Botswana

The last stop of our epic journey finds us in Botswana, after a layover in Johannesburg. We both love Africa, so it feels like a fitting way to conclude our twelve-month odyssey.

Landing in Maun, we discover, that the el nino, has exacerbated the lack of rain, resulting in a severe drought. Very little rain fell during the rainy season, and as a result, the north part of the country in particular is unseasonably dry. To reinforce the point, our riverside lodge, lacks any sign of a river!

We have opted for a self-drive safari, with a mixture of camping and lodges, with an emphasis on the latter. We’ve driven before in both Namibia and Tanzania, so have a good idea of what to expect. Our car for the next fortnight is an extended Toyota Landcruiser, all three tonnes of it.

Our agents brief us on how to erect the roof tent, show us where everything is stored, and take us for a short drive to explain the basics. In advance we’d watched a load of videos to familiarise ourselves with the car. May as well have saved our time, totally different config!

Jacob is a burly South African, who is clearly used to life outdoors. Regret my choice of attire. White trainers, blue shorts and a polo top – ready for a day milling around the lodge. Looks like I’ve never stepped foot in Africa before, and draws a nervous glance from our instructor. That said, to paraphrase Forrest Gump ‘he had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.’ Use this setting for ‘little trouble’, this setting for ‘big trouble’, and diff lock for ‘stuck in bad s**t!’ Fairly straightforward.

The car is also equipped with a compressor for deflating and inflating tyres based on ‘road’ type, two spare tyres, a fridge and a freezer. Everything you need to survive in the wilds of Africa. We also have a sat phone for emergencies. In advance, we have downloaded static maps, which we understand are of questionable value at times. What could possibly go wrong?

After stocking up on supplies at the supermarket and buying firewood from local roadside vendors, we head out first thing the following day. Get a bizarre call from the agents before we leave, to advise us that there is a control point 60km away, where they will try to confiscate our meat. Yep our meat. Their advice is to hide it. Surreal…

It’s a long drive to reach Nxai Pan. Goes pretty smoothly, and we manage to get through the checkpoint having stowed our chicken, burgers, and steak in a sleeping bag. Just shy of our campsite, we stop at the gate to check our pitch number and sign in. All is going swimmingly well until we start the car… or rather try to start the car! Not even a flicker from the starter… we’ve been on the road for less than a day and we have a flat battery!

Fortunately we are by the gate, so some helpful locals help push the car into the shade. The bonnet is up as quick as flash, and four enthusiastic amateur mechanics quickly assess the situation. It can’t be the battery they declare, it’s too new. Pretty much every fuse in the car is replaced, before they stand scratching their heads in perplexion…

By now a huge bull elephant is roaming around the huts drinking water from a broken pipe. Jenn is sat in the shade looking anxious… Now I remember why people don’t drive themselves in Africa. I make one last attempt to convince my aides that it’s the battery, before they start stripping down the engine. They reluctantly agree to try a jump start… lo and behold we have lift off!

With the car running we drive the short distance to our pitch. Our agents are en route with a spare battery but it will take hours to make the journey. We decide to make camp for the night. Roof top tent goes up fine, but the ground tent is a tad more challenging, no tent pegs. As a side note, we’ve (or rather Jenn) has decided the roof tent is too small for two people, thus I’m relegated to the ground tent. Manage to get a decent fire going and watch as the elephants roam the camp. There’s something very primal about camping in Africa.

Eventually, a new battery arrives and is exchanged in record time. Jacob looks me up and down approvingly. I’m now suitably attired in outdoor garb and covered in dust, ‘now you look like safari David’ he declares with something akin to pride. Helps us to erect the pegless tent and disappears into the darkness.

Our first meal goes reasonably well. Fun cooking over a real fire. As we sit drinking hot chocolate and congratulating ourselves on a passable meal, the jackals start to appear. They are not the most menacing of beasts, bit like domestic dogs. They are however, extremely scrappy. They are bold to the point of recklessness and show absolutely no fear of Jenn. If only they knew!

An eventful first day, sees an early night. Unidentifiable noises interrupt our sleep, but makes the whole experience very atmospheric.

After packing up the camp, we go on our first game drive. Wide open plains and an easily accessible water hole make it a very memorable drive. The animals here are in great condition. Never seen ostriches quite as large, and with the sheer abundance of elephants and game it is immediately clear why Botswana is so revered.

A decent length drive then takes us further into the pans. We visit the famed Baines Baobabs, and are delighted to discover that our next campsite is directly opposite. We are literally in the middle of nowhere, with no one around for miles. Perfect.

The clouds have been gathering all morning, and it looks for all the world as though the drought is about to break in spectacular fashion. It would make driving extremely challenging, so we selfishly cross our fingers, despite acknowledging that the country desperately needs rain!

