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BotswanaJul 9, 2009
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Our first stop in Botswana was to Chobe National Park or as I like to call it “Elephant City”. We camped the first night outside the park and the next morning did a boat ride into the park and it was fantastic. MS and I were at the front of the boat which meant we got very up close and personal with the crocodile and hippo on the river bank as our guide drove along – at one point our guide was explaining how quick the crocodiles can attack as MS and I sat within touching distance of it. We had lunch on the riverbank but could not use the bush toilet as the elephants had taken over the area. In fact that afternoon while doing a game drive we were surrounding by what seemed like hundreds of elephants. The park had a great deal of giraffe and we saw them licking the salt and running in the distance. But the highlight was coming across a lion kill where two lionesses and 3 cubs had killed a buffalo and were feasting on it – amazing. We visited the kill several times that afternoon and at one point, on dusk, a small bull elephant approached and charged the kill sending the cubs scattering and caused the two lionesses to come to life to guard the kill – it was very odd that the elephant took exception to the lions being there. That night we camped in a bush camp in the national park and were told the good old stories of tourists getting eating by lions if they leave their tent, etc but we were lucky and had no such encounters during the night. The next day we drove out of the park and headed to the Okavenga Delta. We traveled in speed boats as the sun was setting to get to our campsite – it was great traveling through the canals with reeds towering on either side. We transferred into mokoros (canoes) the next day for a mokoro ride on the delta which was great. We didn't see many animals but it was so lovely and peaceful being paddled around and we really enjoyed it. At sunrise the next day we were paddled to “hippo pond” where the two resident hippos chose to ignore us as we paddled around on the edge of their territory. We then transferred to a house boat for a night and it was great to finally have a decent bed and shower after what seemed like forever in the tent. Botswana was a fantastic place and we really enjoyed our time there.
