn’t have been more than a week old. We quickly boarded and as we took off we looked down and with brave faces, smiled and waved to the Savute staff below waving back, and then headed for Maun and Johannesburg.

 

Thank you Sun Safaris for yet another wonderful trip. The only trouble is that the more wonderful it is, the sadder it is to leave, but we’re already planning next year’s safari and we’ll be needing your help again.