Okavango Delta, Botswana

A couple of months ago I returned to Africa, on another organised group trip. This time I went to 2 countries in the South West – Namibia and Botswana, for 2 weeks. When we arrived our tour leader showed the map of where we’d be going and told us we’d probably drive about 5000km. It was epic!! That’s pretty much the best word for it, and certainly the word I used the most when I got home and people asked how it was. Much of the trip we were just driving as the distances we needed to travel was immense. We would start early in the morning and finally arrive mid afternoon. Quite a few of our overnight stops were just because we needed to stop somewhere, and not because there was anything particularly to see there. Our transport was a minibus/overland truck, which was hot, noisy and poorly air conditioned. Fortunately there was only 8 of us on the trip, not the full 16, so at least we had room to spread out – I can’t imagine what a fully booked trip would be like.

There were several highlights, and that’s what I’m going to talk about for the next few blog posts. Today, I’m starting with the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We had 3 nights there in total, 2 camping on the riverbanks and one night glamping on a lagoon.

The 2 nights we spent camping were early on the trip, when we were still getting to know each other, and getting used to the heat – this was very early April, and just 3 weeks earlier I had battled snow to get to work, so 30°+C was an adjustment to say the least.

To get to our campsite we had go out on the water and to travel in mokoros, which are like canoes which sit very low in the water and are operated by pole – basically someone stands with a pole which goes in the water and pushes the mokoro along. We were told to sit still and not move as too much movement might tip them over and we’d end up the water! Fortunately that didn’t happen. The journey took over an hour, and all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride and the view. It was gorgeous! We were in the full sun, so it was hot, but it was so beautiful. All we could see was the water, and the reeds and lilies, and off beyond the water’s edge we could see trees. On the water was it was so peaceful, hardly any noise.

Our camp was set up for us when we arrived, 2 man tents and a big tent for eating meals. Toilets were basic – a hole in the ground with an actual toilet over it and a tent around it, but no flushing water. Showers were also basic – a big tub suspended from the tree, which was filled with heated water from the delta. We had to shower in pairs – one person showering and the other person outside the shower tent holding a touch as it was usually dark when we showered and the main lights didn’t light up the showers. We really were right on the water’s edge – we would hear the hippos out on the water the whole time we were there, a constant background noise – not quite the traffic most people hear all the time. Fortunately they stayed in the water – I don’t think any came into camp. Food was freshly prepared for us each meal time and was delicious.

Our first morning there, after an early breakfast, we had a bush walk to see the animals. This meant getting back in the mokoros for a short trip and then we had our walk. Obviously we couldn’t get too close to the animals, but we saw zebras and giraffes and various antelopes – sadly no lions or elephants. The walk only lasted a couple of hours and then it got too hot to be out, so we headed back to camp.

After lunch we stayed in camp, in the shade. One of our group was already suffering from heat stroke so she had a sleep that afternoon, and the rest of of us played games together and chatted and tried to stay cool.

In the early evening, before dinner we headed back out on the mokoros to see the hippos, and to watch the sunset. Again, we couldn’t get too close – hippos are fast in the water, and can be dangerous if angered. But, we got reasonably close, and we were able to take some decent photos. Sadly, the SD card in my camera chose that moment to die on me, so I have no photos of my own – one of the other group members has sent me some of his instead. We also had some excitement – for some reason the hippos suddenly got angry and we had to rush into the reeds for safety! That was an adrenaline rush believe me.

The next morning we had a short walk to see the sunrise, and then it was time for breakfast and then we had to return to civilisation. This of course meant another trip on the mokoros.

That afternoon we had a helicopter ride over the delta! This was an expensive (optional extra) experience, but so so worth it. The view was incredible! It was my first time in a helicopter, and I loved every second of it. We saw wildebeest, giraffes, elephants among other animals, and obviously we also got a really good look at the stunning African scenery. Sadly, the area we were flying over was dry that day, so we couldn’t see the water, but it was still beautiful.

More next time…glamping on a lagoon on the Okavango Delta…