Returning to Johannesburg ended the Gorilla Trekking Safari. Repack everything and then off to Botswana.

Game Drive Safari
In Botswana we switched to five star accommodation mode. Now this might be hard to believe since we were in the “bush” but the facilities had all the amenities. The day consisted of a game drive in the early morning and late afternoon with gourmet meals in between. Each of the three camps we visited was different. The first, Khwai River Lodge, was located on a river and adjacent to the Moreni Game Reserve. Our game drives took us both in and out of the game reserve. Here we got a taste of what wild Africa must have been like. We saw a wide variety of animals and birds, but mostly in small groups or single. Across the small river from our camp the elephants and hippos would come to eat and drink. Quite a scene each evening. The highlights of Khwai for me were viewing a Cheetah eating a fresh Impala kill, our first Lions, Hippos up close and an extended experience with a leopard, both in a tree and on the ground. I liked Khwai the best of the three camps.

The second camp we went to, Eagle Island Camp, is located right in the middle of the Okavango Delta and was a water experience. Here we did our game drives in motorboats or canoes. Mostly we saw crocodiles, hippos and birds. Fish Eagles resemble our American Eagle in appearance and were very plentiful. Tony was excited by the abundance of kingfisher birds and he was finally able to achieve a lifelong photographic goal of getting some good shots of the fast moving birds. The guides told us the water levels were unseasonably high which accounted for why we didn’t see many animals. Tony, Gary and I rented a helicopter for a short ride into the back country where we got some great shots of elephants, giraffes, zebra and Impala.
Before going to our last safari camp, we took a one day side trip to a San Bushman village. The bushmen represent the nomadic tribes of southern Africa. A number of them inhabit Botswana. It appears that the government is trying to get them to settle into villages and become a part of modern society. It was clear from our visit that the bush people are caught in between a culture of nomadic existence tied to the land and the modern world. We stayed in an upscale representation of a typical village that the locals had developed with government assistance and experienced a bushman meal, their native dances and customs and went on a hike in the bush to see how they were able to live off the land. Before leaving we were driven through the actual village in which 700 folks lived. I was struck by the contrast of very primitive huts made from termite mound mud and thatched roofs juxtaposed with modern buildings for a school, police and clinic. Everyone in our group was glad we took this detour as it gave us some insight into the changes going on in rural Africa.

Our final safari camp was Savute Elephant Camp. Here there were two primary attractions: Elephants and Lions. Elephants were everywhere, although due to the time of year there were only male elephants around. Right outside of our tent was a watering hole that the camp pumped water into and there were always a large number of elephants coming and going. While impressive as the elephants were to me, the highlight of this leg was viewing a large pride of lions. These animals were big and healthy. There were a number of adult males and females with a lot of cubs. We were able to observe them a number of times with the most memorable being early in the morning of the second day. We came across the pride eating an elephant who had died a few days before. By the time we got there the males had eaten and several of the females had their heads inside the carcass. As they would finish their meal and leave, their entire heads and faces were blood red. It was fascinating to watch other lions and particularly the cubs come up to them and lick the blood off. I couldn’t tell if they were just exhibiting cleanliness or snacking.

Obviously, the photographic highlight of this camp were the shots we got of the lions.

My overall impression of our Botswana Safari experiences were positive from the perspective of seeing the animals in their natural habitat. There was, however, the nagging feeling as we drove around the various paths and roads that we were in a great big zoo. I tried to imagine what it must have been like 50 or 100 years ago when great herds of the various animals inhabited the land. We only got a glimpse of what it must have been like. I only hope the African awareness of this unique wild resource is not too late.