Botswana Safari

Day 1 - Johannesburg to Duncan's Camp

We arrived in Botswana with no problems. Getting through passport control, on the other hand, took about an hour; another plane must've landed minutes before us so we were behind them and they only had 3 people working, so it took some time. Maun is not a big city so the airport is pretty small. 

Luckily our person was still there to greet us when we got through. We booked our Botswana safaris through a company called Gondwana Tours, so Janet was there to greet us and hand us our itinerary. She then introduced us to our first guide and driver, named Comic. We requested to stop at an ATM to get tip money and a grocery store so we could purchase some beers and extra water, so we did that and then hit the road. 

We got about 10 minutes out of town when we were stopped by the police. They had been out on the road inspecting the vehicles going through and they wanted a closer look at ours. After a couple of minutes Comic must've realized that this was going to take awhile, so he convinced them to let us go to a restaurant across the street so we could eat while they sorted that out. Matt and I got some food, I had a hamburger and milkshake while Matt had a toasted sandwich, and then we waited. We waited over an hour until Comic came back and said that the police had deemed the vehicle to be unroadworthy. Therefore they wouldn't release the vehicle until the fine was paid. So we had to wait for the manager of the camp to get there and pay the fine so we could go. She seemed pretty peeved when she got there; she said that the vehicle had just recently passed inspection with traffic control so she seemed to feel like it was bogus that the police disagreed. But anyway, after almost two hours and teaching Comic how to play 'Crazy 8', we were finally back on the road. 

It was about an hour out to camp and once we left the asphalt road it was extremely bumpy. On the way we didn't see any wild animals but lots of domestic ones: cows, horses, donkeys, goats, and chickens. Eventually we bumped our way into camp (Duncan's camp) and were greeted by the staff there- Temptation and Nikolas. We were the only two guests so they were a bit short staffed. We got there right as the sun was going down so they hurriedly showed us the camp and our tent. The camp was nice and right on the water, with a common area overlooking the water. The tents were more basic than our first camp. They were still on a permanent raised platform, but the inside of the tent was pretty small- just space for two twin beds and a small walkway between them, which led to the bathroom. The bathroom at the back was simple; the essentials were there and it was private up to eye-level, where it opened up. That night we had dinner which was caprese salad, roasted chicken, potatoes and broccoli with fruit and cream as the dessert. Then we headed off to bed. 

Day 2 - Duncan's Camp

We woke up for breakfast at 6:30am and then went out for our game drive at 7. We bumped along the road again towards the Moremi reserve. After about 40 minutes we passed through 2 gates, which are intended to keep the wild animals separate from the domestic animals in order to prevent diseases such as foot-and-mouth and rabies. So anyway, once we got passed those gates our chances of seeing game went way up. It was a long game drive. About 6 hours (!) later we drove back into camp. We had seen lots of elephants, zebras, a few giraffes, some wildebeests, warthogs, and a couple of ostriches from a distance. Animals seemed to be more spaced out so we weren't seeing them at the same rate we were seeing them in the Manyeleti reserve. So we did end up seeing quite a bit it just took more time. We didn't see any big predators though.

After returning back to camp we had some lunch and then took a quick nap since we planned on going on another drive in the evening. Once we got up and around though we talked with Comic and found out he had received a message that we were to be picked up from camp the next day for our transfer and he didn't need to drive us anywhere, and therefore he was to go back home that afternoon. So we didn't end up going on another drive since we didn't have a guide, which was a bit of a bummer. But in our itinerary we had seen we were only supposed to have one activity at that camp anyway, and that's what we got. 

So after Comic left for the rest of the day we just hung out around camp and hoped to see some hippos. We never saw any, but Temptation said she heard them grunting around both nights after we went to bed. After dinner we sat by the fire for awhile and talked with Temptation. She told us a bit about herself and living in Botswana. She has 6 kids between the ages of 9-32. She told us a bit about their criminal system in Botswana and how when the police catch people breaking the law they often will beat them instead of sending them to jail. She also told us how the government is helping people to start their own businesses. They will provide you with resources to start, such as seeds and a greenhouse area if you want to start a nursery, and then if you can prove that it's successful you don't have to pay them back. It was all very interesting. 

