Ultimate Botswana - Okavango Delta, Savuti, Chobe River, Victoria Falls
Without question, Botswana is magic! Imagine herds of over thousand buffalo stampeding across a swamp escaping the threat of hunting lions; elephant mothers gently guiding their tiny calves across the deep waters of an Okavango Delta channel; or a concert of lions roaring and hippos grunting at night near your camp; not to forget the breathtaking experience of African wild dogs organizing a fierce hunt for impalas. There is not a dull moment while being on a game drive in comfortable open Land Cruisers or while silently drifting in a dugout canoe on one of the myriads of Okavango channels, not knowing what surprise might await around the next bend. Being on an African safari reminds one of watching a thriller. There is constant anticipation and tension. And during moments where you might not be surrounded by wild animals you will take in the aromatic smell of wild sage or listen to the hundreds of bird species that are home to the Okavango Delta.
Our adventure starts in the town of Maun, Botswana. Maun was founded in 1915 as the capital of the Batawana people. The name is derived from the San word ‘maung’ which means ‘the place of short reeds’. The village was discovered by the outside world through David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, and has ever since been known as “the last Eden on Earth”. Now it is a bustling safari town with a population of about 30,000. It has been Botswana’s gateway to the bush for over 50 decades and this is where our adventure into the bush begins.
A charter flight over the northern Kalahari will take us to the edge of the wildlife rich Okavango Delta. Typically, a river spills its water into an ocean. The Okavango River however flows into the sand of the vast Kalahari where the water disappears underground. The Okavango Delta is a unique pulsing wetland that is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammals, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion. More correctly an alluvial fan, the delta covers between 6000 and 15,000 square kilometres or 9320 square miles of Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana.
Our first wild camp will be in the Moremi Game Reserve, the easternmost extension of the Okavango Delta. We will enjoy a quiet and peaceful time in a private mobile tented camp set up only for us that is situated near a lagoon where hippos hang out during the day and elephant breeding herds may come to drink and bath. In the mornings and late afternoons until sunset we will explore this wildlife rich area by safari vehicle before returning back to the camp where a cozy campfire atmosphere is awaiting us with cold drinks and snacks.
After three days we will be spoiled by magnificent views as we fly quite a distance over the Okavango Delta. Below us stretches a mosaic of waterways and lagoons in all shades of green and blue interspersed with islands that found their origin in the activity of termites. The following 3 days we will explore the papyrus-fringed delta channels near our camp by mokoro (dugout canoe) and motorboat.
One cannot know Botswana without having experienced Savuti, a place that only occasionally is dominated by the water-filled Savuti Channel that empties into a vast marsh. For decades the channel had been dry until about 10 years ago when it started flowing again. Due to tectonic movements and the resulting upheaval of the land northwest of Savuti, the channel once again is dry. Nevertheless, this doesn't prevent large numbers of elephants gathering around the few waterholes every evening.
Savuti acquired much fame because of its large number of lions. They have been known as the Marsh Pride for many years and have a genetic lineage tied into the fierce elephant killers of years gone by. Their robust bloodline is evident – even in play. In the mid-90s, this fearless pride which once numbered 30+ lions, killed 74 elephants during a three year period. Filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert documented this phenomenon in the National Geographic film, ‘Ultimate Enemies’. According to scientist Richard John Powder, the lions may be reverting to a role they once had during the Pleistocene era as hunters of megaherbivores. The behavior may be rooted in Savuti’s long history of drought periods where near-starved elephants were easy to bring down, helping the lions hone their elephant-kill tactics.
Having spent years in Eastern Africa and other parts of Botswana, we can confidently say that Savuti has never disappointed us with excellent lion sightings. Actually, the best lion action we have witnessed has been in Savuti which covers the southern part of the vast Chobe National Park. Here once again we will enjoy the privacy of a comfortable private tented camp and will be happy to see the friendly staff again who looked after us in the Moremi Game Reserve.
When we leave Savuti, we will fly over Chobe National Park until we reach the town of Kasane which sits along the Chobe River. Kasane is close to Africa’s ‘Four Corners’, where the borders of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe almost meet. The population is around 10,000 people and we will spend one night in a lodge sitting along the Chobe River. We will be cruising the Chobe in a private river boat during sunset on the day we arrive and again at sunrise the following morning to experience large herds of elephants coming to drink. At the same time, we will be watching the water in order to avoid hippos at close range. This is where we say goodbye to our wild friends in the bush - but our adventure doesn’t end here.
After our morning boat cruise and breakfast, we will cross the border into Zimbabwe by car and make our way to the town of Victoria Falls. We will spend the next few nights in the town with the same name and of course, visit one of the largest water falls in the world. The Lozi and the Bulawayo tribes referred to the Victoria Falls as,, “The Smoke That Thunders” and you will see why. David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer is the first European recorded for having viewed the falls in 1855. He sited and older name of the falls given by the Chongwe, ‘The Place of the Rainbow’. Here in Victoria Falls, we will cruise the Zambezi river at sunset and fly over the falls by helicopter.
We have repeated over and over again that “Africa is Magic”. Every single time, we have been told that this is an understatement because ‘Africa is lifechanging’. You can’t possibly return home as the same person. It is the cradle of mankind and once you have been there, you are inexplicably drawn back over and over again because – you simply want to return home.
Thank you for sharing one of our favorite places on this planet with us!
~ Travel Different
Please read the REVIEWS of our previous Botswana expeditions!
