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.