Day 3 - Duncan's Camp to Khwai Guesthouse

We slept in and got up for a leisurely breakfast since we didn't have anything to do until our transport at 10:30. It arrived a little early so we left shortly after 10. The guy who was transporting us called himself Stone, and he was also transporting 4 other people as well, one couple from Kalamazoo, Michigan. The drive took about 3 hours and it was essentially a game drive as well so that was nice. Stone was a talkative guy so we stopped frequently for him to tell us about things- animals we were seeing or the region in general or other camps he's worked with. On the way we saw lots of elephants, more kudu (large antelope), zebras, and always a ton of impalas. We've noticed that the elephants here in Botswana seem to be more skittish and nervous around us than the elephants near Kruger. 

Right before we got to the camp we had to drive over a bridge made of wood which was pretty interesting. We ended up crossing over it several times while staying there but every time I was nervous it would break. We arrived at the camp and greeted by the camp manager who is a very nice lady. She talked through the daily schedule with us and showed us to our room. At this camp there are bungalows instead of tents, so we had our own hut which was really nice. It was a legitimate building with doors and windows, electricity, and running water. I immediately felt comfortable, despite the two huge spiders I saw on our walls. I confirmed with her that the spiders weren't venomous and wouldn't bother us at all, they are there to eat the mosquitos, so I decided to let them keep their lives and I'm just ignoring them. 

This area has gotten a lot of rain recently and has been quite flooded. The camp that we are staying at was flooded and our guest house was underwater. After this had happened we were contacted by our booking agent that we might have to switch locations instead of staying here, but luckily they recovered quickly and reopened just last week. They repainted and redid everything so it all looks really nice. But around the area there is still a ton of water. When we're on game drives sometimes we're driving through a couple of feet of water. And there are areas where we haven't gone at all, like the Moremi Reserve, because there is still so much water. So that's been interesting to hear about all of the damage and the areas that now look like they've been lakes forever but before a month ago had never seen standing water. 

After settling in they were kind enough to feed us a late lunch since we had missed it. After resting for a bit we went on our first game drive here with our guide named Lex. We saw an older giraffe, he told us you could tell he was older since his coat was darker color. We also saw some zebras- the Botswana national animal. That's really about all we saw, other than impalas. We also got to see a beautiful sunset. 

Then we had a really nice dinner of chicken, brown rice, and squash with bananas and chocolate heated up on the hot coals. We spent some time visiting with the other couple here who are from Germany, near Munich, and both work at Audi. Their names were Marie and Bastian and they were very friendly. 

Day 4 - Khwai Guesthouse

We got up early for breakfast at 6:30 then game drive at 7. This was our best drive in Botswana so far. We saw the usual things: elephants, zebras, and giraffes as well as a gazillion impalas. But then we also saw a hippo out of water! It was just grazing around. It had a lot of deep wounds on it's back and looked like it had recently been in a fight, probably with another hippo. Seeing that was exciting. And then we finally got to see a pack of wild dogs for the first time! This was really exciting as we'd been really hoping but it's not very common to see them. There was a pack of about 8 of them. We didn't see them for long; they seemed to be resting for a moment and all looking about and then suddenly they took off quickly and they were gone. The wild dogs are very interesting because they are one of the few species that really look out for one another. The whole pack helps to raise the puppies and they all take care of the sick and older ones. They are also some of the most effective hunters since they work together. So I was really glad we were able to see them. 

Then we saw lots of vultures circling about and seemed to be zoning towards one area so we decided to go investigate. As we got closer we saw tons of vultures perched in the trees so we knew we were close to something dead. When we passed another vehicle they told us it was a dead elephant! We were moving along the water and then we saw a big crocodile! It was sunning itself and it looked like it had a very full belly. Very close to him we found the dead elephant, so we're pretty sure we know what the crocodile was feeding on. From the back the elephant didn't look very damaged; it looked like it could've been sleeping. But once we moved passed the head we saw it had been emptied out and it probably would've looked worse from the belly side. The smell was pretty bad so we didn't stay long. We just took a couple of photos (beware of the graphic photos in the album) and then moved on. Based on where the elephant died our guide said he wasn't sure what killed it or it may have been a natural death. 

