Day 17 Botswana - Mankwe and the Lions

The wind blew all night long but I stayed warm under the nice duvet. It was soooo cold in the room however, and it was hard to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed. I was looking forward to a nice hot shower, but the water was only warm so it was a short one. The alarm went off at 5:30 AM, brekie at 6, and on the road by 6:30.

We didn’t see a lot of animals so I decided to shut my eyes. When we did see some, our guides didn’t stop, or if they did, it wasn’t long enough to get a decent photo. Today’s roads were just as bad as yesterday, maybe even more so. Our agenda said it would be a 6 hour drive but it turned into 8 hours. Rest breaks were few and far between, and toilets were behind a rock or a tree. It’s important to stay hydrated because of the heat and dry conditions here, but when you can’t just ‘go’ anywhere, you tend to limit your water intake.

The highlight of the day was when we noticed a bunch of vehicles parked in a small group. When we got there, we couldn’t believe our eyes. A pride of lions was feeding on a recently killed buffalo! We could see 4 of them chewing on the meat and bones. Occasionally we could hear a growl or two.

One lion seemed to have fallen asleep after feeding as we didn’t see her move at all. Another was sitting a bit of a distance away from the group. Then she got up and walked towards us! We were so close. She lay down in a patch of shade and began licking her paws.

I video-recorded lots of the action and took many, many photos. What an absolute thrill! Of course I could have stayed there for much longer but we had many more kilometers to cover.

We had our picnic lunch under the shade of a huge tree in a clearing. That is the safest place to stop, where you can see what’s coming from a distance and nothing can sneak up on you.

There were nests in a tree above us, all on the west side. Locals use the nest location as a directional clue, much like we do with the moss growing on the north side of a tree.

By the time we arrived at our home for the next 2 nights, Mankwe Lodge, my back was in real pain. I took some Ibuprophen and tried to sleep but there was no breeze and it was sweltering hot. I think I did sleep for a bit after the pain killers kicked in.

This is a very small camp and our group of 11, including the 2 guides, are the only guests. Our tents are comfortable, but not the luxury we had yesterday. We must be escorted to and fro when it is dark out.

As I was lying down, I could hear lots of different types of birds. After I got up, I could see elephants in the distance from the front deck. When  I came to the dining tent for supper, an elephant was feeding in the trees quite close by.

Supper was wonderful – butternut squash soup again, chicken, rice, salad and veggies. We even had the same dessert as the other camp, some type of delicious pudding. The group went out on a night game drive after supper, but my body just couldn’t handle one more minute in that vehicle tonight. I am sitting here with a cup of rooibus tea very much enjoying myself. 

Day 16 Botswana - Savuti & Ghoha Hills

It was a cold night. We only had one thin comforter and we couldn’t close one of the window flaps. But when the alarm rang at 6 AM, what a gorgeous view!

During the night a barking type of noise woke me up. I thought it was one of the dogs but apparently it was baboons. The first time I heard it, I listened intently to see what the ruckus was and I’m sure I felt an elephant going by. I couldn’ fall back to sleep easily so I looked at my iphone and I was still connected to the lodge’s wifi! I sent a friend an email telling her what had just happened and where I was. It was so surreal to be connected to the internet while in a tent on the Chobe River after being awakened by baboons!

Breakfast was French toast and bacon, then we were off in our open vehicle before 7:30 AM. Our first stop of the day was Chobe National Park. We drove on some pretty tricky, sandy roads for a good 20 minutes or more. We spotted a few animals along the way – giraffe and kudo.

But when we reached the Chobe River there was an abundant supply of all kinds of wildlife! The treed, brush type of terrain turned into a flat, wide open plain.

It was green and there was lots of beautiful clear water

. We saw many, many zebra, maybe hundreds.

There were different types of birds feeding and swimming. We also saw a jackal, some baboons, and some cattle grazing on the Namibia side of the border. I could have stayed there for hours, but I wasn’t driving, haha!

We headed on out of the park and continued for about an hour on a beautiful piece of pavement. We passed by villages and small farms. The people of Botswana seem to be more prosperous than those in Zambia. After that, the highway ended and we continued on, and on, and on. The ‘road’ was basically a sand trail. It was a bit winding, potholey and rough. We drove on it for hours. Somehow I managed to close my eyes and get some rest. I didn’t get that much sleep last night with the animal calls, the cold, and the early alarm clock.

