The Okavango Delta

Leaving Namibia we were off to Botswana to visit the Okavango Delta.  Part of the excitement was getting there.  We arrived at the airport to find that the twelve of us would need to be devide dingo two groups as the planes were small and one would only take four people for the 1 1/4 hour flight.  We quickly volunteered to go on this flight as some were apprehensive about the small size.

Our plane and pilot await.

Luckily we did not have to rely on the copilot for any assistance.  One of our fellow passengers felt Eric should ride in the copilot seat as he knew how to run a boat.  I asked her how she felt that related and she was comfortable that they both had gauges so she felt comfortable with Eric there.  Luckily no theory had to be tested and the scenic flight went beautifully.  Endless plains stretched out below us without any sign of civilization for mile upon mile.  As we got close to the delta our pilot flew lower and Tamima and Vickie saw Giraffe and I spotted Hippo from the air.  We landed on a very remote air strip and were picked up by safari vehicles from the lodge.

The delta from the air

Our last three days in Africa we spent in Botswana at the +Beyond Sandibe Okavango Lodge at the Delta.  This was definitely a luxurious safari experience.  With private guest suites raised up over the delta the whole front of our room was screen doors only so we could lie in bed and watch the elephant in the grasses. Through the night we were woken often by the sound of the hippos singing and Eric saw one of them right up by our deck.

The open gathering area of the lodge totally open to the outside

Our suite set above the Delta.  Both sides of the pathway were covered in elephant dung which should have been a clue.

Wonderful to lie in bed and watch the wildlife.  At night they came and lit a fire before we returned to our room and in the morning there was a private butlers door where they slipped in a steaming pot of coffee.  One could get used to this really fast.  When we got in the vehicles for early morning drives they handed us all blankets and hot water bottles. What a touch!

Butler hatch where coffee magically appeared in the morning.  How very civilized.

Wonderful wood fired pizza oven where you made your own pizza and then it was delivered to you while you sipped your beverage of choice.

I was merrily making my way to the lodge to wait for Eric when one of our fellow travellers Tom quietly called out for me to stop and come to their stairs.  Looking slightly to my left I saw to my great astonishment this massive bull elephant about fifty feet ahead of me.  Got my heart going just a little faster!  We had to call for a ride to the lodge because he was not about to move.

In the Delta a big difference for us is that the land is divided into concessions controlled by different operators so unlike East Africa one does not see other vehicles.  Of course where there is an abundance of vehicles the guides keep in contact and help each other find the harder to spot animals such as leopards.  Here each vehicle had a tracker as well as a guide and we found it very interesting.  He sat out front of the vehicle and would spot the tracks of the different animals and knew how fresh they were and which way they were going.

Our tracker

Tracker sitting out in front of the vehicle

The landscape was beautiful and ever changing and though we had seen most of the animal before we saw them in a different light.  There were some antelope here we had not seen previously so that was interesting as well as some large birds.  

Red billed hornbill

Kudu snacking off of a very prickly tree.

One of the multitudes of baboons carrying her baby on her back

This Tsessebe is the fastest antelope in South Africa 

Giraffe always deserve a stop and observe and usually a few pictures

This is a greater kudu and a full grown male can weigh up to 220 kilograms 

The stripes of the zebra are mesmerizing.

When we came upon this fine looking owl it took a moment to realize that he was holding a recent kill in his claws.  His meal is a genet which is a member of the cat family.

Antelope grazing on the grasslands 

This elephant decided to come for breakfast and rearrange the furniture while he was at it.  No one thought it better to disagree with him.

We thought it most obliging of him to provide us with such good photo obortunities.

A little nervous with the rustling behind as they can move fast when they choose to.

An elephant with his ears out is a majestic sight!

Whenever we went on game drives we would stop for coffee or gin and tonic in the afternoon.  On our last evening the guides worked desperately to find lions as all our traveling companions were yet to see a lion since their arrival in Africa.  About ready to return to the lodge their prints were picked up and we raced across the sandy bumpy trails holding on for dear life so as not to get thrown from the vehicle to reach the pride before it moved and the guides speed was rewarded.  We saw four lioness with four cubs settling down for the night. The Cubs were playfully climbing all over mom and the guides figured that the females had been hunting all day and the Cubs had been hidden in he bush so had been missing their mom.  It certainly was not our best lion encounter but we were pleased for our fellow travelers that they at least got to see some lions before leaving Africa.

Departure terminal

Our return flight to Johannesburg.

As we boarded our plane to Johannesburg which signaled the start of our long journey home and the conclusion of our African Adventure I really can not put my feelings into words.  I am ready to be home but this trip has far exceed any expectations I had when I left home five weeks ago.  Without exception the African people have been welcoming and friendly and never once did we have any sense of unease.  The scenery has been exceptional and varied.  We have been blessed with wonderful travel companions throughout this adventure.  Our experiences have been varied from boats to jeeps to buses to planes to trains to hot air balloons to challenging hikes and everyone of them has been memorable.  Then there is the animals. We are among the lucky ones that saw the Big Five on our first trip here. But there also were dozens of other animals all special in there own way they we also will take home in our thoughts  With thousands of photos to sort through we will have our memories forever.  Thank you Africa.

Zambezi Queen and the Chobe River

We were picked up in Botswana by the tender boats from the Zambezi Queen and taken to Namibian Customs which was quite unlike any we had ever been to before.