We got back to camp for some lunch and then had a few hours to relax. In the afternoon we were picked up by different guides to be taken out on the mokoros, which are dugout canoes. Matt and I were in one canoe with our guide in the back who stood and guided the canoe along with a long stick that he would push along the bottom. Our guide's name was Boca and he was very good. He guided us along a channel off of the Kwai River and pointed out lots of nice things for us to see. We saw the tiny little frogs which clung to the reeds and he also pointed out the day water lillies as well as the night water lillies when we came across them. When he would hear a bird call he would identify it for us and tell us a bit about the bird. He also pointed out a hippo skull along the river and told us more about hippos. It was very relaxing to be gliding along the river as the sun was starting to go down so it was an enjoyable experience. It's not something you do to see big game though. 

We returned for dinner which was steak, cheesy broccoli and cauliflower, and mashed sweet potatoes. Then we visited with the others: two gentlemen from Germany had arrived and a guy from Botswana who was in the area for business. We spent quite a bit of time talking to him about other areas of Southern Africa which are good to visit. I think we've decided next time we come to Africa we need to visit Namibia. He also tried to sell us on Mozambique, which he says has great beaches, scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing and it's all really cheap.

Before we went to bed the camp manager told us our flight the next day had been scheduled for 11am (they don't set the flight schedules until the day before), so unfortunately we wouldn't be able to do a morning game drive, so that was a bit of a bummer. 

Day 5 - Khwai Guesthouse to Kwara

We were able to sleep in a bit which was lucky since we were up a lot of the night listening to the crazy animals which sounded like they were right outside our door. We definitely heard a dog barking really loudly very close to us, but we couldn't tell if it was a wild dog or a normal one. Around the same time we also heard what we think were hyenas. Then later we also definitely heard hippos grunting around. And the German couple in the hut next to us said they heard lions earlier on in the night. So there were lots of fun sounds. 

We had a leisurely breakfast at 8 with Marie and Bastian, and then we packed up our things and our transport picked us up shortly after 9. It was about an hour and a half drive to the airstrip since their closer airstrip is currently flooded so we had to go to a further one. We got to see two hippos in the water along the way though so that was cool. 

We got to the airstrip 15 minutes before our flight was scheduled to take off. We just sat by the car with our guide until our plane landed, and then our pilot hopped out, stowed our luggage, and we hopped in. This was our first time flying in a "mosquito plane" as they call it, since it only sat 6 people and that was tight. Our pilot gave us a 30 second safety spiel and we were off. It was awesome. We cruised at a comfortable altitude of about 500 ft and only flew for about 10 minutes to our destination (it would've taken several hours by car because of all of the water). I even saw an elephant from the plane! I was worried about getting sick since the plane is so small it kind of goes up and down with the thermal waves, but I had no problems so that was good. The whole thing was awesome and good fun; I feel like that's how all flying should be. From one car door to the next only took about 15 minutes, since there was no security or customs or anything. We never even went inside a building. Once we landed our pilot took our bags to our guides that were waiting for us and that was it! Pretty incredible. 

A short 10 minute drive later and we arrived at our camp: Kwara. We were greeted by the managers with a lovely fruity wine drink and then we were shown around the camp. It's along the water and there's a very nice common area with couches, books, and a bar. Then there's a campfire area and a dining area. After being told the activity schedule we were shown to our room which is also very nice. It's very raised with a permanent tent-like structure on top, but it has lockable sliding doors in order to keep the baboons out, which we had already seen several times running around camp. Our tent is extremely nice with a huge bed and the bathroom even has his-and-her sinks! It seems like our accommodations keep getting better and better, so that's been an unexpected surprise. 

We went back to the dining area for lunch and met some of the other guests. There's another couple from Germany and 4 older ladies from Canada who will be on activities with us. Lunch was a serve-yourself setup but it was really good. There was salad and bread and a cheese platter and a cheesy beef dish which was really good. They also made us omelets. For our afternoon siesta Matt took a nap while I got in the pool which was refreshing. Now I'm sitting on the viewing deck overlooking the water as I'm catching up on my blogging. :)

