Botswana Safari Adventure

BOTSWANA SAFARI ADVENTURE

Paging through my favorite travel magazine my heart yearned for an African Safari….

We started planning our Botswana Safari about 6 months in advance. We were a party of 3, Johan, Pieter me… the Three Adventurers setting out to explore and experience the African Wilderness. Johan has lived in Botswana for a few years and he was therefore in charge of the route planning and accommodation booking. Pieter is from Cape Town and I am a Johannesburg yuppie, and neither of us has been on a real camping Safari in the Botswana Wilderness. The days drew closer and before I knew it, we were on the plane from Johannesburg to Gaborone. As we touched down in Botswana I felt a sense of anticipation and excitement for the adventure that lay ahead.

It took forever to pack the Jeep. By the time we strapped in the last jerry can, we looked like we were ready to cross the Sahara dessert. Each person had a small survival kit in the car. Johan’s back pack contained a Leatherman and a few cable ties, Pieter’s bag had an expensive video camera, spare batteries and a charger (he was the official movie maker for the trip) and my duffle handbag bared nothing more than a tube of sunscreen, moisturizer and a toothbrush. Our first destination, was the great expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans. I have seen many places in Southern Africa, but nothing prepared me for the breath taking beauty of the pans. We arrived late evening and had to drive the last stretch in the dark. The moon was full, and reflected off the white powdery surface. The landscape seemed surreal – there is absolutely nothing, not a tree, a shrub or a rock– it looked like we were driving on the moon. We pitched our tents at the edge of the pan, and we felt like the only human beings at the rim of the world. This beautiful landscape however presented one serious problem, what to hide behind when you have to crouch when nature calls. We quickly made a rule – if anyone asked for the spade and TP (toilet paper), the other parties had to move to the front of the tents, and stay there until the coast is clear. As the flames of the camp fire danced over our tents, we sat chatting late into the night.

The next morning we rouse early and after a strong coffee and few Ouma rusks we were ready to push on. We drove along the edge of the pans towards to Bain’s Baobab. We made our camp under a clump of Baobab trees – the very trees where the explorer Thomas Bain laid his head, some hundred years ago, when he crossed the pans. In the late afternoon huge cumulonimbus clouds started building up and not before long a heavy thunder storm came down. The first drops exploded as they hit the arid earth, and within an hour or so the dry pans turned into a wetland, covered in 4 inches of water. We watched the landscape change before our very eyes, and we could not resist the urge to run out on the pan, splashing water and getting soaking wet from the rain. Pieter caught everything on camera, while me and Johan did a mock rain dance like true Bushmen, thanking the gods for the rain.

The next morning we set off to the north west, towards Chobe. Getting out of the pans was not as easy as driving in. The white powdery sand has turned into mud over night and the road was difficult to maneuver. This is where your 4x4 Safari driving skills get tested to the limit. As one stage we were traveling at 80km/hour, slipping and sliding across the mud, trying to go forward without loosing control of the Jeep. I was shouting to go slower, but Johan knew that if he loose traction now, we will get stuck. It is known that in some places the mud on the pans is so thick that a car can easily disappear before you very eyes, before help arrives.

By the time we hit the highway north, we have high on adrenalin and ready for more action. On the road between Gweta and Chobe, there is no fencing, and we often had to stop on the road to allow animals to cross– this is an African Wilderness – a true Botswana Safari experience. It is a long drive, and Pieter and I chatted away while Johan hummed along with the radio tunes.

We arrived late in the evening at the gates of the Chobe Reserve and after setting up camp, we made our way to the local pub. We sat on the deck, sipping Jin & Tonics, eagerly sharing our experiences of our Botswana Safari thus far, with other travelers. It is known that Jin & Tonic is a deterrent for mosquitoes and Johan used his fear of malaria as an excuse to one too many J&T’s. The next morning we set out to do game viewing. Chobe is a wilderness with an abundance of animals – we encountered herds of antelope, zebra and wildebeest grazing on the open plains. Chobe is renowned for it’s elephant population, counting over 3000. At one point we drove into a herd of elephant. I almost had a panic attack when a few boisterous males started pushing each other around a mere few feet from our Jeep. Luckily a mature male stepped in and quickly put the teenagers in their place. Pieter photographed the whole episode, and he felt confident that the pics were of the highest standard. To experience nature so up close and personal is an amazing experience. Pieter appreciated the scenery and snapped his camera at every opportunity – he was determined to find the perfect pick to send to National Geographic. We spend a few days in the reserve, mostly doing game drives during the day and relaxing next to the camp fire or going the local pub in the evening. By now we were getting into the rhythm of Africa.