I’m sure we were on that road for 3 hours. No Alberta gravel road is that bad! The driver really had to put it in low gear a few times and really gun it. At long last, we arrived at a beautiful lodge called the Ghoha Hills in the Savuti Park area of Botswana. It is a ‘green lodge’, meaning they use solar power and conserve water and energy wherever they can.

We had a lovely lunch when we arrived, then we retired to our tent. And what a tent it is! There is a large veranda with 2 chairs and a table overlooking the valley. I watched birds and squirrels as I typed my diary.

The inside has a spacious living room with chairs and the biggest ‘picture window’ I’ve ever seen in a tent – about 12 feet by 10 feet! The toilet and shower are in 2 separate rooms and the bathroom has 2 sinks. The beds look luxurious and they even provide housecoats and slippers. Now that’s what I call luxury camping!

At 4 PM high tea was served – refreshments and yummy baked goods. Then we went on a late afternoon game drive. We didn’t see a lot compared to other game drives we have been on. Oh well!

Supper was served at 7:30 PM but before supper, the staff sang and danced for us. There was about 12 of them and their voices were beautiful! I recorded some of the songs they sang. I hope the recording turns out OK. Supper was exceptional This truly is a 5 star lodge. The service was superb and the meal was wonderful: beef, lamb, a traditional African stew, potatoes, a chow mein type of dish and salad.

We need to be escorted to our tents as this camp is not fenced and we are not to walk about when it is dark out. I wonder what sounds we will hear tonight?!

Day 15 Botswana - Chobe River Safari

We left our Livingstone hotel, The Waterfront, at around 10:20 PM. Our vehicle was a comfortable, large-ish bus with lots of seats. We rode for about an hour until we got to the Zambian border. There, we went into the customs office so they could check us out of the country.

The road had ended and we were facing the Chobe River. There, a boat was waiting to take us across. For some reason I was a bit nervous about the crossing and I was glad it was a short one. We had a hard time getting started and 3 men had to push us off.

From the river, in 4 different directions, the guides pointed out Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. After about a 5-7 minute crossing, we arrived in Botswana where we had to line up to get our passport stamped once again. Then we transferred to another vehicle, an open air one and headed to the restaurant where we were going to have lunch. It was called ‘The Old House’ and it was a cute B&B with great food.

When we were done, we transferred to yet another vehicle and headed to an ATM machine in order to withdraw the Botswana currency which is pula. We also stopped at a Spar grocery store. I was intrigued by the loud noise people were making by the door and went to investigate, of course! Women were putting loaves of bread they had bought into a machine that slice it for them. Then they bagged it and off they went. I longed to photograph the women doing this but settled on a photo of the machine itself.

After that, we headed to our lodge for the night. It is called Pangolin Photo Safaris and they are right by the Chobe River. Due to space constraints, there was no room for Donna and I in the main lodge. We get to stay in a tent which has the most amazing view!

To reach it, you must walk across the lawn, down a path (with elephant dung on it), then climb a ladder onto a wooden platform. There are 2 beds and a bathroom with a flush toilet, a sink and a shower. The floor is made from slats and the shower water runs through them to the ground below. And the view, did I mention the view??!!!

 We had just enough time to get a few things together, then we were off again. The 5 of us had pre-booked a river photo safari ahead of time. Although I have a very nice camera, I was more than willing to try something new and I am so glad I did!

The boat we were on had swivel seats, with swivel photo mounts, and we were given Nikon cameras with a 150-500 lens! Then we set off down the Chobe River. Oh my gosh! I was in heaven!!

We got so close to elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and many amazing birds.

Sometimes even when zooming out, we were too close to fill the frame with the animal! Everyone was super excited with the scenery and what their wonderful camera and lens could do. I was tickled pink that they were enthralled with photography and the prospect of getting such fabulous shots. We looked and felt like a bunch of National Geographic professional photographers! I took 926 photos with the Nikon (and a few on my own 2 cameras). Ooh la la!

We got to watch elephants swimming, took some amazing bird shots, and we were startled by a hippo that got too close to our boat. Oh, to be able to do this every day!

The sunset was gorgeous, as usual. Then we headed back to the lodge for drinks, supper and hopefully a good sleep in our cool little tent.