After our siesta we walked back to the main area for high tea at 3:30 before our afternoon activity and saw several warthogs casually walking through camp to the water. Instead of going on a game drive we went on a boat cruise with the other guests. This was not like the mokoros but on a large motor boat down one of the larger channels of the Okavango Delta. Only a couple of minutes after we got going we saw a huge hippo emerge from the water right beside us as we were moving. We stopped to look back and he was hanging out in the water there. We kept going and then not much time later we stopped because a guide spotted a rare antelope. It's called the Sitatunga and they say it's very special to this region and very rare to see; our guide had only ever seen it twice before. I barely got a glimpse of it through the tall thick grass but it was still really interesting to hear about such a rare creature. We also saw lots of birds; the Canadian ladies were very interested in the birds so the guides pointed out lots of them to us. I don't remember them all but we did see a few Kingfishers, which are tiny little colorful birds. And we also saw the big Fish Eagles, which I thought should be named the Kingfishers since they are the largest eagles that eat fish. We also went to an island where we saw lots of herons and egrets nesting. That's where we stopped and had our "sundown drinks" for sunset, which was really pretty over the water. Then we turned around and went back, trying to avoid the "midgies" which are little gnat things that are flying on top of your water and they like to get in your mouth and eyes and everything. Right outside camp we also saw two giraffes, which will be important to the story later, but we didn't really stop since they're not nocturnal animals and we didn't want to disturb them. Our guide said we would see them the next day, which is some foreshadowing... 

We got back to camp and had a few drinks (drinks are included here!) and learned how to play Morabaraba, which is very similar to the game Mancala. One of the staff taught us how to play so that was very nice. I taught them how to make red beers, which prompted an interesting conversation because two of the guests here pointed out that they grew up right next to the guy who invented the Tobasco sauce, and that it's bottled on Avery Island near New Orleans, LA. Weird!

Then we had a lovely dinner starting with potato leek soup, and then roasted chicken, veggies, and bread. They served a type of chocolate cake with cream for dessert. Then that's when we heard about the real treat. Right as we were finishing dessert they informed us that a lion had taken down a giraffe just 30 seconds away over by where the staff live, and that we were all going on a quick impromptu drive to check it out! Apparently the staff there had heard a commotion and went to check it out and found them. So we all got in the vehicles and drove over, literally 30 seconds away- you can see our camp from there, passed a single giraffe, and we found the male lion (our first cat sighting in Botswana!) guarding his kill. It was the sub-adult (not fully grown) giraffe that we had seen only 2 hours earlier on our way back into camp. He was laying about 10 feet away from us next to a bush with the dead giraffe and just watching us, ready to defend his meal. That was the first time on safari that I felt a twinge of nervousness since he was clearly on alert and looking at us. He didn't start to feed while we were there, either because he was nervous about our presence or perhaps he was recovering from his struggle. We snapped a few pictures and left. On the way back to camp we saw the lone giraffe again, who was clearly the mother, and my heart broke a little for her. I don't know if animals feel emotional pain and loss the same way humans do but I'm sure it was a tough night for her either way as I'm sure she put up a fight with the lion. 

We got back to camp and had to be escorted to our tent, which is standard procedure here at night but especially then due to the recent activity. Not 5 minutes after we got back to our tent and we started to hear the hyenas calling. I got a video in order to record the audio since it was really unique. Then we went to bed, but I think we each woke up almost every half hour because of the noise and we were interested in what was going on. The struggle between lion and hyenas went on for hours. For the first few hours we could hear the hyenas calling for others to join them, and then you could also hear them making their laughing call trying to scare off the lion. Close to 2am I heard the roars of the lion, and according to the staff that's around the time when the lion gave up and left, since he was very outnumbered against the 10-15 hyenas. Matt said around 3am he heard something prowling around just around and under our tent but he wasn't able to get a look at it, but he thought it sounded like a dog or hyena. Did I mention it was a full moon night? Naturally. We went back to the scene the next morning and found a jackal sniffing around for scraps and we could see all of the flattened grass where the struggle took place, but some blood and a bit of the jaw bone was all we could find remaining of the giraffe. The hyenas tore it into pieces and drug it all off. 

Day 6 - Kwara

This morning over breakfast the only topic of conversation was exchanging stories of noises heard in the night and learning from the staff what had actually happened with the lion vs hyena debacle. We left before 7am for what turned out to be a very long (5 hours!) and eventful drive! We went with a different guide who called himself TJ and he was great.

We got to see an endangered crane, lots of zebras and lots of giraffes. More giraffes than we had seen anywhere else. We also saw some warthogs and lots of different types of antelope, some that we hadn't seen before. Impalas of course, but also reedbuck, tsessebe, waterbuck, and wildebeest. There was one really pretty clearing where we could see antelope, zebras, and giraffes all in one spot. That was pretty special. 

