Aug 20 – Sept 1
Hi All,
This continues the blog about our African Safari from Aug 3 – Sept 7, 35 days of a trip of a lifetime!!! We visited 4 different countries: Rwanda, Kenya, Botswana and South Africa.
We left Nairobi on Kenya Airlines on time at 7:45am. Driving into the airport was just like in Kigali Rwanda….you have to get out of the car, the car goes through an x-ray type search, as you separately go through a human security and then you get back in the car and go to the terminals…whoa….now that is some kind of tight security!!! It’s a 4 hour flight to Johannesburg (known as J-burg). Kenya Air took Covid seriously…the flight attendants all had surgical gowns on, masks and gloves…wow….we got a nice hot meal and our Bloody Mary’s were never empty….sweet as!!! We arrived early afternoon and immediately felt something odd….the airport was vacant and it’s a huge airport….hmmmm….we went through customs and immigration with no issues but the people all had a dour scowl on their faces…..so different than Rwanda and Kenya where everyone was very friendly…”welcome to Africa” et al….these people were not happy…..hmmmm. We found our way to the airport hotel, City Lodges courtesy of a Nat Hab representative. He was going to take us for another Covid test but when we explained we just had one yesterday….our noses/brains were still hurting….and that was well w/in the 72 hour period required by Botswana tomorrow….he said, let’s call the boss….the boss checked our Covid test times from yesterday and came back and said yes, good to go, no test needed at this time.
We had an afternoon free but we were pretty tired from getting up at 3:45am so we just relaxed in the room, caught up on emails/news et al and went and had a late dunch….again the waitress was dour….would not look us in the eyes…and screwed up the order badly, it was just hamburgers and ribs with wine and beer….eventually she was replaced by a very upbeat and friendly male waiter….hmmmm, what is all that about??? After a very good night’s sleep and shower we had a nice breakfast with friendly staff, and walked to our gate mid-morning for a noon flight. This time the airport was very busy. They have “porters” roaming the airport and one elderly gentlemen latched on to us and walked us through the maze to our check-in counter, then walked us to security…I gave the man a $5 for his troubles but he tried to shake us down for a $20…really, we were born at night but not last night…take it or leave it buddy….he left with a growl and us quite irritated.
We made it to Botswana where we went through health screening, customs and immigration and were met by our guide Ona, a native Botswanan and a very experienced guide. As we were waiting for the other 2 couples to join our group, Ona looked up and immediately recognized Peter Allison, the author of the book I had just read, “Whatever You do Don’t Run”. Peter and Ona were good buddies, having guided on many safaris together and Ona quickly introduced us. We had a nice chat about his books and then he was off to lead his own safari group. The other two couples joined us and it was the start of a very enjoyable 10-days with lots of jocularity. The other couples were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary year together. They had known each other for many years, both men University Professors, one a Botanist another a Geneticist. They had traveled/lived in various parts of the world conducting various research projects. We had YB humor, Professor humor and Guide humor….oh my…..did they have fun or what!! This was exactly the kind of compatible group we had expected from Nat Hab. We all answered the question the same when asked by Ona what we wanted to see…..we want to see everything, but we will be happy with what we do see as we are very blessed with this opportunity!!
Ona is a professional photographer as well, led many of the photo safaris for Nat Hab and sits as a judge in many African wild game photo contests. He taught me a lot and hopefully some of my learnings are starting to show in better shots!! He also loves Wild Dogs (did research for several years) and all Big Cats.
“Raised in a tribal village in the Okavango Delta, Onamile (Ona) Lekgopho was born “on safari.†Keen to pursue his passion for wildlife, he undertook formal training to become a safari guide immediately after finishing school in 2003. Since then, Ona has steadily increased his experience, leading safaris across Botswana and working as a safari camp guide. Ona’s expertise, professionalism and passion for sharing his knowledge of Botswana’s varied ecosystems makes him a great companion to have out in the bush. His skills include photography, tracking, ornithology and poling a mokoro—the traditional canoe that is his favorite method of transport in the Okavango Delta. Ona is also an authority on the country’s diverse cultures, and with his deep-seated curiosity, he’s likely to question you about your ethnic background and customs while sharing his own. Ona’s training in auto mechanics also comes in handy if a safari vehicle happens to get stuck miles from camp. When he is not out looking for wildlife with guests, Ona is training and assessing junior rangers in Botswana.”
We did not see much of Botswana. We arrived at the airport and were on our way w/in an hour. Then coming back we were brought to the airport and on our plane w/in another hour. But, what we did see of the Okavango Delta was outstanding: “One might expect a country that is 70% desert to have a dearth of wildlife, but life pulses through the Kalahari Desert in the form of the Okavango Delta and the rivers that feed it. It is the world’s largest inland delta and its annual cycles are like the breathing in and out of the land. The resulting abundance of animals supported by the vast grasslands has made Botswana a top destination for safaris in Africa. In addition to one-third of the world’s elephants, we will also have the chance to see African wild dogs, hippos, rhinos, lions, African buffalo, zebras, crocodiles, leopards and much more.”
