dusty wonder

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northeast Botswana I'm sure I've been this dusty before, but I don't really remember when.

Last year's rainy season never arrived, and northeastern Botswana is in the grips of a 30 year drought. The wetland area is shrunk, and low water levels severely limit traditional poling areas, so we never got to this particular form of travel. The thin veneer of grass and soil holding the underlying sand is nearly gone in places. Still, the countryside is beautiful, and our seven day backcountry trip is one of the highlights of our travels. Animals are only somewhat restricted from their historic ranges, as the natural areas are extensive and even cross international boundaries.

We started out in Maun and traveled through Moreme Park to Chobe Park and Kasane, and finished with a boat trip along the Chobe River. Our small group of 6 bumped some 500km on unpaved sandy tracks. Our guide grew up in a semi nomadic bush tribe, and knows this area very well. Our younger guide in training knows his birds, but rolled his eyes when “bush man” started story telling around the campfire. We were able to camp in the back country away from others, which lent an air of remoteness and adventure.

Besides the excitement of large wildlife and unusual birds, we enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the "bush." We all fell in love with the graceful ever present herds of impala. Extensive elephant damage looked in places like someone took a chain saw to all the trees at about 8 feet in height. Our guide was very firm about not walking away from the jeep or the camp, and would not let us leave our tents during the night. His years of experience tell him that you just don't know what will happen. We did hear lions at night, find jackal tracks in the morning, watch a bull elephant deciding whether to charge our vehicle., see a hippo make threatening gestures.

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