Then we got a call that lions had been spotted so we left to go find them. We were successful and it was our best lion sighting so far! There was one male and two lionesses. When we got there they were all moving about. We parked in between the male and where one of the lionesses was lying and he walked straight towards us and walked right alongside it, probably brushing against the vehicle, about a foot away from me and only because I was above him. That was exhilarating! And that was the second time on safari that I felt a bit nervous, haha. But he just turned and walked right alongside us towards the female. They sat together for a while, alternating laying down in the shade and walking around a bit, not very active. Eventually they joined the other lioness and all rested in the shade together. Then suddenly one of the lionesses got up and walked straight towards us and then decided to lay down right next to us in the shade made by the vehicle! She laid there about 2 feet away from Matt for awhile, until we decided to move away. The other lioness joined her and we just watched them for awhile, as they stretched and yawned to show us their large canine teeth. How exciting!

After awhile we left and went about 1km away to a watering hole where we had our coffee/tea break and stretch our legs. In the pond there were hippos! Probably 10-13 of them! You could only ever see their eyes and tops of their noses, but every now and then one of them would grunt loudly and make a ruckus for a minute. I got a video of that. So we sat there for awhile sipping our drinks and chatting with a Michigan couple (that's the 3rd Michigan couple we've met in the last couple of days!) who were there in another vehicle staying at our sister camp. They said they went to see the lion and giraffe last night and they got there right as the hyenas arrived and surrounded the lion, so that was really cool! I wish we couldd've seen that!

After break we went back to check on the lions before starting our journey back towards camp. We found them and the lionesses were stalking some warthogs. But the warthogs caught sight of them and ran away before the lions could make their move. Then the lions seemed like they were going to give up the hunt for now and relax instead, so we left. On the way back to camp I spotted a hyena so we pulled off the road to get a closer look and found two of them. They had been cooling themselves in some small pool areas made by the elephants. Then we found out one was a male and one was a female, because they started to mate! So that was... interesting. Our guide told us even he had never seen hyenas mate before, so it was a first for all of us! It lasted for quite some time, long enough for another vehicle to join us after he had radioed the news. So, beware, there is a picture and short video in the album. 

After some time we left, and we were rather in a hurry because our safari had already went long and our guide, TJ, was late to pick up some arriving guests from the airstrip. So we were really hustling back, cruising just about as fast as the large vehicles and bumpy roads would allow, when we drove right by a lioness who was lying about 10 feet from the road! We stopped for a brief minute to take some pictures and then took off again. We also saw an elephant which seemed to be pretty perturbed that we were quickly splashing along the road near him. He showed us how big and scary he is by flapping his ears angrily at us and trumpeting his horn. Elephants are so expressive!

Eventually we made it back to camp, but it took some time. It's hard to get anywhere here quickly due to all of the really sandy roads which makes it difficult to go fast and all of the flooded areas covering the roads. Sometimes we're driving through 3 feet of water, such that the footwell of the vehicle gets a few inches of water! Seriously, one time it got to the hood of the vehicle. Later I went to compare that height to my body and it was around my belly button. It's pretty crazy. We had some lunch and chatted with the Canadian lady, Dominique, who went on our safaris with us. She is here only because her friend had booked the trip for herself but then got injured while in Brazil and couldn't continue the trip. It was unrefundable but transferable, so Dominique got to come instead. Then we had our afternoon siesta, which most of the time for me was spent blogging.

After high tea we had our afternoon game drive. We went with our guide who goes by "G", and he was great. He's clearly very passionate about what he does and very easy to get along with. He's one of those people who always seems to be laughing about something. It was really fun to go on drives with him because he always pointed out the animal tracks to us and showed us how to identify what animal made them. Also whenever we were tracking a certain animal he would always explain what he was sensing and why we would go one direction over another. He just did a great job. 

First he pointed out what he called the "hippo highway", which was a very clear trail where the hippos take every day to and from the watering hole and where they go to graze. Then we also saw some giraffes and elephant tracks. We spotted some crocodiles! The first one we saw was small and Matt spotted it swimming in the water we were driving through. Later we saw a bigger one sunning itself near the waterhole. The last one we saw was later at night and it was also swimming in the water we were driving through. We also saw lots of zebras. One herd had a baby who we saw suckling it's mother, and his mother was also clearly expecting another baby soon. We also saw some of them rolling around in the dirt to get rid of the insects. We also saw several elephant herds, one herd with several babies. 

