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03.09.03 to 15.09.03
Tour Leaders: Pip McGarry,
Caroline Debansi, Bill Hall
The Adventurers: Jan McGarry, Stuart White, Mary White, Alison Ingram, Ian Coleman,
Trevor Lovegrove, Maureen Lovegrove, Toni Hargreaves, Lucy Charman, Wendy Corbett,
Sarah Ledger, Roger Kent, Nick Barker, Clive Jenns, Cherie Wheatcroft
Following
our flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg to Gaberone to Maun, Botswana, we were
greeted at Maun airport by Guy, Steve and Roger. After a night in the resplendent
Sedia Hotel, we set off in high dunder on our safari the following morning (Friday).
We travelled on sand tracks through the bush to the beautiful Moremi Game Reserve.
That first day and evening we saw Monitor Lizards, Giraffes, Impala, Elephant-
(the first one being seen at the public campsite en route), Steenbok and Dwarf
Mongoose. Bill's vehicle came back with exciting footage of Hunting Dogs and
crocs chasing Kudu!
We camped at a wonderful spot and listened to Hyenas calling outside our tents in the middle of the night. The next day we travelled by boat into the Okavango Delta. It was very hot and we took lunch in the lagoon and watched the waters pass by. We saw that day, Steenbok, Saddlebilled Stork, Zebra, Marabou Stork, Malachite Kingfisher, Crocodiles, Monitor Lizards, Elephants, Vervet Monkey, Chacma baboon, Impala, Ostrich, Fish Eagles,Yellow Billed Storks, Warthogs, Lechwe, Cattle Egrets and Hammerkops.
That Sunday we saw many new species, including Swallow Tailed Bee-eaters, Hippos, Slender Mongoose, Kudu waterbuck and Reedbuck, Wildebeeste, Tsessebe, Roan antelope, African Hawk Eagle, Red Billed Hornbill, Bateleur Eagle, Black Backed Jackal, Vervet monkeys. We also moved to the stunningly beautiful Acacia Camp, mine and Bill's favourite campsite.
We
then took game drives in the Khwai river area, where we witnessed an incredible
scene. We came across a young and fairly small female leopard that had just
caught an impala. The impala was still struggling and they were both partially
immersed in the shallow water of a small lagoon. Eventually the impala ceased
to struggle, but the leopard held on to the impalas throat for ages afterwards.
Suddenly we noticed a huge crocodile creeping through the water towards them.
The leopard noticed it at the last minute and frantically tried to pull the
impala from the water, but it was too late. The crocodile powered out of the
water and snatched the impala from the leopard, swinging them both into the
air at one point. After a very brief tug of war, the crocodile slid back into
the water with the impala in its jaws. (see photograph) We also saw Sacred Ibis,
more Reedbuck, a big male Lion at some distance, Vultures, Brown Snake Eagle,
Ground Hornbill and the very rarely sighted African Wildcat.
After a few days we moved onto Savute. En route we passed through 'Raptor Alley' where we encountered a large herd of elephants who surrounded us, splashing in the nearby water completely unconcerned by our presence. In their midst a very small baby elephant who could hardly control his trunk or legs! We also saw the beautiful Wattled Crane and many other animals we had already encountered.
The
drive from to Savute was hot and dusty. The drought meant that there were fewer
animals to be seen than normal which was surprising. Savute was virtually devoid
of the big bull elephants that we normally encountered! Having arrived we stopped
for a drink and a leg stretch at the waterhole, watching the sun go down and
the few elephants drinking. On Wednesday we took game drives and saw Tawny eagles,
Yellow Mongoose, Jackal, Elephant, Giraffe, more Kudu than previously seen at
Savute, three large female Lions. Ian's striped shirt seemed to catch their
interest, perhaps thinking he was some new form of zebra. We visited Rhino pan
that evening and were amazed to find no elephants there, but we saw the lions
starting what appeared to be a hunt which made up for it. A few of us sat in
the vehicle after lights out, hoping to see Hyena….no luck, probably due
to the dry conditions.
A long, long drive to Chobe the next day, very hot and dusty. Arrived at the Chobe Safari Lodge. Poor Guy drove a further 120kms to recover a broken down supply vehicle and we stayed in the public camp site at the Lodge as the tents had not arrived. Ate at the lodge..the food was nowhere near as good as the Baquadi and the boys were cooking for us.
Game drives the next day ..Buffalo, guinea fowl, many Kudu, finches, Puku, Giraffes, Hippos, Crocodile. We watched an epic battle for forty minutes by two male monitor lizards in a territorial dispute. In the afternoon we took the superb boat trip down the Chobe river, seeing many elephants, hippos, crocodiles and many new bird species due to the water.
After
a short game drive on the Saturday, we travelled on to Zambia. We had a launch
to take us across the Zambezi river. The amazing ferry (right) called the 'Chobe
Drifter' (see picture) sank three days later with the loss of several lives.
We then journeyed to the Nyala Lodge just outside Livingstone. A great place to finish our safari and a dip in the pool to refresh from the journey. Lovely rondavel type rooms with superb showers set in the rocks. After visits to the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls….. Jan, Clive, Cherie, Stuart and Mary all took a helicopter flight over the Falls, whereas some visited the local markets and saw the Falls by foot. A great evening was had dancing the night away to the Murumba band.
The
following morning we took visits on foot and by vehicle to the 'Mosai el Tunya'
National Park (the smallest NP in Zambia) to see White Rhinos in the wild….
very much enjoyed by all.
And then back to the UK via Johannesburg where we had several hours shopping in the superb duty free shops. A few jaws dropped when the group of eighteen did the 'Botswana Wave' in the airport…(invented by Trevor in a moment of drunkenness!)
Another fantastic trip!!