The clouds make for a pretty cool time-lapse, and we explore the area with a glass of wine in hand. No jackals this evening, but as ever, some slightly unnerving night-time sounds.

Our next stop is at a lodge. A chance to have a shower! The camping is great fun, but it is extremely dusty. As the pictures below demonstrate, by the time we’ve packed up, I’m liberally coated. Jenn is disgusted to find that she too has not escaped unscathed… 😉

Our lodge overlooks what would ordinarily be a river, but is now being manually maintained via a water pump. Huge numbers of zebra gather on the banks and in the water, whilst elephant appear on rotation. The ground-level hide makes for an interesting place to watch events unfold.

We would happily have stayed longer at the lodge, but duly drive north to our next stop at South Gate in Moremi National Park. The driving thus far has been fine. The area is famed for deep sand, which can be hugely problematic. Our car however, deals with it with aplomb.

After a long game drive, that yields relatively little, we are heading back to camp when we pull over to speak to a local guide. The water hole we were aiming for is completely dry. He highlights that there is no water in the area, a huge problem that will only get worse as they head into summer. He also points out that we have a very flat rear tyre!

Now, I’m not going to lie, a large part of me hopes that he will offer to help us change it. Having had an active AA membership since I was 17, I am slightly abashed to confess that I’ve never had to change a tyre in my life. Sadly, he merely suggests that we use the compressor to reinflate the tyre to get back to our base.

Spend the hour and a bit drive back to camp contemplating the looming dusk and the fact that I get to break my tyre changing duck on a 3-tonne truck! In fairness, changing the tyre isn’t too horrendous, and the only creature that looks to be even remotely interested in my efforts is a bull elephant that is happily drinking from yet another broken pipe nearby. Change the tyre (with Jenn’s assistance), erect two tents, build a fire and collapse. Burgers, kebabs, and a strange concoction of butternut squash, cheese, and chillies, goes down well. As does the single lager, I’d been able to buy from the poorly stocked bottle shop en route. The clouds by now have lifted and the sky is full of stars.

Just as we are contemplating going to bed Jenn hears a rustle. The torchlight reveals an animal we have long wanted to see, a honey badger! It is skittish and disappears once discovered, but we get a decent look at it. Compact creature, that certainly earns the second part of its name. Famously vicious if provoked (they have been known to attack lions when threatened), they are not an animal to be trifled with. Reminds me of a certain someone!

Grab my camera and wait, in the hope that they return. They make several appearances over the next half an hour and are clearly looking for food. Eventually I decide to go and brush my teeth having epically failed to get a decent picture.

When I get back to camp, Jenn and the honey badgers (there are now two of them) appear to be getting along famously. Much like the jackal, they are completely unintimidated by her (more fool them). Whilst I’ve been gone they’ve roamed through the camp, hissed at Jenn, and even contemplated removing the baked potatoes from our fire. They scarper as soon as I return.

Jenn goes to bed and I sit with camera poised, waiting for them to return. With the camp in darkness, I can hear them exploring our bin. Under torch light I can see them climbing the bin and extracting our leftover meal. They subsequently disappear a safe distance with their bounty. I replace the lid and place a large rock on top. It takes both hands to lift it and must weigh close to 10 kilos. 5 minutes later, the honey badgers are back. They flick the rock off without ceremony and are back in the bin. I resign myself to the fact that there is no way to keep them out. Decide to take pictures instead.

We can hear them rummaging about for the rest of the night. Very cool animals but noisy little buggers!

Next morning we continue into Moremi to Xakanaxa, where we are staying for three nights. Beautiful lodge set on the river. Once settled in we head out for an afternoon drive. Nice not to be behind the wheel. Meet two honeymooners from London who will be our companions during our stay.

The first drive is fantastic. We see a large black mamba, male lions on a kill, and the undisputed highlight of our trip thus far, two male cheetahs! We watch the latter as they attempt to get close to kudu and impala without success. Beautiful cats and in fantastic shape. Nothing here looks underfed!

Over the course of the next few days we see a variety of game, and like all experiences in Africa, every day brings something slightly different.

On our last afternoon we take a boat trip along the river and watch as elephant cross. Beautiful place for our final sundowner.

That said, you don’t have to go far from the lodge to see animals. By now we are very used to seeing Oscar, the resident hippo, who frequently roams the lodges and in particular, likes to pass by our room. We are slightly less accustomed to having a huge pel’s fishing owl fly so low over our heads by the fire, that we can feel the wind beneath its wings (cue Bette Midler). It also has a young chick, which is equally enormous!

We both feel more than a little sad to be leaving as we depart next day and say goodbye to our friends.

