African Safari Leg 3: Botswana and the Okavango Delta, Vumbura Camp, Part 5

August 21 – September 1

Hi All,

Due to Covid, the Victoria Falls part of the original Botswana safari was cancelled (yes, I was sad as Victoria Falls was on my bucket list but, oh well….so much to see, so little time, plus more critter time) and the Vumbura Camp was added. It’s rated as opulent and indeed it was, as well as the most expensive!! Very, very large rooms/cabins with some interesting and eclectic features…like an open area shower where you can view the animals and vice versa:))) Lots of sitting/viewing space and your own pool…but it was not heated and the water was pretty cold…ugh…it would have been soooooo comforting had it been heated!! The food was also excellent….back to gourmet style presentations and lots of good wine/spirits!!

Form the website: https://wilderness-safaris.com/our-camps/camps/vumbura-plains

“The Experience
Marvel at a wealth of wildlife including opportunities to see ‘leaping lions’ jumping channels in pursuit of prey . Scan the floodplains for the vast array of predators: lion prides; African wild dogs ; numerous leopards; occasional cheetahs. Spy a rare sable or sitatunga antelope, often in flight. Move seamlessly between land and water, between different terrains. Slip quietly through the channels in a mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe; buzz a bit faster by delta boat. Adventure into the skies, soaring in a hot-air balloon or by helicopter . From the splendor of your suite, watch elephants grazing peacefully in the distance. Search for some of the 600 bird species, lilac-breasted rollers, carmine bee-eaters, secretary birds, and Pel’s fishing-owls among them.

The Place
Captivating Vumbura Plains lies in the far north of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest inland delta on Earth. Perched on raised decks in the midst of the melapo – the annually inundated grasslands – the camp almost floats over water, radiant blue and pure enough to drink. Nestled under tree canopies and airily open to nature, Vumbura Plains serves up intimate wildlife encounters on the spectacular floodplains, studded with ilala palms and small islands.

The Camp
Vumbura Plains is an artful, contemporary balance of wood, glass, and canvas, reflecting the colours of the Delta. Its 14 spacious suites include indoor and outdoor showers, an en-suite bathroom, private plunge pool, and outdoor ‘sala’ from where you can view the never-ending wildlife parade. Leopard cubs coming to drink at the camp swimming pool, for instance; hippos ‘mowing’ the grasses nearby; a baby elephant being taught how to use his trunk. A truly Okavango experience – even just watching the sunrise, where sun, Earth, and water meet, with the promise of new adventure.”

Day 9: After we landed at the Vumbura airstrip around 11:30am, we did a short game drive to the Camp. Along the way we had a marvelous sighting of some African Sables (antelopes)…..a nice size herd. Oh wow, such gorgeous, majestic and very playful animals. If you recall, Kathy and I have the Fab 18 and Sables are one of them!! They easily became one of our favorites, but darn, we only had one other sighting in the next few days….these animals are endangered but the population is stable at 75k!!

https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/sable

After a marvelous albeit somewhat slow….think leisurely pace with wine/beer and good company….a short nap we are back for 4pm tea and then an afternoon game drive. Highlights were lots of birds….Marabou Storks and White Pelicans all bathing and drinking water together, 2 female lions pretty tired from a recent kill, lots of elephants and one in particular stretching up high for some delicious tree leaves/branches, two gorgeous Verreaux’s Eagle-Owls, and Southern Carmine Bee-eaters just migrating into the area!!!!!

Day 10: Up early, breakfast at 6:15amish and out by 7amish!!

