Safari! - Kasane, Botswana
Kasane, Botswana
30th November. Mowana Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana. We have had the most amazing safari trip so far! Graham & I had a leisurely wander around Sun City grounds, gardens, golf course, tennis courts, aviary, casino, pools, artificial beach etc. The Lost City Maize was closed for annual maintenance (typical!). I still can't believe the whole place, including all the rocks, crevices, waterfalls, trees etc are artificial! Even the maize! Kay & Sharon organised a birthday cake for Paul & me, which we shared with everyone around the pool bar before our dinner. Naughty little Vervet Monkeys hang around the pool area at the end of the day, stealing anything not tied down! We saw one pinch a baby's dummy & another one jumped up on the counter & grabbed some of our cake! They try & keep them under control with Paint Ball Guns. The staff who use the guns are in yellow; those monkeys know the uniform & scatter as soon as the guards approach! Beautiful last group meal at the Palace Hotel. The whole hotel is worth wandering around, taking in the splendour. Kay & I both ordered pork & prawn wontons. The waiter delivered us a plate each with a wonton in it, said 'here is your soup, enjoy'. We both sat there rather dumbfounded, about a minute later, with a huge grin, the staff served the soup! We all had a great laugh; obviously one of their party tricks! The whole meal was superb, & we had a lovely evening talking about the trip, & planning a reunion for next year. Sharon gave me a lovely scarf for my birthday, which was accidentally left at the restaurant; fantastically, it was returned before we left. Early start to get Kay, Paul, Graham & I to the airport for our flight to Windhoek, Namibia. We said a quick but sad goodbye to Sharon, Craig, Rod, Judy, Brian & Gai at the airport. We had the best time. A never to be forgotten experience of a lifetime with fabulous company. I'm sure the ten of us will get together again next year, & keep in touch! The four Kiwis arrived safely in Windhoek, finally got through customs after about 1 & 1/2 hours and were duly picked up by our guide for the next ten days, Riaan Coleman. We did food shopping, then had a quick look around the city, an old colonial German town from the days when Namibia was German South West Africa. Riaan had decided it would be better to stay in the Urban Campground in Windhoek, rather make another long drive, which we were all happy about. Familiarised ourselves with the rooftop campers & all the gear, home for next 10 days. Went out to Joe's Beerhouse for dinner. Mostly game meat on the menu, but also plenty of other choices. Very cool eclectic mix of artefacts ranging from a Mini Cooper driven across from Europe & abandoned there, kudu horns, fishing baskets to thousands of Jaegermeister Bottles! Early start Wednesday morning to drive the 550 odd km's to Etosha National Park, in the northern Kalahari Desert. Beautiful country: desert with vegetation, quite like Australia, but lots of hills. We stayed at Namutoni Campsite within the park. It was originally a German Fort. Lovely characterful old building. Looks like something out of Beau Geste. Apparently it changed hands several times with the ongoing battle between the Germans & the local Ovambo people. Very nice campground, with showers & toilets. We managed 3 game drives. Not as free & easy as Tangala, being a National Park, but man did we have some fantastic experiences! We saw white rhino, Mother & calf, which Riaan, a rhino nut, was thrilled about. Saw our first springbok (which became a dime a dozen!), Hartebeest, Steinbok, Gemsbok (Oryx), Hyena & Jackal. Many zebra, giraffe, impala, a young male Lion stalking zebra. Yesterday morning (Thursday 21st) we came across a Lioness lying in wait for zebra. We watched for ages, then slowly moved the vehicle forward; she immediately seized the opportunity ( a little previously as it turned out) to use us as cover. She charged out behind us, onto the salt pan, but the zebra saw her & easily escaped. She gave up quickly, probably knowing she'd gone too soon. Next thing, she trots up the road to be joined by a second lioness. They then moved up into the scrub to their cubs & Dad babysitting!! Wow & wow! Next major excitement a herd of elephant, with a very young ( about 6 weeks) baby. Riaan knew they were on their way to water, so we drove around to the waterhole & waited for them. Simply awesome. While waiting we saw kudu, springbok, warthogs & giraffe all drinking. Such an exciting morning, we didn't get back to camp until after 2pm! Afternoon drive we went back to the waterhole, which was very quiet. We found 'our' pride again, sleeping exactly where we left them. Watched them for an hour or more, hoping they might go hunting, but they just lolled around. Got some great photos. Sunset back at the fort. Being a NP, they close the gates just before sunset. The animals are much more wild than Tangala. They aren't as used to people, so their behaviour is more natural. Up early again this morning. Huge drive north east, to Ndhovu Safari Camp, on the Kavango River in the Caprivi Strip, the tounge of Namibia that sticks out between Angola & Botswanna. First couple of hours of the drive, more Kalahari desert scrub, then we reached the huge Kavango region, with higher rainfall. More green, bigger trees. and thousands of small kraal built in the traditional manner: thatched