Postcards from Botswana

Safari Paradise

When and Where: 03/2023 – Kasane, Chobe

68^th Country Visited; 5^th African Country Visited

Interesting Facts:

- Botswana has Africa’s highest concentration of elephants.

- Botswana is Africa’s longest continuous democracy.

- Over 70% of Botswanan land is desert.

- Chobe National Park is 80% bigger than the state of Delaware.

My safari experience was life changing. Three people I met on the ship decided to go on safari with me. We offboarded the Zuiderdam in Durban, taxied to the airport and took a flight to Johannesburg where we overnighted. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we checked into our rooms at a hotel adjacent to O R Tambo International Airport. The next morning, we woke up and walked to the airport to catch our flight to Kasane Botswana. I chose Botswana for safari as the country has the strictest anti-poaching laws of any African nation. If an individual is caught in the act of killing an animal, the person catching the poacher can kill the poacher and not be charged with murder.

Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by the resort staff at the airport and driven a short distance to River View Lodge in Chobe Botswana. We arrived at the Lodge shortly after 2pm. I checked into my spacious room then sat on the front porch and took in the beautiful view of the Chobe River and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia across the river. The Caprivi Strip is a narrow landmass owned by Namibia which separates Botswana from Angola. An hour after check-in, we were headed out on our first water safari on the Chobe River. Our excursion lasted about 4 hours. We sat back, took in the views, sipped on wine, as we cruised up and down the picturesque Chobe River. We saw many elephants and hippos African buffaloes, and a few crocodiles along the way. Hippos are interesting as they spend most of their time underwater. Every two minutes or so, they will surface for air. After one of the most colorful sunsets I’ve ever seen, we arrived back at the Lodge and dinner was waiting for us. Because of animals roaming free outside the property, we weren’t allowed to wander off the property. All meals were served at the Lodge were included. The food was excellent, the portions were large, and it was inexpensive. Despite being a picky eater, I really enjoyed the food even eating some things that were outside my comfort zone such as a beef dish in a Botswanan gravy. Dinner concluded by 9:30 and I was off to bed as the land safaris leave at 5:30 am. Back in my room, I found a can of Super Sound. I later came to find out that in case of emergency, you blow the airhorn and staff members will come to your aid.

I woke up the next morning and after a quick shower, joined my group for the 5:30 safari. As we waited for our guide, we sat and listened to the sounds of chirping birds and animal off in the distance. Much to my surprise, the temperatures were in the mid-50’s despite daily high temperatures being in the mid-90’s. We entered Chobe National Park after a short drive. The dirt roads at the park were filled with ditches. As we drove through the park, we all were jostled around the safari vehicle. We immediately saw a group of gazelles and baboons hanging out. Apparently the two species live communally and share resources such as food and protection. As we continued, we saw a wart hog, many elephants, impalas and African buffaloes. We also saw pukus, hippos and monkeys. We stopped for a coffee break and muffins in the park and were immediately surrounded by aggressive monkeys. The monkeys would take the food out of the hands of unsuspecting tourists. Eventually, one jumped on our safari vehicle and began stealing our muffins and sugar packets. When our guide tried to shoo the monkey away, he hissed at the guide and showed his teeth. We were told to watch our phones as well as monkeys are known to steal cel phones. After our snack, we continued on with our drive and saw lions and a giraffe. Again, we saw a lot of impalas and African buffaloes. Impalas are an interesting species. Each mating season, an alpha male will impregnate 50 or more females. There is a natural pecking order. If two alpha male impalas want the same female, they will fight until one is dead. African buffaloes travel in herds. If one feels threatened, they will attack and kill the predator. Feeding animals is prohibited in Chobe. The animals live in the wild and survive by eating each other. Around 10am, we headed back to the Lodge for breakfast and a quick nap before the afternoon river safari.

During the afternoon river safari, we saw some of the same animals we had seen the day before. But every safari, whether over water or land, is different. We saw a family of elephants walk to the water, hydrate, then return to the jungle. We also saw a large crocodile. Crocs can live up to 100 years. There was also a wart hog, some eagles, and more hippos. Again, the group of cruisers who joined me on the safari sat around drank beer and wine as we experienced nature at it’s best. Like the prior day, we saw an amazing sunset. We arrived back at the lodge for dinner and then crashed. The next morning, we boarded another van and headed to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Upon arrival back at the Lodge, we had dinner and crashed early to prepare for the next morning’s land safari.

The final safari was the most adventurous. We were able to get very close to a lion and a giraffe. We also saw a small group of giraffes by a watering hole. It was a beautiful sunny day and many animals were out roaming. We saw more African buffaloes, hippos, gazelles, baboons and impalas. When we got back to the lodge, we had time to shower, eat breakfast, and head to the airport. I didn’t want to leave Botswana. The whole experience was wonderful. The trip cost, less airfare (as I was flying within Africa) was $850 which included 1 night’s stay at an upscale Johannesburg hotel, 3 night’s stay at the beautiful safari lodge, 2 land safaris, 2 water safaris, a side trip to Victoria Falls, all meals and some drinks. Alcohol was also extremely cheap. Most beers cost $3, and wines were $11-$15 per bottle. I would highly recommend everyone travel to Botswana. Aside from being completely safe, the people were extremely welcoming.