Our Botswana experience
Greg's Experience.
Having spent my early childhood listening to the stories of my great, great–grandfather, the famous explorer Charles John Andersson, and his explorations of Namibia and Botswana, it has been a life-long ambition to travel this wild, untamed corner of Africa and experience first-hand the unique spectacle that is the Okavango Delta.
It was with these stories in my mind that I headed off on one of my visits to Botswana in March 2008. Situated in the centre of southern Africa and more than 600 kilometres from the nearest ocean, Botswana is a landlocked country, with Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe as its immediate neighbours.
Botswana tourism has a very progressive policy of low-volume and high-yield; meaning the government minimises the number of camps and visitors allowed. In doing so, the cost per person is higher than neighbouring regions, but this is easily outweighed by the privilege of experiencing the remoteness of this unique place and not having to share it with hordes of other tourists With the exception of the eastern part of Botswana, where most of the population live and where the summer rainfall is slightly higher, the majority of Botswana is made up of the Kalahari Desert. Yet within this dry, arid landscape in the north of Botswana sits the Okavango Delta. Known as the 'jewel of the Kalahari', it is a wonderful wetland within a desert, considered by many to be Africa's premier wildlife and wilderness sanctuary. Quite aside from the excellent, year-round wildlife viewing on offer, the beauty of this water wonderland alone is simply awe-inspiring.
The only way to easily access the Okavango Delta is to fly in by light aircraft and it was in Maun where my journey began. It wasn't long before we gained our first glimpse of the shimmering waterways, pans and lush grassy plains that mark the start of the Okavango. The feelings of excitement and anticipation were building throughout the journey and intensified with the first aerial sightings of elephant, giraffe and even hippos lounging in the shallows far down below. The 45 minute flight passed in an instant and as the plane started to descend, and there stretching out below us, was a dirt airstrip carved into the virgin African bushveld!
The camps in the Okavango Delta are divided up into what are known locally as wet and dry camps. Wet camps are located in areas of permanent water and offer mainly water-based activities including Mokoro trips, (traditional dugout canoes used by the indigenous people to navigate the narrow Delta channels), boating as well as guided walks on the small islands. The dry camps, as their name implies, are either far away from the permanent water sources or are seasonally flooded and operate more land-based activities 4x4 game vehicle game-viewing as well as walking. A number of camps are ideally positioned to offer both land and water-based activities.
The camps themselves vary from lodge to lodge but all are semi-permanent structures, to suit Botswana's low-impact environmental policies. Whilst accommodation is usually in Meru-styled tents set above the ground on stilts, erase all preconceived notions about camping from your mind. From super king-sized four poster beds, silk drapes and elaborately carved furnishings, your 'tent' lodgings are equipped with every conceivable luxury (including full en-suite facilities), yet designed in a way that is still in keeping with the natural surroundings and to leave as light a footprint as possible on the planet. All camps are small and intimate and this low-density policy is carried across the region meaning you will not be interrupted; rather left to enjoy some of the greatest wilderness areas on the planet in quiet relaxation.
For my trip I spent time at Xigera Camp (pronounced Keejera), a wet camp just outside the Moremi Game Reserve, before moving to a dry camp in the Northern Region of the Okavango, Duba Plains, then finally on to Savuti Camp, located at the Source of the Savute Channel. For most trips to northern Botswana we would recommend you spend some time at both a wet and dry camp and try to include a visit to both the Okavango Delta and the Savute/Linyanti Regions; these diverse habitats will offer you the greatest chance to see the full complement of animals inhabiting the area.
Xigera Camp is comprised of only 10 luxury tents, set deep in a riverine forest. It is built on stilts offering stunning views of the surrounding lagoon and floodplains. I saw an abundance of great game including red lechwe, lion, spotted hyena and leopard and had the most amazing experience of being charged by a young bull elephant while out on a boat. It was an awesome spectacle as he charged in and out of the water kicking up spray and tossing his head about. Made even better knowing that we were in very deep water and were perfectly safe!
From Xigera we flew to Duba Plains Camp which was made famous by Derek and Beverly Joubert's film, 'Relentless Enemies' about the interactions between the lions and buffalo. The camp itself is set on an extremely remote island in the northernmost reaches of the Delta and offers that amazing never-ending battle of survival between the lion prides and buffalo herds, as well as sights of elephant, tsessebe, wildebeest and red lechwe. The camp is very intimate with only six luxury safari tents all. Again the views from the main lodge are superb over the surrounding plains and one can easily get lost just staring into the distance.
I was fortunate enough to have a fantastic experience while at Duba on my second morning. Out on a game drive where we rounded a corner and drove into the middle of a herd of around 250 buffalo. They moved about the vehicle in a mass of black that seemed to stretch for miles, huge bulls and tiny calves with their mothers all seemingly moving together as one tide. A short wile later we picked up lion tracks! Following them off road for what seemed like ages we rounded a corner and there they were! 12 lions (2 lions, 4 lionesses and 6 cubs) gorging themselves on not one but two buffalo kills. The aggression as they jostled for position on the kill was intense and the atmosphere was electric!
For the last leg of my Bostwana trip, I headed north-east and on to Savuti Camp in the Linyanti concession, which lies between the Okavango Delta and the Chobe River. Secluded and uncrowded, this area of mopane woodland, riverine forests and floodplains provide a hugely diverse habitat that attracts a wealth of wildlife to this region. The Savuti Camp overlooks a water hole that is the only permanent source of water for miles and as a result offers excellent game viewing right from the Camp! We had a procession of bull elephants coming down to drink every night, greeting each other in a ghostly silence before moving down to drink and then disappearing back into the darkness.
All too soon my time in Botswana was up. A lifetime ambition to follow in the footsteps of my inspirational great, great-grandfather has been fulfilled, but in no way has my appetite and passion for this region been satisfied. Until my next trip, I will have to make do with my incredible memories and literally thousands of stunning digital images of this amazing country and its natural wildlife.