We watched the sun go down by a water hole as we had our sundown drinks and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The African savannah really is beautiful. As we started to head back to camp we saw several animals in the dark that I wasn't able to get good pictures of. We found a pack (a flock? A herd?) of ostriches and spotted two hippos grazing out of water. Then our path was blocked for a bit by an elephant herd crossing the road. 

We made it back to camp and enjoyed a few drinks while playing a few rounds of Morabaraba (I'm undefeated so far!). We also went out by the fire to enjoy the clear sky full of stars. G pointed out the "Southern Cross" to us which was cool, it looks like it's more in the shape of a kite. Then we had a wonderful dinner and visited with G and some of the other guests. There was an American couple who had just arrived from Portland and they were fun to visit with. They travel a lot and told us about some of the places they've been. They say they like to go to places before it's been spoiled too much by American culture, so they were on one of the first flights to Cuba not long ago and had a great time. They gave us their contact info and told us to visit them in Portland sometime. 

We also learned more about G and Botswana customs. We learned he has a 4 month old that he's only ever seen once because a traditional Botswana custom believes it's bad for any man (including the father) to see the baby before 6 months of age. So that was crazy. Then he also told us how hard it is to get married in Botswana. First both parties have to sit down with their families and talk about if and why they really want to get married. Then the groom's uncles have to write letters to the bride's uncles about why they think they should be able to get married. The bride's uncles have to write letters in response and then they have to meet in person to discuss what the price will be for them to get married (for example: 8 head of cattle or the financial equivalent). If the bride's uncles don't really like the groom then they'll charge more. Then once they are actually a let to get married they are expected to have a big ceremony for both extended families and also the whole town, where everyone expects to have food and drink. So it's a lengthy, expensive endeavor. 

We slept well that night with no animal orchestra waking us up.

Day 7 - Kwara to Chobe Safari Lodge

We woke up early our last morning in Kwara to pack up our bags before our last game drive. We were lucky to be able to go on a drive at all since our flight to Chobe was scheduled for 10am, but the staff arranged it so that we could just take our bags on the drive with us and we would have our normal drive before taking us to the airstrip. After a light breakfast and tea we headed out with our man G and we were the only guests, our hopes high to see a cheetah which was the last thing on our wish-list. They actually have several resident cheetahs, one male and two females both with cubs, but they are pretty hard to find. I'll save you the suspense and just tell you that we never did find one, unfortunately. But we did have a really fun drive. 

We first ran right into some giraffes munching on sausage fruit (fruit that is in the shape of a sausage). We also found some more ostriches and I was able to get some pictures. We also spent quite a bit of time following some fresh lion tracks around. It's really fun to find and follow the tracks on the road, it made the experience so much more interactive. We eventually did find a lion, a female, and we followed her for close to an hour. During that time we didn't see a single other vehicle. The lioness was very active and clearly on the hunt for some food. It was really fun to watch. First she spotted some impalas, but they soon saw her and gave the warning call. Then she would kind of sit and wait for other prey to show up, or the other ones to forget about her. There were also two jackals that were following her and hoping to get some of whatever she caught. They weren't very helpful to her though because  once she started stalking some warthogs the jackals started calling loudly and that alerted the warthogs and scared them off. Unfortunately we weren't able to see the kill since we eventually had to leave to catch our flight. 

On our way to the airstrip we saw more ostriches, a huge herd of zebras, a very tiny antelope called a steembock, and a crocodile sunning itself near the water. Once we got to the airstrip (exactly 3 minutes before our flight time) our tracker had to get out and shoo some baboons off of the runway. Our plane landed, I jumped out of the vehicle, peed in the bushes, and we got in the plane. I still can't believe how fast and easy it is compared to flying commercially!

The plane was a little bigger than the one before; it held about 9 people including the pilot. But it was just the two of us so we were able to sit wherever we wanted. We sat right behind the pilot. It was also a direct flight, so it was almost like we had chartered our own private plane. It was 1hr 15min flight and we flew a bit higher than our previous one so we couldn't really see animals below like before but it was still really fun. Our amazing Kwara camp staff had packed us a lunch for our flight since we weren't able to go back to camp first. How sweet is that!? They made us sandwiches and sent along grapes, pears, and two fruit juice boxes. So we ate that on our flight and then I did a lot of my blogging while in the air!

