lisbonchick

Where to start…. This trip took months to plan, a lot of excitement and hundreds of emails and messages. We got the car kitted out with an extra fuel tank and a fridge – game changer, best thing ever. Dave and Jackie joined for the first leg up to Victoria Falls and it was great to have company, especially when we got stuck in the sand!

We started by making our way to the Kalahari. All I could think about was the David Attenborough series where he depicts life in the Kalahari desert, the rains arriving and how animals live in such a dry, arid environment. Well, it was like that. A huge desert in the middle of nowhere, hot in the day, freezing at night and very, very dusty and sandy. There were not many animals to see but just being in such a vast, deserted place was pretty amazing. No people and no facilities, just us and nature. We stayed at Kori Pan campsite in Deception Valley. A very private spot with a drop toilet smeared with shit and a bucket shower but you need to bring your own water!

From the Kalahari, we headed to Nxai Pan. It may look close on the map, but the roads were rough and the journey took longer than expected. Endless sand and wide open spaces stretched as far as the eye could see and I loved it. There’s something magical about desolate landscapes; the emptiness itself feels special.

I read someone online complaining about not seeing lions on their safari, but for me, being immersed in nature and soaking up the wilderness is the real reward. Animals are a bonus, a sprinkle of magic on an already incredible experience. I especially love how you can drive for hours without encountering another car or person, a rare sense of isolation in a world filled with buildings, traffic, and technology. It’s a reminder of how unique and beautiful these wild spaces truly are.

We drove through Makgadikgadi Pans National Park where we saw a zebra migration and not much else and finally arrived in Nxai Pan. The road into Nxai Pan was one of the worst roads we’ve been on. By the time we arrived at camp, our shocks were broken. Still, it was a beautiful spot and although in the dry season there aren’t many animals around, they do congregate around the waterhole throughout the day and evening. A stunning spot with the sun setting behind the water. Our camp was Nxai Pan South Camp with views and visiting elephants during the day and night. Plenty of jackals as well who are very clearly used to humans and were not shy in approaching us. The first elephant to visit us was HUGE and it was a little scary. We all sat down and just watched him as he munched away and gave himself dust showers. They are such gentle creatures and so, so quiet. You can turn around and suddenly there is one behind you. How does such a massive animal make so little noise walking around?

From Nxai Pan, we made our way to Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. On the way, we saw plenty of zebra from the migration and some elephants making the most of the waterholes along the road. It is incredible to be driving on a major, national road and see animals walking about all around!

Moremi was truly a highlight of the trip! A stunning park with beautiful waterways which we explored by boat one afternoon. Many elephants and truly breathtaking scenery. Although this was the dry season, there were areas with water and plenty of waterholes with animals. Our campsite was once again, private and with open views and we have plenty of visitors, especially elephants. We had one sleeping next to the tent, such deep breathing, relaxing but also a little unnerving. It was the middle of the night and we heard him eating the tree next to our tent. Then just quiet followed by a very deep breathing. Geoff asked if this was Dave snoring but alas it wasn’t. We listened to this breathing for a while until I got curious and went to investigate. Got a bit fright as the elephant was right there staring at me. He looked at me with some sort of disdain or indifference, hard to tell, and walked off. Probably not impressed that I woke him up. Definitely one place to go back to one day….

We did a boat trip with an extremely knowledgable guide. He knew incredible facts about all animals and had many stories to tell. He took us past a pod of hippos who were taking an interest in our boat, a little too much interest for my liking. We had to go past the hippos so he got close and then full speed ahead. The hippos charged at us, big teeth and mouths open, they are bloody fast! Too fast for a photo but what a photo that would have been. I am sure he does this to all the visitors and has a good laugh afterwards.

A road trip involves driving… We did a lot of it! By the time we got back home, we had done 5,000 kms. Mainly through deserts, rocks, rivers, corrugation, deep sand, you name it. This is going into Savuti/Chobe, hard going road but a beautiful sunset at the end and a lion print – we found them next day but camera was not cooperating so only one fuzzy photo…. Again more elephants munching around us and other things we couldn’t identify. Thinking of investing in a tent with windows so that we can see what is lurking in the darkness. At the moment, it is more a game of I hear rather than I spy.

Our final destination in Botswana was Senyati Safari Camp where they have a hide and you can watch the elephants at the waterhole. You go down into this hide, looks like a WW2 bunker and you are at eye level with the water and the elis massive feet! Quite stinky but amazing to be so close to them. We only saw them at night so hard to take decent photos. Some of them came right up to us, I was waiting for a trunk to make its way inside but they didn’t share that with us.

Not many mishaps were had on this leg of the trip apart from when we saw a tree on the road and decided to move it. We soon found out the tree was there for a reason and promptly became very stuck in the sand. Thankfully Dave had bought some mud tracks which we all thought were probably a waste of money, but no, they were indeed very useful. If you see a tree on the road, don’t move it! If you see a sign, follow the instructions! We failed on both counts.

This was the end of the Botswana leg of our trip. It is truly a beautiful country with friendly, welcoming people. The parks we visited were beautiful and wild. They are all so different and offer stunning views and plenty of animals. Elephants are everywhere and we were lucky to see some lions. I find it almost impossible to describe and depict the beauty and the wilderness, the sense of space and isolation. The being vulnerable in nature, sharing the space with animals we grow up watching on television and are deemed so dangerous. They are dangerous but they are not after us and we relaxed into being in their space and being comfortable with them walking around us. A truly magical experience which left me feeling contented and at peace.

Next blog one is on Zimbabwe!