SAFARI
TO OKAVANGO DELTA, OKAVANGO RIVER PANHANDLE BUSHMEN
AND TSODILO HILLS
Arrive
Maun on Air Botswana (daily flights from Johannesburg,
usually arriving in Maun around mid-day). Drive
(approximately a 3 hour drive, with stops en route
for lunch and drinks and to photograph game/beautiful
scenery etc) to a preset camp in the Okavango Delta.
Sundowners as you watch your first African sunset.
Day
2. Okavango Delta - Up early to have tea/coffee
and go out on the morning game drive. Lion calls
heard through the night dictate a lot of the drives
and following fresh lion tracks can be very exciting.
We take a full coffee box with us for a short stop
mid-morning. At about 10:30 - 11:00 am, we return
to camp for a full "Lloyd's Camp" type
brunch (combination of breakfast and lunch). Out
again for the afternoon game drive after a relaxing
siesta through the hottest part of the day. Tea
with savoury and sweet snacks (freshly baked camp
bread) is also served before the afternoon game
drive.
Day
3. Okavango Delta. Game drives both in
the morning and the afternoon. When in community
concessions we often take a spotlight with us and
return to camp well after dark. This gives us the
opportunity to view some of the nightlife and with
luck, some of the predators as well. Mostly one
picks up the reflective eyes of genets, bush babies
(a little ape like creature with big red reflective
eyes) wild cats, impala, hyena, etc.
Day
4. Okavango Delta. After a leisurely breakfast,
go out in the mokoros (dugout canoes) for a morning's
ride on the water before the sun gets too hot. The
Okavango is truly beautiful and it is so relaxing
to be poled quietly through the channels, taking
in the plant and bird life (lily trotters or Jacanas,
pygmy geese, kingfishers, etc.) Travel back to camp
for a light lunch and mid day siesta. Head out in
the afternoon (after tea) for a drive through the
palm belts of the lower dry flood plains. Lechwe
(water loving antelope) keep a watchful eye on us
as they graze on the edge of the receding waterways.
Day
5. Okavango Delta. Up early and drive out
with a full packed lunch, to track lion that may
be in the area. We will take some deck chairs to
relax in over the lunch period before we carry on
in the afternoon to look for the big herds of buffalo.
Big herds often attract lion activity and one can
watch as the lion harass the herd, trying to single
out an animal.
Day
6. Awake to an early breakfast, pack up
camp and head back to Maun. Restock, refuel and
either fly or drive to Shakawe, in the northern
pan handle of the Okavango Delta. Here, on the banks
of a quiet back water, camp in Meru tents amongst
the majestic trees of the riverine forest. It is
the haunt of the Pel's Fishing Owl, which hunts
from overhanging trees, sitting quietly watching
for bream or barbel (fish) as the swim between the
mangle of water roots flowing in the current.
Day
7. Awake very early, to drive to Tsodilo
Hills - mountain of the Gods, as it is often called.
Here excellent bushmen paintings can be found whilst
doing an easy walk around and over the hills. A
small museum of excellent quality exhibits artifacts
of bygone times, stone age tools, pottery and baskets
of the present day. We will drive to a small bushmen
village and visit with them, watching their embulient
faces as they offer their home made necklaces, carvings,
baskets and much more for sale. Over the years they
have mixed with the local Batawana tribe, but still
try and maintain their heritage of being the special
little people they are, talking with their clicking
sounds of a strange language. They have so little,
yet they are happy and rich in spirit. After bartering
with them and buying their wares, we bid farewell,
leaving our gifts of maize meal, oil, salt and sugar.
They are happy and accept with gratitude. Back to
a shady tree, where we will have our lunch with
a cold bottle of wine. Drive back to camp in the
afternoon, taking in a side road along the edge
of the river. Village elders sit in the shade, talking
about the days, children play amongst the goats
and the women sit in the sand, weaving baskets to
sell, chatting as their fingers weave a contrasting
colour and pattern of the swamp water lily.
Day
8. Awake to a leisurely breakfast, before
going out for a ride in a boat, on the wide Okavango
river. Take in the bird life of the channel and
keep a keen eye for pods of hippo or crocodile basking
in the sun. It is a mighty and strong river, commanding
respect as it flows between its papyrus lined banks.
After lunch, drive into the Shakawe village, taking
in the way of life of the Mumbukush people. The
little trading shops sell essential items of food,
offering too items of beauty like beads, face creams
and yards of gaudy cloth. Spend the afternoon watching
the river from your deck chair, or walk with binoculars
through the forest, bird watching.
Day
9. After an early breakfast, pack up camp
and return to Maun for your onward connection to
Johannesburg. Safari ends.
OKAVANGO
DELTA AND FLOODPLAIN & SAVUTI (CHOBE)
Day
1. Meet clients at the airport (Maun) off
Air Botswana. A relaxed three and a half hour drive
to a mobile camp already set up, with lunch en route.
Drinks around a camp fire - in the heart of Africa.
Day
2. Up early, for coffee/tea and biscuits.
Out for the early game drive before sunrise. Another
coffee break before returning to camp (about 10:30
am) for brunch. Mid-day siesta through the hottest
part of the day or sit quietly at a pan to watch
game come down to drink. Breeding herds of elephant
love to play in the water through the heat of the
day and one can watch the baby elephants take full
advantage of the muddy edges as they wallow to their
hearts content.
Day
3. Up early again and head out with a packed
lunch for the day. Game viewing around water holes,
on the flood plains and visit the bottom lagoons
for bird life.
Day
4. Same morning and afternoon game drives
or a day in dugout canoes to see the water lilies,
bird life, or walk quietly on the islands.
Day
5. Leave camp and head for Savuti. Savuti
is in the Chobe game Reserve in the North West of
Botswana. This is well away from the water filled
Deltas and represents true dry African Savannah.
The area is characterized by expansive dry savannah
floodplains and patches of evergreen forest known
as islands. 20 years ago these flood plains were
flooded when the Savuti channel started flowing
again after being dry for decades. This killed the
large trees in the floodplains giving Savuti is
character of twisted sentinel silhouettes.
The
drive from Moremi to Savuti is an adventure in itself
and we will stop along the way to appreciate the
beauty. The staff will have gone ahead and erected
the camp ready for your arrival, and we will get
there is time to freshen up before going on a sunset
game drive As an alternative clients could return
to Maun and fly into Savuti.
Day
6. Explore the flood plains for lion. Savuti
is famous for is well established lion prides. They
will often lie up against a small anthill in the
early mornings, where they are well camouflaged
in the yellow grass. Herds of wildebeest and zebra
graze peacefully and unsuspectingly.
Day
7. Game drives tracking lion and watching
the extensive elephant herds in this area. The game
dictates the pace
Day 8. After a short early morning
game drive - return to camp and pack up to leave
for Maun in time to connect on Air Botswana
|