It’s a lengthy drive to our next stop at the Hyena Pan, in Khwai. The lodge is set overlooking a waterhole and we watch as elephant frolic in the water as we enjoy our welcome drink. Head out that evening to a hide that has been built overlooking a remote, manmade waterhole. Get to observe huge numbers of elephant from the confines of our hide, with G&T in hand. As the sun sets we get stunning views of the elephants as they leave the water and make their way back into the forest.

Game drives start early at the Hyena Pan, with a wake-up call at 5.30am. I’m not overly optimistic about our chances, given that the area is full of dense bush. It is however, a private concession which gives guides latitude about where they can travel, not being restricted to roads and paths.

Our guide, tells us that he found a dead elephant the day before, and suggests we head there. To get to said site requires a decent offroad journey through the bush following his day old tracks. He’d been led there the day before by following vultures.

We can smell the elephant before we see it. Have to cover our noses when downwind, to prevent the scent from becoming overpowering. But what a sight… a large elephant carcass, hundreds of vultures on the ground in the background, and a pack of seven wild dogs!

We have wanted to see wild dogs for years. They have eluded us in Zambia, Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania. It is the one animal we were most desperate to see! They are also the second most endangered predator in Africa, after the Ethiopian wolf.

On safari, there are sightings, and sightings. This is the latter. Wild dogs are highly successful hunters, boasting one of the highest kill percentages in the animal kingdom. Thus, finding them scavenging is highly unusual. It means that we get to watch them in situ. A dead animal is a dangerous place to stay for a pack of dogs. Although apex predators, a pride of lion would make short work of them if found in the open like this. Thus, they take turns to eat whilst the others stand guard. Dog packs have one alpha pair, with the rest doing their bit to rear the pups and hunt.

We are surprised about a few things. Firstly, they seem very frail. Their legs are somewhat spindly. Secondly, there is no question of anything else approaching the elephant whilst they eat. There are prowling hyena, countless vultures, and jackals all waiting patiently for the dogs to finish. Spindly or not, these dogs are accorded respect in the bush.  

We get a good amount of time with the dogs, who are not in the least concerned about our presence. Once they eventually slope off, all hell breaks loose. The vultures descend en masse, the jackals head in, and the hyena as ever look furtive, but move closer.

It quickly becomes a very macabre, but fascinating scene.

Celebrate with a glass of bubbles over lunch. Amazing morning. We also see a pair of eagle owls and a pride of lion on the way back to the lodge!

That evening we spot the dogs again, sleeping by the roadside. They quickly disappear as we approach, and serve to reinforce how lucky we’d been earlier in the day.

Before we leave the following morning we head back to the site. No dogs this time, but watch with fascination as the jackal feeds. We knew from our experience at camp, that they were fearless, but it’s an amusing sight to see them fighting off the vultures. It’s like something out of a gothic horror film, with the vultures and jackal, venturing deep inside the carcass itself.

Our final night camping, after a long drive through Savuti national park goes without hiccup. The most threatening animal to enter our camp is a spring hare. Super cute. Cross between a rabbit and a kangaroo.

By now our trip is coming to a close and we spend two nights near Kasane, outside the national park, on the banks of the river Chobe. Our final drive in Botswana however has a treat in store for us. After a couple of hours of seeing very little, we come across a male lion by the river. This is quickly followed by some young cubs. Further along the road the rest of an impressive pride is scattered on the flood plains. They have brought down two young buffalo, and a hunting pack of five lionesses is stalking the remainder of an impressive herd.

We watch as the lions pursue and tease the buffalo. Interesting dynamic with the lions constantly testing the herds strength, resulting in some intense face offs. Intriguing to watch the tables reversed, as the large bulls chase away the lions. Even when separated, the lions are not so bold as to attempt to take on the large bulls. With such an abundance of food, there is little point in taking unnecessary risks. The dust they kick up in the dawn light makes for some of my favourite photos of the entire trip.

What an amazing final drive.

Our last afternoon in Botswana is spent on a cruise along the River Chobe, tracing the national park, and separating the country from Namibia. Loads of activity on the water and a beautiful sunset.

Next morning we hand over our car, and make our way for a night in Zimbabwe before transiting through Johannesburg.

As expected, we’ve loved Botswana. As with every other African country we’ve visited, it feels very special. When you are in the wilds it feels like an untouched corner of the world, where a different hierarchy and order of things exist. The wildlife is stunning, and even though there are hard times ahead given the drought the country is facing, it actually all feels like it’s part of the circle of life. Africa is a hard continent, beautiful, but harsh. Life is a battle in this part of the world, and for those of us who merely spectate, it leaves an indelible mark on one’s soul!

Until we return…