 
 
Â
I went to Botswana for the most inspiring holiday of my life. Read about my trip and then come experience it for yourself:
Day 1
Sticking to the 15 kg per person luggage limit was a struggle. Richard, who had packed FIVE pairs of shoes was way over the limit while I had packed like a boy and had a mere 8 kilo’s. My teasing comments came back to bite me in the bum when Richards luggage arrived safely in Maun and mine was nowhere to be seen.
Anticipating a week in Botswana with only the clothes on my back was frightening. But Richard, with both suitcase and tears of relief in his eyes, promised to lend me some of his. So off we went to board our light aircraft into the Okavango Delta.
The Okavango Delta is an interesting mix of sandy outcrops and lush swampy shrub-lands. Below us, elephants frolicked in the rivers, merrily trumpeting water on each other.
Stanley’s Camp on Chief’s Island was our first stop. We were thrilled to see the sparkling pool and decided to spend the afternoon cooling off with cocktails in hand before heading off on the game drive.
The tents at Stanley’s Camp are getting a little long in the tooth and wouldn’t be hurt by an upgrade. But they are comfortable and have a lovely veranda. The game viewing is great and we saw elephant, lion on a kill and lots of plains game.
Day 2
If you love elephants, then you are going to be green with envy. We spent 3 hours touching, stroking and learning about three semi habituated elephants before enjoying a picnic lunch surrounded by elephant trunks and white wine. This elephant interaction is only available from Stanley’s Camp and Baines Camp and is well worth doing. There is something rather surreal about clinking glasses around the muddy trunk of an elephant!
We had a quick visit to Baines Camp, a land and waterbased camp, which was renovated recently. And what a lovely camp it is. Only slightly more expensive than Stanley’s and well worth the extra expense. A lovely feature at Baines is the beds on wheels which you can pull out onto the deck for snoozing under the stars.
Our overnight stop tonight was Duba Pains, a Wilderness Safari’s property and one of our favourite lodges of this trip. The staff are what make this such a superb lodge and they instill such confidence in you from the second you arrive. Rooms are nice and private with romantic outside showers overlooking the open plains. This is the kind of room you don’t want to be sharing with a colleague!
Duba Plains is famous for its Duba Boys, two ancient male lions who torment the large herds of buffalo on a daily basis. We didn’t spend much time on game drives, but did manage to see a fair selection of game. And then collapsed into the pool.
 
Day 3
Still no sign of my luggage and I was getting a bit sick of wearing Richard’s gaily patterned pajama’s alternated with my speedily washed travel clothes. But the splendid views did much to calm my nerves.
Camp Moremi in the Moremi Game Reserve (still in the Okavango Delta) was our next stop. This is a slightly different experience as it is a public reserve and people can drive in their own 4×4 vehicles. This means that when you are on game drive you may come across other people. But the game viewing is excellent and the elusive leopard made an appearance, as did herds of elephant and a couple of lion.
Camp Moremi was my least favourite lodge. It is in dire need of an upgrade (and will in fact be getting one between February and March 2008) and some fresh ideas. The tents lie under some rather large trees, so you can’t actually see the beautiful river right outside your tent. The bathroom is just outside the room, so you have to go outside to get there. This will be changing during the refurb.
From the raised deck we sipped sundowners and watched the sun go down over the Okavango Delta while antelope splashed in the shallow water.
 