rooves,, stick or dung walls, herd boys minding the cattle or goats. Women & girls carrying huge buckets of water long distances back to their houses. Kids & adults at school (free education in Namibia), little kids playing with any toys they can find or make, kids working, walking everywhere. Hundreds of miles of little kraals & villages, built on the government owned strips of land, 3 km's either side of the road. Fascinating. Reallly long drive, & we finally arrived at Ndhovu Safari Camp, on the bank of the Kavango River. Right near the border of Angola & Botswanna. We have a lovely little campsite within the grounds of the lodge. Luxury of power & our own little bathroom. Saturday 23rd. Waited for the gates of Mahango Game Park - bordering Bawbwatu National Park - to open this morning. The park is 60 sq km's, so quite a lot bigger than Thorny Bush. Borders the Kavango River, the other side of which is Angola. Fairly quiet for big game, but we saw lots of firsts again, some quite rare: Roan Antelope, Nile Crocodile, hippos (galore), Red Lechwe Antelope, bush buck , Sable Antelope, Leopard Tortise. Many Kudu, Spring Bok, Impala, Zebra & Giraffe. A few Roi Hartebeest. Lots of different birds, from tiny Bee Eaters, and beautiful Lilac -Breasted Rollers, right up to African Fish Eagles. Two awesome elephant encounters. Very personal & close, thanks to our brilliant Guide, Riaan. We slid out the gate at 6.30pm, just in time for closing, having spent all day in the park. The Reserve's Rhinos have all been relocated to Etosha, to keep them safe from poachers, so we knew we wouldn't see them here. Didn't find any Cats either, although we did see several very wild & flighty Cape Buffalo. Rainy Season nearly here. Very humid, big thunder storms in the late afternoon & showers today & yesterday. Whole trip timed to perfection, I would say! Sunday 24th November. Another long drive, across the border into Botswana, right down & around the bottom of the Okavango Delta, back up again to the gateway town of Maun. The river is called Kavango in Namibia & Okavango in Botswana. Got camp set up just in time for the afternoon thunderstorm & the second half of the All-blacks vs Irish test! A real nail biter! Four kiwis & Riaan supporting the AB's, in a bar full of people supporting any team but the All Blacks! Monday 25th. We had decided to see if we could get a scenic flight over the Delta, without throwing out the schedule too much. Duly had a pretty good 45 minute flight with Delta Air, from Maun, at 8am. Saw about 1/4 of the Delta I would think. Still fairly dry, but plenty of water. Beautiful. The young pilot showed us a fair bit if game, but otherwise his knowledge of the area was pretty slack. I felt quite sick, shouldn't have had breakfast! Got away from Maun at about 10.30am. Drove to the South Gate of Moremi Wildlife Reserve. Spent the rest of the day driving very slowly to our campsite at Third Bridge, right out on an island in the Delta. Fairly quiet afternoon during the heat, but from about 5.00pm it was all on! Kay spotted a small Leopard Tortise, then a pair of gorgeous African Fish Owls. Absolutely beautiful. Lots of photos. We could see that we were going to be late getting to Third Bridge, so decided to take our time. Next thing a pack of African Wild Dogs on the hunt crossed right in front of our path. Stunning encounter. Very healthy pack. Hippos out of the water, lots of elephants coming through the bush to the water. Then we saw a couple of lioness' lying on the road; 2 became 5 & then 7, as we could see another lioness & sub-adult cubs. They had obviously been sleeping there all day, & had woken when it started to cool down. Time to hunt. While we sat & waited we could see unsuspecting Impala further up the road & could tell that the matriarch had her eye on something further in the bush, that we were unable to see. Suddenly, the Matriarch left, about 5 mins later there was an audible thud & the whole pride were up and gone! A minute or so later we could hear growling & squabbling. No doubt over the kill! Even though we couldn't see what happened, we could certainly hear it. I was blown away by how nonchalant the lions were about our presence. They didn't seem to care about us at all. Mind you, the cubs were teens & Dad wasn't around.... Close to twilight by this time & we were still at least 15kms from Third Bridge on rough tracks with non-existant signage. Pretty hair raising at times, between the hippos out & about, the huge herd of elephant crossong through, in front & behind us, the hyena, the water lying on the track in places & many dead end scenic routes out to viewing areas.... Anyway, we made camp, setup in the safest way we could, to protect ourselves. There are no fences here in Moremi, apart from the perimeter, & Third Bridge is surrounded in water & marshland, open to hippos, lions etc. Riaan was very careful & particular about setup & safety procedures and emergency plans. We basically formed a laager, & will be doing so for the rest of our nights under canvas. Tuesday 26th. Up bright & early again. Found that there was an ablution block after-all! Never mind, none of us were going to walk over there in the dark anyway. There were lions roaring all around, off & on all night, although their roars carry 8 -12 kms, Riaan told us. Heard hippo grunting & snorting in the water close by too. Headed off for next campsite, still in Moremi, at Kwhai Gate. Took our time. Saw