The shack at the top of these steps is the customs building. When we arrived the customs fellow was no where to be found. Eventually located he stamped our passports without even glancing at our entry forms and we were on our way. When we left three days later he was also not there and we were told he had celebrated a little too much the previous evening.  When he did arrive with dark glasses on all he did say as he once again stamped "I no want to get up". Understandable as it was only noon.  Eric and I had seen so much wildlife so far that we did wonder some if we would find this experience as exciting as the others in our group would as they had yet to view wildlife, but we had nothing to be concerned about.  Viewing the animals from the river at their level and in a different environment was a totally new experience and it was amazing.

The Zambezi Queen awaits our arrival. With only 23 guests on board it was a very comfortable experience.  We did three game drives each day so we had lots of opportunities to see the wildlife up close.  As soon as we got settled on the boat she sailed along the river and the abundance of elephants and buffalo was incredible.

Cape buffalo grazing beside the river

Some right in the river having a drink

Elephants at the rivers edge

This fellow just waded right in while a fish eagle watches in the background 

Must be young boys to enjoy a good roll in the mud

Mom feeding with little one tucked in behind having a bit of a nurse

Sun setting on a day well spent

This area of Namibia is a bird watchers paradise with over 450 species of birds found here.  At 0700 there was a bird watching safari offered and anxious to get out in the small boats we were game.  The guide was unbelievable and could spot birds from quite the distance.  His knowledge was encyclopedic and we learned far more than we could absorb but it was interesting as well as offering many good photo opportunities.

Locals out fishing in a typical boat early in the morning along the edge of the river

A colourful lilac breasted roller. So many of the birds had such vibrant colours.

This kingfisher posed beside the boat for quite some time.  We went down to an area in the river where a great variety of birds come to nest.  The various bird calls in the stillness of the morning was quite something. Under several of the nesting trees crocodiles lay in wait hoping for young to fall from the nests so they could grab a quick snack

Tree full of nesting birds with crocodile resting to the left

Spoon bill nesting amongst the hornbills 

Sitting high atop the tree with chicks in the nest

This stork was still building her nest. It was really fascinating to see so many beautiful birds along this river.  We returned to the boat for breakfast before setting out on our morning game drive on the river.  Setting off in the small boats at 1000 we were thrilled to view the game right at eye level.

The boat was certainly a smoother ride than bumping over dirt pathes in a 4x4.  Now instead of looking down we looked up into the animals eyes.

The Cape Buffalo were mere feet from us and one could smell them and hear their chewing. Definitely up close and personal.  The guide would turn the boat off and we would just sit and observe though he was always on the ready if an animal got agitated.

This was a close enough view of this fellows pearly whites

Mom and baby hippo sunning themselves.  Most of our other hippo encounters had been with them wallowing in the water so one could really appreciate their immense size seeing them close up on land. Watching them move was fun as they are quite fast in short intervals. They apparently are very territorial and are very dangerous if crossed.  We were told that more people have been harmed by hippos than any other animals in Africa.

This lizard found a safe branch to sun himself on out over the water.  The day continued with one encounter after another and time spent just watching the animals at the waters edge.

These two impalas spent quite some time grooming each other with no concern that we were close by.   The best encounter of the day was saved for last when we got to spend a long time enjoying a herd of elephants down at the river for their evening drink.

Elephants of all sizes comprised this herd which we watched until the sun went down and they left.  One decided to take a swim and it was quite fun to watch her frolic.  Two honey badgers showed up part way through which quite excited our guide as he pointed out that sightings are rare.  Though they are small they are very vicious and even the elephants stood back and watched them carefully while they were present.  Interesting to see a small animal bring such a giant to a standstill.

Vicious rare little honey badger

As we watched more elephants would appear and to our delight a mom arrived with her two week old baby.  At this age the elephant has no idea what to do with his trunk and swings it aroun like a toy.

Elephants are very protective of their young and you often see the whole herd surrounding the young ones.  Their family structure seems to be very organized.

Even in the water baby stay very close to mom

Here baby is drinking with his mouth as he does not know how to use his trunk as of yet.  That behavior will take a couple of months to develope.

This fellow decided to come and investigate us and hung around by our boat for quite a long time. Incredible to share the elephants own environment with them. This is surely an experience I will carry with me forever.

The next day on the river presented us with so many more experiences that it was almost overwhelming.  In the early morning light our guide took us to a bird bee eater rookery where these colorful birds were building their nests.  The sound and the sight was amazing.

Dozens of these birds perched on the hillside right along side the boat

Peeking out from the nest

This little bird is rightfully called an ox pecker and we watched this one clean this fellows nose, eyes and ears.  Some of the buffalo would have several of these little birds perched upon them.

A large part of the Chobe River is flood plain and dries up as the water level drops. Our guide explained that the locals eat the water lilies as a vegetable and use the stems as straws.  We would see local boats in the lilies early in the morning most likely doing some harvesting.

These hippos were very accommodating and gave us some great views though the one on the right looks totally bored with the whole thing.

Hard to imagine that these short little legs can actually move very quickly when they want to.  When one sees a hippo out of water you understand why it spends so much time in the water, besides keeping cool it would help support that immense body weight.

Thoroughly enjoying ourselves 

We came upon two young males who were having a good time play fighting on the shore. It was most entertaining but it got even better when they decided to take it into the water.

At times it looked like they were trying to drown each other but I am sure it was all in good fun because after about 15 minutes they both emerged and sauntered off and we headed off replaying what we had just had the good luck to witness.

This fine looking wart hog greeted us at the shoreline.  For our last dinner on board the Zambezi Queen we were treated to a traditional African dinner and then the crew entertained us with drumming, dancing and singing.  They sang their national anthem and a special blessing and farewell song which was really touching. With the beautiful red sky in the background and the occasional trumpet of an elephant breaking through the night air it was a wonderful evening and a good ending to our time on the Chobe River