“The abundance of wildlife is the direct result of a commitment that Botswana made in 1990 to develop their safari industry and to focus on high-quality, low-volume tourism. Since that time, tourism has grown to become the second-highest foreign income earner in the country behind the diamond industry, and nearly 9% of the population is employed in tourism..”
“The Okavango Delta covers between 2,000 and 6,000 square miles depending on the season and is a unique and fascinating ecosystem. Instead of finding its way to the ocean as most rivers do, the Okavango River, which originates in the Angolan Highlands, fans out into a vast system of thousands of waterways separated by numerable islands, to eventually disappear into the air through evaporation, or into the Kalahari sands. It takes six months for rains in the “Okavango-Zambezi Water Tower†in the Angolan highlands to travel the 1,000 miles to the dry delta. On its way, the Okavango River passes through Angola and Namibia before making its way across the border into Botswana. Due to decades of civil unrest and poverty, conservation of the Okavango source waters has not been a priority for the Angolan government or local communities. Water and wildlife do not respect national boundaries, so conservationists across southern Africa realized that a cooperative approach would be necessary to preserve the headwaters and to give wildlife the necessary freedom to follow the water and grasses wherever they could be found. In 2011, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe signed a treaty to create the world’s largest transboundary conservation area–the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). This treaty allows these five countries to share resources and knowledge, and to create “release valves†for the pressures that elephants, in particular, are placing on habitats in Botswana.”
We visited four different luxury and private camps all run by Wilderness Safaris, Nat Hab’s partner in Africa: Qorokwe, Kings Pool, Jacana, and Vumbura.
Days 1-2, August 21-22 lunch: Qorokwe Camp: https://wilderness-safaris.com/our-camps/camps/qorokwe-camp
Whoa….we thought the mobile camps in Kenya were nice but this…well, this is luxurious!!! “Qorokwe is located in the Qorokwe Concession, located in a high density game area of the southeastern Okavango Delta, bordering the renowned Moremi Game Reserve. The Qorokwe concession has permanent water all year around. Palm-dotted and wooded islands, tranquil waterways and dry woodland ensure a variety of wildlife.”
Once Ona had us all gathered at the airport in Maun, we boarded a small bush plane to take us to Qorokwe…..about an hour flight, landed ~3pm. Once we landed at the airstrip he told us the local guides had told him about a large lion pride but a good distance away so if we were game, he’d drive fast and get us there in time….so off we go, bouncing along the way in the Land Cruiser….and indeed we found them….it was a pride of 12 lions with 3 female cubs of about 1-year old.
We made it back to camp after sunset…highlights were the large lion pride, elephants, warthog, and zebras. We received the camp orientation, checked out the room and facilities and were having cocktails by the campfire by 7:00pmish and dinner by 7:30ish. And wow, excellent food…..some of the best yet!!! The only problem in this paradise was a bonk on the head. As I sat down on our bed to go to sleep the mosquito net frame above came crashing down bonking the old noggin….yep, tweety bird time….oweeeeeeee. A quick use of the emergency air horn and call on the VHF (no phones out in the bush) all came running…they thought it was a lion attack:)))….only to find I had a good size lump on the head…some quick apologies, an ice pack, some Advil and a quick wee dram and the guys quickly secured the frame and soon I was in lala land:)))
Up early the next day, 8/22….5:45am, Ona’s 6am soft “are you guys up” from the dark outside, coffee at 6:15ish, full on breakfast…..porridge, quiche, fruit, rolls….and out by 7am. Our typical days:
7-11 morning game drive
11:00-11:30 free time, we usually had a beer on the veranda watching the critters go by
11:30-12:30 lunch
12:30 – 3:30 free time, I read/napped, Kathy caught up on emails (yes, we did have internet in the rooms but pretty slow so good for emails and texting and weather forecasts,, some news/sports)
3:30 -4:00 tea and cakes
4:00 – 6:30ish game drive
6:30-7:30 cocktails by the campfire
7:30-9:00ish dinner
After 9 night-night
Highlights for the morning game drive: pride of 12 lions, many cubs in the 1-2 year range, big bull elephant, mama elephant and 1-week old calf, leopard eating an impala kill, maybe stolen from some wild dogs and killed the day before.
The Plan: I’ll stop the blog here at lunch on Day 2 at Qorokwe Camp. The next blog will be the rest of Qorokwe Camp and Kings Pool.
Hope all is well!!
Cheers,
John
Pictures at: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/botswana-okavango-delta-qorokwe-camp-part-1
Oops my bad, found some more Kenya safari videos. These were from the Nairobi National Park….enjoy!!
3 Cheetah cubs and Mom. Near the end the mom takes off after prey! She is fast!!
3 Cheetah cubs standing on a small mound looking for prey
3 cheetah Cubs looking for prey
Male Ostrich doing the mating dance…better luck next time bud!!
Now the videos of Botswana, Okavango Delta near the Qorokwe Camp
Lion cubs, (1-2 year old’s) crossing the water pond
Huge Male bull elephant
Mama and maybe a 1-week old calf
Leopard eating an Impala kill. She maybe stole it from some wild dogs the day before
Food coma and cleaning up!!!