many beautiful birds, including the endangered Ground Hornbill & Saddle-Backed Storks. Bee Eaters, Honey Eaters, Thick Knee, Lilac Breasted Roller, hornbills, louries, Hamerkop, cormorants, herons, ducks, geese & heaps more; a water monitor & all sorts of buck. Once we dropped of the trailer at the camp, we went out again on another game drive. Not a big cat to be seen, but we were lucky enough to see two different packs of African Wild Dogs on the prowl. Plenty of hippo. One pack were even eying up a hippo in the water! Riaan told us that the Dog Packs are the most successful hunters of all, something like 80%. A Hyena was scavenging around the camp just after dark. The people camped next to us were a group of young Germans, food scraps left out, fire in the wrong place; totally unprepared. They thought the hyena was a lion; just about kakked themselves! Wednesday. Drove from Moremi to Savute Elephant Camp in Chobe National Park, which actually borders Moremi. Sandy rough 4WD track. Heaps of fun, but slow going. Saw a small herd of bull elephants in a mud pool. A special Riaan encounter. Varied terrain & vegetation. Very very dry. Only had showers here so far, & nothing flowed down from the Angolan highlands yet. Our campsite was river frontage, but just a small trickle ATM. Still no big cats, although Graham spotted an African Wild Cat, which are very rare apparently. We consider this day a reality check. We were all most upset, particularly Riaan, to find the burning carcass of a Black Rhino. Riaan served in the SA military for several years, most of them in an anti-poaching unit. He knew if the park ranger had burned the carcass, it would have been mutilated by poachers. Riaan is very passionate about all animals, Rhinos in particular, and has plans to open a Rhino Sanctuary in Zambia. Not long after we saw that, we found an elderly emaciated female elephant, trying to get herself a drink in the river. She didn't seem to be able to keep the water in her mouth, & wouldn't be able to chew. Not much longer for this world. Lovely encounter with a troop of banded mongoose. Climbed up & saw some very old Rock Paintings. Thursday 28th. Up & off again, heading for the north eastern end of Chobe, Ihaha campsite, literally on the Chobe River. 150 kms of sand track. Elephants on the way, some buck. Parked up now beside the river. Done a bit of hand washing. Last game drive tonight. If we don't get to see anymore Cats, well not to worry. We have been amazing lucky with what we have seen so far, and continue to be amazed & blown away every day. Saturday 30th November. We are now at Mowana Safari Resort near Kasane, right on the Chobe River. Absolutely beautiful place. Pure luxury for our last night in Africa. Our game drive Thursday night was more of a look around Chobe NP. We found plenty of impala, elephants & giraffe, endless birds, but not much other game & certainly no cats. Not even any tracks. We saw about 10 Cape Buffalo, but nothing like the herds of hundreds that are hiding here somewhere! There was a huge variation in the vegetation. We drove up a couple of valleys that were lush & green compared to the bare ground beside the river, so obviously the bit of rain that has fallen so far, has been scattered. The Chobe NP is 11000 sq km's. the animals are free to wander where the choose & it's not a zoo! Our campsite (Ihaha) was right on the river & gorgeous. A bird watchers paradise! Woken by baboons about 4.30 am. Up on the bus, on the table, climbing the ladder of the landy & a couple even tried to climb Riaan's dome tent! They got short shift with a handful of stones from Riaan, but we were all awake & decided to get up & enjoy the beautiful morning. Left camp about 9.30 am yesterday, in time for a leisurely drive to the park gates. We were lucky enough to see a huge herd of elephants, (about 200) including many babies, drinking, bathing & playing down at the river. We drove right down onto the river's edge & watched them. Dragged ourselves away after many many photos. Nice lunch at the lodge, a few cold beers & then Riaan had pre booked a sunset river cruise for us. Very nice. There was only the 5 of us, plus 5 other passengers on our boat. Game still pretty scare, although we saw lots of hippos, a big water monitor, huge crocodile, a calving buffalo, elephants in the distance & lots of impala. Normally the river is teaming with animals drinking in the late afternoons, but obviously with those green valleys & pockets of rain, there must be puddles & water elsewhere. Amazing build up of cloud, thunder & lightning all around us. A small dust storm blew down the river towards us & we could see rain falling out of the sky in the distance, especially where we camped at Ihaha, but nothing where we were. Amazing. So, not much sunset to be seen either! Buffet dinner, then off to bed. That's pretty much the end of our amazing month in Africa. There is so much to see & take in. Hundreds of parks to explore all over the continent. The people are a study in themselves, let alone the animals & birds. I hope we are lucky enough to get back again one day in the not too distant future. A harsh but beautiful land of total extremes and contrasts. So much to see & explore! We have all had a blast, and will consider Riaan a friend for life. We all hope to come back for the opening of his Rhino Sanctuary. Back to Perth tonight, then the homeward leg. I miss my family and can't wait to see them all.