Day 4
A 3 hour boat cruise took us through the Delta, past elephant and antelope, to Xugana Camp. And what a marvelous location. The lodge is on an island with gorgeous views over the water. Imagine sundowner drinks on the floating veranda while the sky turns red and the lions roar in the distance.
The staff at Xugana deserve a mention. Friendly and accommodating people who so obviously take pride in their lodge. The food was delicious and the rooms, while 3 star, are well looked after and comfy. Don’t expect luxury accommodation, but you will get first class service.
In the afternoon Richard and I set off on our first mokoro trip. Your ranger poles you down the river in a dugout canoe while you sit back and watch the scenery unfold. Very colonial! Birds of every colour fly past to pose for your camera and the ultra shy Reedbuck hop past spraying water everywhere.
You can imagine my joy and excitement when, on our return to the lodge (exhausted from all the paddling…!), my luggage was waiting for me. I have never been so happy to brush my teeth in my life!!
Day 5
We were woken up at the crack of dawn for our bush walk. We were a bit nervous about it as our fellow guests had walked right into a pride of lion the day before and frankly I am quite attached to my skin! But we were promised that our ranger would protect us against the dangers of the wild.
A minute into our walk we came across a single bull elephant. A few minutes later a massive herd of buffalo. Meeting two of the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot, while on foot, was enough to enduce us to break into a fast scramble. Our two hour walk was completed in one sweaty hour!
We bade farewell to the Okavango Delta and headed off to the Savuti, part of the Chobe National Park, where we were welcomed at Savute Safari Camp.
Savuti is an incredibly dry area with no rivers and little rain. The Savuti Channel dried up years ago and the animals have had to adapt their behaviour in order to survive the harsh conditions. This is the only place where you will find large prides of lion hunting and killing elephant.
The Savute Safari Camp sees massive amounts of game coming right through the camp. Right outside my room, a lion killed an impala. Under another tent, a couple of lion cubs had made their den. Richard, being not the bravest of men, refused to leave his room unless accompanied by a ranger! He did however change his tune once seated at the pool, clutching a G&T, watching the elephants drinking at the watering hole.
The rooms at Savute Safari Camp are large and airy with a lounge area and a massive bathroom. Best of all, there is a large private deck from where to watch the action. These were some of the nicest rooms we saw, and certainly the largest. The pool and breakfast area overlooking the waterhole was also brilliant and the best is made of the views.
The game drive in Savuti was definitely the most animal prolific I have experienced. Every time we turned around there were more animals. Massive herds of elephant, lone bulls and baby elephants were everywhere. The ranger was also particularly knowledgeable and in tune with our expectations.
Day 6
We had a quick visit to Savuti Elephant Lodge, a five star Orient Express Lodge. This group of three lodges in Botswana are the only lodges offering air-conditioning in the roooms, so perfect for people struggling with the heat. But expect to pay! This is a stunning lodge with every luxury you can conceive of, including a business center, a large pool and excellent cuisine.
Our next stop was Kasane and Chobe National Park. If you are on a bit of a budget, Chobe is a superb place to visit. It is easy to get to and perfect for a Victoria Falls combination.
Chobe Game Lodge is the only lodge inside the park itself which means that you can venture deaper into the park than any of the day visitors from other lodges in the area. The lodge itself is large, but offers lots of private areas for relaxing. I must mention the food at this lodge which is particularly tasty and plentiful – there is even a pizza oven! Rooms are built in a cave-like fashion. They won’t win any décor awards, but they are comfortable and have views of the river.
The river cruises along the Chobe River are beautiful with elephants as far as the eye can see. This is particularly great for photographers because you get the front view of the animals instead of the backside.
Day 7
We bade a sad farewell to Botswana as we crossed over the border to Zambia at the Kazungula Ferry. As far as I know, this is the only place where you can be on the border between 4 counties at the same time – Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Pretty cool!
This night at the Royal Livingstone Hotel was our treat. Five star luxury and views of the Victoria Falls were promised, and delivered.
At the Victoria Falls Richard came into his own. We had decided to swim at the Falls and got a guide to take us on a tour of Livingstone Island and a quick dip in the frothy waters. What no one mentioned was that you have to swim across the lip of the Falls to get to the little pool in the middle. Richard swam like a fish through the current while I frantically doggy paddled and tried not to swallow the entire Falls. You would think that for $450 they would at least tie you to a tree with a rope or something as security!!! But what an awesome experience and something that you should do once in your life.
The Royal Livingstone is a beautiful colonial style hotel, situated on the Zambezi River right at the top of the Falls. All the rooms have river views and are plush and well appointed. There is no better place sit back and relax than at the large pool while white gloved waiters attend to your every need. My one critisism is the extremely high prices of food and drink due to the massive import duties. But, take a deap breath, dig out the credit card and enjoy the spectacle.
Day 8
The time had come for us to leave the dream and return to real life. Luckily our flight was delayed by a few hours so we could drink a few beers and pass the breeze with the locals for a little while longer while promising to be back as soon as possible.
 
  
 
 