After a nice lunch we head back to our room. I’m laying down reading, preparing for a nice nap:))) Kathy’s in the shower when we hear this loud roar/growl….not a lion but what was that….sounded right outside our room…so I jump up and round the bed, only to catch the edge and go flying onto my right shoulder….as I type this blog I’m still suffering. I had partially torn the right rotator cuff many years ago, reinjured maybe 4-5 years ago…..yep, got it again…..arghhhhhh!!! Well, I look out the bathroom window and come face to face with an elephant….whoa….I go flying out the front door and on the walkway and yep, two elephants….an adult and juvenile….right next to our room, peacefully eating away. Kathy comes out in her robe, hair in a towel….of course, someone takes our picture as we stand there gawking at this lovely sight!! And we continue to watch all afternoon…they eventually move to the front of our room where there is lots of green grass in a marsh/swamp area. They are still there when we head back for afternoon tea and game drive….oh, wow, what an experience!!!

Highlights were a large troop of Banded Mongoose, getting our brains punctured by an aggressive field nurse for our 5th Covid test…oweee, 3 more lions, a large herd of giraffes, maybe 16+ crossing a water channel and one going back and then reversing, and first sightings of some Tsessebes.

It’s Monday night….time for another Boma dinner….including lots of singing, dancing with several enactments of various animals. And the food was delicious as well…luv that oxtail and creamed spinach…yummers!!

Day 11: Up early again for a nice breakfast and out by 7amish. We found the Okavango mega herd of Cape Buffalo….over 2,000 and yes, we did break out in song watching this massive herd…you know, home, home on the range, where the deer and buffalo roam…..:))) It was a real treat to watch the young and old march along and boy, was it dusty!!!. After lunch and a rest we found some Wild Dogs running out in the open and then across a water channel. This was special as before all the Wild Dog sightings had been of them resting so it was a thrill to watch them in the open. And, they had two small puppies…special sighting indeed!!!

We did have a very special sundowner time as this was our last night. Great sunset, cold drinks and a few special words by all. We have grown quite fond of this group and it was bitter sweet to part company the next day.

On our way back, and it was dark, we heard this loud commotion/roar….Ona stopped…it was hyenas….Ona followed one back into the bush and whoa….there were several fighting over a recent lion kill of a wildebeest….and the young lions were standing there looking befuddled…like, wait you can’t do that. I got a few pictures and a shaky video but the sound of the hyenas laughing was bone chilling. I learned this about hyenas laughing: “So what’s the deal with hyenas? Why are they known for laughing? What’s so funny? After all, we humans even have a phrase we use to describe someone cackling: “laughing like a hyena.” Scientists who have studied hyenas will tell you that the unique sounds they make are actually no laughing matter. Hyenas do indeed make loud barking noises that sound like cackling laughter, but it’s not because they’re amused by anything. Instead, a hyena’s “laughter” is actually a form of communication used to convey frustration, excitement, or fear. Most often, you’ll hear this unique vocalization during a hunt or when the animals are feeding on prey as a group. What sounds like maniacal giggling to humans lets other hyenas know that one of the other members of their pack has either made a kill or been attacked. When sharing a fresh kill, the sound might also indicate frustration on the part of a younger animal that hasn’t gotten its fair share yet. Likewise, the animal in possession of the meat might also “laugh” as a warning to others that it’s not ready to share yet.”

https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-hyenas-laugh

And that is exactly what we experienced!!

Day 12: We got to sleep in a bit and had breakfast at 8am and were out by 9amish. We had a short drive to the airport for our last bush plane ride to the Maun airport arriving around 11:15am. There we received our Covid results, all negative…yea….went through the check in and said all our sad farewells and then were off to Cape Town. It was curious, most people went on to Johannesburg and there were only 4 people on our flight that could hold 100. TG South Africa Airlink still ran the flight to Cape Town!!

The Plan: Finally, done with all the safaris for the trip!! Up next is historic Cape Town and Wine Country. I hope to finish that blog next week….it’s only taken me 3 months to get to this point:)))

Hope all is well!

John
Mystic Moon

Pictures at: 3 galleries, start with Part 7, then 8, then 9….600 pictures, enjoy!!!
https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/botswana-okavango-delta-vumbura-camp-part-7
https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/botswana-okavango-delta-vumbura-camp-part-8
https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/botswana-okavango-delta-vumbura-camp-part-9