Chobe River, Okavango Delta, & Kalahari Desert (part 2)
Our single engine 14 seat prop plane landed on a dirt strip with two jeeps flanking the runway to keep the animals at bay as the plane taxied. Welcome to Motswiri in the Okavango Delta!
The Delta is wet, green, remote, and loaded with animals. It is a swampy inland delta fed by the summer rainfall in the Angola highlands. All the water is ultimately evaporated with the high regional temperatures, never reaching a sea or ocean. When the flood peaks during Botwana’s dry winter, the delta swells to 3 times its permanent size. The result is a huge concentration and diversity of wildlife.
Our guides met us at the airstrip with two huge Land Cruisers. These would be our safari vehicles for the next few days. Land Cruisers go anywhere! Sand – no problem. Water – lift your feet and raise your bag because the water might be coming over the hood of the vehicle and into the floorboards. This would happen several times a game drive as we moved from swampy marsh to little island and back into the marsh. It was great fun sloshing through the swamp in search of creatures large and small. Not once did the vehicle stall out as it slogged along.
Home for the next few days was an amazing camp on the banks of the river. Each huge tent had a king-size bed, hot shower, electricity and beautiful mosquito net canopies. Not the old scout tent, that’s for sure! We were free to move around the camp as long as there was daylight. After dark, we needed an escort because you never knew which animals might be noshing overnight. One night it was elephants just outside the tent, another it was hippos that came up from the river for a midnight meal. We could hear the lions every night. Food was again plentiful and amazing. Brunch after the morning drive, high tea before we headed out in the afternoon and dinner after dark. We even had a “braai” or barbeque on our last night in camp. Too bad we can’t go for a walk to burn some of it off!
Big game included LOTS of elephants, plenty of buffalo, and zebras and the occasional bloat of hippos. Then there were the birds! Those in California seem pretty bland compared to the colors, sizes and shapes in Africa. The terrain varied from dry sandy high ground to marshes with 3 feet of water. The large game wandered through the water from one food spot to another. Birds were fishing for whatever they could find.
We broke into two groups for safaris, so it was easier for everyone to get their shots. This meant when we headed out, we had a better chance of spotting key animals. Our guides would connect over the radio, so we missed nothing. Early on our second morning, a beautiful young female leopard was spotted high in a tree trying to hunt the vervet monkeys. Leopards are very elusive so we were very fortunate to find her.
We watched as she waited, stalked, and ignored the vervets. As they taunted her from a nearby tree, she switched locations to see if her luck would improve. It did not but it was fascinating to observe and photograph her. We must have spent 1½ hours moving around the site for the best views as she silently moved among the tree limbs. Having had such a successful morning, we expected she might have moved on by the afternoon drive. However, when we arrived at 4:30, she was resting in the grass, waiting for her evening hunt. More pictures!
We watched as she waited, stalked, and ignored the vervets. As they taunted her from a nearby tree, she switched locations to see if her luck wouldThe birds in the Delta were plentiful – some the same as we saw on the Chobe, some different. Over 400 species call the Delta home for at least some part of the year. We found several species of storks, cranes, herons, egrets and eagles– yellow billed stork, saddle billed stork, open billed stork, the endangered wattled crane, fish eagle, and martial eagle to name a few. Among the most colorful birds were the lilac breasted roller and the bee eaters – not large birds but among the most beautiful.
We took thousands of pictures which then had to be culled and edited. There are lots of duds when photographing animals. There were plenty of good ones though. As we hunkered down over our laptops during our downtime Will, our professional photographer, did an amazing job coaching us through some edits. Thanks Will!
The overriding feeling I had about the Delta was harmony in nature. The scenes were so pastoral. Fresh green, clear blue skies, and amazing sunsets – truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. I found it quite serene. The rest of the world seemed a long way away.
After 3 days it was time to move on, this time to the Kalahari Desert. Once again, we boarded our small plane for yet another dirt runway. Our guides took us to camp where we were met by a chorus of singing staff welcoming us to Dinaka, a private game reserve in the central Kalahari. Our tents were more like canvas bungalows - king size beds and an elevated deck to watch the animals as they came through camp to the local watering hole.
One of the unique things about this area is that while it is located in the desert and it is indeed dry, there is plenty of water underground so the scattered water holes have a permanent source of water. Dinaka has an underground hide next to a large one where guests can observe and photograph at essentially ground level as the animals come to drink. And did they visit! Over the course of 3 times we sat in the hide, we were visited by a variety of birds, a pair of jackals, lots of kudus, a family of warthogs, several oryx, wildebeests, a pair of ostriches, lots of zebra and . . . 4 female lions. The lions, with their very full bellies, having recently eaten, stayed with us for about 30 minutes. We were speechless!
In addition to the hide, we had a few game drives as well. Antelope of many varieties crossed our path. Birds such as the Marabou Stork, with its 5ft height and 12ft wingspan, and the small crimson breasted shrike were striking in their appearance. Although there are snakes in the desert, we only saw one - a spitting cobra sunning itself on the sand. All in all, there were many species of animals, it was hard to keep track - it’s a good thing Will helped with that!
While they are quite endangered, this area is home to several southern white rhinos. They are protected from poachers by both anti-poaching squads and the army. We encountered a few squad vehicles as we drove, a reassuring site for the protection of these big beasts. Rhinos can be elusive so we weren’t sure to find them. However, they had been spotted in the area a few days ago. There aren’t a lot of roads or trails in this area so off we went into the bush. After crashing through, literally plowing over low growing brush, bashing down small thorn trees, and rolling over good size logs for what seemed like forever, we found them - 4 glorious southern white rhinos! The adults had been dehorned, in an effort to deter poachers. The younger ones had either partial or smaller horns. One female was quite pregnant and, according to our guide, was expected to give birth within a few weeks. We watched them from a distance, respectful of their space until they wandered off into the bushveld. All in all, an awesome sight of these chubby unicorns.
After our last afternoon at the hide, we arrived back camp after dark and were quietly directed to the watering hole front and center in the camp. Three female lions, different from the 4 we saw at the hide, came for an early evening drink. They took their time while checking out our vehicles but continued for several minutes before heading off into the night. What a magical way to end our 10 days in the bush!
All in all, our photo safari with Pangolin was incredible and even better than expected. Our photography gang included Nashir, from London who kept things lively, and Walt and Zack from the US. Our tremendously skilled and friendly guides continuously spotted something new or special. And last but most certainly not least was our amazing photography coach, Will Steel, who suited our group perfectly!
After leaving the bush, we began our long trip to our next adventure - teaching kids in Moshi, Tanzania. We had no idea what to expect but had a long time to think about it because it was going to take us 24 hours and 4 flights to get there.
More about Moshi soon!
