Botswana Holidays: Our Experiences
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chobe, victoria falls, wildlife and the kalahari
Botswana Holidays: Our Experiences
by Chris Goldring (Director)
One of my favourite holidays was a 7 day tour of Botswana during January 2005. I had been on a few Safaris before in South Africa, I have some great memories of Kruger Park, but I was unprepared for what lay ahead in the Okavango Delta and Chobe.
I flew from Johannesburg to Maun, the main airport and artery into Botswana. Stepping into these small airports is a treat when you compare them to the hustle and bustle of the major international airports. Not long after landing am I making my way to the light aircraft, a Cessna, for a short flight to my first lodge, the Kwando Kwara in the Okavango Delta.
The flight in the Cessna didn’t take long, or it certainly didn’t feel like it as the view was amazing! The landscape comprised a mix of complex waterways interspersed with lush grass plains with visible Elephant and Giraffe.
I spent two nights at the Kwara Camp and I was amazed at the luxury of these so called impermanent camps. The camps are prohibited from being permanent structures so the impact on the local ecology is minimised. All the furniture was natural wood, the decoration was minimal and tasteful and the tent was immaculately clean. The only difference to a luxury hotel room was the tented roof and walls.
Botswana Tourism has a very interesting policy of low volume and high yield, this means they minimise the number of camps and the number of visitors allowed. In doing so the cost increases for the traveller but in my opinion this is easily outweighed by the impact of much fewer people. You can’t help feeling detached from civilisation in a place with no roads and few people surrounded by a vast expanse of wilderness.
The game drives were absolutely fabulous, I was continually surprised with the obstacles overcome by the 4x4, thick bush or water wouldn’t deter us! Although January is during the flood season in which the wildlife disperses to the many wet areas, the wildlife viewing was incredible.
We tracked lion spoor for two hours and found them sleeping in the shade, we spotted a young leopard practicing its stalking with any animal it could find and followed him when he decided to climb a tree for a rest.
The highlight for me at Kwara was the boat tour on the waterways of the delta, the views were amazing and the bird life really was incredible. We motored along enjoying the sun, the views and the occasional cold drink every now and then stopping to view some wildlife spectacle. Unfortunately the boat trip was cut short when from nowhere the sky turned purple and a storm was imminent. At this point our guides were a little worried about being caught in this so we sped through the narrow channels to return home, the disappointment at leaving the water was countered with the awesome sky and fun ride home.
After two nights at Kwara Camp we were escorted via boat (another opportunity for relaxing on the waterways and game viewing) to our next camp named Xakanaxa (pronounced Kakanaka) in the Moremi game reserve. Once again I was amazed at the opulence of the camp and lodge, the tents were beautifully decorated and were situated right on the river bank, it was a very romantic, reflective and peaceful location.
It was driving through the Moremi game reserve on one of the morning game drives where we spotted a pride of lions converging on a recent Hippo kill by the water. It was very interesting to watch the hierarchy of feeding from big to small, it got even more interesting when the cubs were feeding and a nearby crocodile fancied its chance at stealing a quick meal, the large male lions were quick to react and defend!
After a further two nights at Xakanaxa I was on the move again, this time via light aircraft to Kwando Lebala Camp on the edge of the Linyanti wetlands. I spent two nights at Lebala Camp and had some fantastic game drives with some memorable spectacular sundowners. I finished my trip with one night at Chobe Chilwera Lodge in Chobe where I once again took a boat trip on the wide waterways of the Chobe river and surrounding flood plains. The number of hippos here was amazing, we even got chased by one in our boat! After an exquisite meal under the stars it was a chance to reflect on the many experiences and lasting memories that Botswana gave me. The next day we were transferred to Livingstone in Zambia where I managed to get a quick glimpse of the mighty Victoria Falls before heading to Livingstone airport for my flight home.
If you are interested in speaking to Chris about his trip or would like more information on travelling to Botswana, Contact Us and we can answer all your questions and build a trip itinerary to your exact specifications.
For an idea of the different holidays in Botswana visit Botswana Safari Holidays.