We landed at Kasane airport, which is a bit bigger than the airstrips. There was actually a building there, for one. A guy came and helped us with our luggage and then took us to the lobby area to wait for our camp staff to pick us up. Our transfer got there 10 minutes later and it was a quick 10 minute to drive to camp. It was our first time in an enclosed vehicle in over a week, and also on a paved road! On the way I saw a creature right along the side of the road which looked like a capybara or a huge wombat (neither of which are in this area). But I was the only one who saw it and I've explained it to several people so far and no one has been able to identify what it was. So either I'm completely losing my mind or I saw something that literally no one else has ever seen here before.

We arrived at our lodge which is unlike anywhere else we've stayed while on safari. It's huge and really more like a hotel, with a 24 hour lobby and over 100 rooms. We were a bit dismayed about it since it's much less personal and the staff are much less helpful than other places we've stayed. We checked in and found out our room wasn't ready yet. So we sat in the main area for awhile. I went to schedule our two activities that we got to do (which was also a disappointment, since we expected 4). It took at least 20 minutes just to schedule the activities so that seemed unnecessarily complicated. I was getting pretty annoyed by that point so I went back to the front desk to check whether our room was ready yet and, surprise, it had just become available... We got to our room and it is really is nice. One of the nicest places I've ever stayed. It's huge with a whole separate room with bunk beds if you had two additional people or kids. 

We napped and took showers before our 3pm activity. We did the Chobe River boat cruise, which was nice and relaxing but we didn't see a ton of game. It was mostly focused on birds that we saw. Lots of kingfishers and fish eagles, and a bunch of other things that I can't remember. We saw several large crocodiles alongside the river. We also saw a handful of water buffalo drinking from the river. There were also baboons running around and we eventually saw two elephants come down for a drink. I also spotted two giraffes in the distance on the ridge. There was also a herd of kudu antelope down for a drink. But the main thing we saw was hippos, lots of hippos. They were pretty much everywhere and you don't get tired of seeing hippos, since you're always hoping they will raise up out of the water or open their jaw really wide or something. Most of the time you only see just the tops of their noses and eyes, just enough to tease you. We watched another beautiful sunset before docking back at camp. 

I was starving by this point and really thankful for our packed lunch, since for whatever reason lunch isn't included at this camp (you have to pay for it separately). So I was happy that we had an early dinner reservation. Dinner was pretty good. It was a serve-yourself buffet but the best part was they had a make-your-own stir fry so there were lots of noodles, veggies, meat, and sauces that they would grill up for you (similar to Hu-hot back home). So that's what I did and it was really good. The desserts were also pretty good.

Day 8 - Chobe Safari Lodge

We woke up early for our only game drive in the Chobe National Park. Everyone assembled in the lobby at 5:45am and they organized us into cars. It was a 10 minute drive to the entrance of the park and then we had to stop to pay the park entrance fees for everyone. The game drive wasn't our favorite, we stopped a lot for different birds, most of which Matt and I had seen a hundred times already. We saw troop of baboons and a few of them were fighting and chasing each other around. We saw a Great Eagle Owl which was kind of cool. We saw lots of impala, some kudus, a few warthogs, and a ton of water buffalo. We were surprised to not see any elephants since we had heard this was the area to see elephants. We also got a very distant glimpse of a male lion who was feeding on something but we couldn't see what it was. Since it's a national park we're not allowed to go off of the road so we couldn't get a closer look. There were also a ton of vehicles around and every minute or so another vehicle would come and park right in front of us. So that was pretty annoying. Honestly, it was worse than seeing a lion in a zoo. At least in a zoo you can actually see it. Needless to say, we've clearly been very spoiled in our other camps and we weren't very impressed with Chobe National Park.

We made it back to camp shortly after 9am and had the rest of the day to lounge around. We had breakfast and then sat along the river by the pool for a few hours while I caught up on my blogging. When we went back to our room we found 7 warthogs right outside our room grazing near the river. We've also seen monkeys, baboons, kittens, and large river lizards on camp. We spent the rest of the day relaxing.

The next day we checked out after breakfast and that was the end of our safari adventures! Please check here if you're interested in our camp reviews or for tips on picking a safari camp. As always, please check the album (Part 3) on the right for a ton of pictures! (Update 5/19- they are uploaded to the album!)