From Chobe we set off to Victoria Falls in Zambia. Getting from Kasane to Livingstone we used the ferry. We arrived early at the river and took our place in the long queue. The ferry is a simple float that they use to transport vehicles and passengers across the river. The ferry is alive with people and action, there is food stalls, live chickens and goats and vehicles are ordered around to optimize on space on the ferry. We were the last vehicle onto the boat, and the Jeep was parked precariously at an angle on the ramp, which was hoisted high up into the air, when we crossed the white water. As I took my seat on the ferry I sat next to you young boy chewing on a sugar cane.

By the time we hit Livingstone I was ready to enjoy a hot bath and a soft bed. Being on a Botswana safari is marvelous, sleeping in a tent and using a make shift, hand held shower for a week is great fun and a wonderful adventure, but I was ready to enjoy a little bit of luxury. So there was a slight change in plans, rather than another camp site, I was treating my fellow safari-goers to a night in Zambezi Sun. As I laid in the hot bubble bath, soaking away the dust I closed my eyes to replay the adventures of the past few days.

The high light for our safari was the visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the majestic Victoria Falls, also known as the smoke that thunders. You can hear the roar of the waterfall from miles away. As we walked down the foot path the sound became so load that we had to shout to speak. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight. From between the trees I could see the water curtain crashing down the gorge, creating a thick mist and rainbow above the water. I was in total awe and felt in touch with my creator. After I finished taking about 3 reels of film, of me in any every imaginable pose, with the Falls as the back drop, we made our way to the African craft market. This is a shopper’s haven, and if you have good negotiation skills you are sure to pick up some bargains. For a mere 200 Pula I bought the most beautiful male & female pair wooden sculptures, which would find a special place in my small house, once I get home (as if I did not have enough memorabilia from past safaris).

The next day we tackled the mighty Zambezi, to do white water rafting. After the safety talk, we were ready to launch our rafts. We were in a young, strong group (4 Yanks and the Three Adventurers) and we were ready for some REAL adventure. As we paddled our way into the stream I realized how powerful the Zambezi River flows. For the first hour of the trip we paddled casually along, enjoying the sunlight, making jokes and appreciating the view from the river gorge. Our skipper, Themba told us interesting folk stories about Yumi Yumi, the rivier god of the Zambezi. At rapid No 7, also known as the “washing machine” we got into trouble and no matter hard we paddled, the water washed us up side down, in side out and our raft flipped. Everybody was tossed into the white foam. For a few moments I was disorientated and I could feel my heart pumping as I gulped for air. My body was flushed with adrenalin as I tried to swim. Within seconds I could feel Themba’s hands grabbing my life vest, and I was pulled back onto the raft. The team laughed and shouted of joy. We felt on top of the world – invisible to the power of Yumi Yumi. The rest of the day we paddled through a few more rapids, had a picnic lunch on a small “beach” and enjoyed the landscape. By late afternoon we landed the rafts at our final destination. We were already tired from the day’s adventure and still had to walk up the gorge to reach the vehicles. The winding footpath up the hill was more like a makeshift ladder, with branches knocked into the incline to assist with the “walk”, which in many sections had to be approached on all fours. Eventually we arrived at the top where we were met by a cold beer and smiling faces. It was an adventurous day, and we arrived back at the hotel exhausted but in high spirits.

All too soon we reached the end of our safari. It’s been a glorious 12 days in Botswana and Zambia. We have seen so much, experience a great deal and learned all the words to the songs on Allanis Morriset’s Ironic album (we spend a lot of time in the car driving between destinations). The only thing that remained for us was the long drive back to Gaborone. On the way back we were quite, each busy with his/her own thoughts and trying to store as much information as possible about this Safari experience, in our minds.

When I eventually boarded my flight back to Johannesburg I was sad, but I had my wooden sculptures, my white water rafting video, several reels for wonderful photographs and the knowledge that I will be back.

Contact Lathita Tailor Made Travel to experience an unforgetable Safari in Botswana