http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Botswana , North-West en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:23:20 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:23:20 +0000 THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR PEACE CORPS. I returned from IST Peace Corps Inservice training head crammed full of all the wonderful activities that dedicated Peace Corps Volunteers accomplish and well okay feeling a bit old and out of touch compared to these fast thinking fast talking worldsaving youth that join http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-454213.html Written Monday November 9th 2009 at 1000pm I paid a visit to the local crocodile farm the other day which is a few kilometres away from Shakawe and home to 9000 crocodiles including a massive one named Sam. The purpose of the farm is to breed crocodiles and release them into the wild for tourism purposes and to produce crocodile leather which is then exported. I went there just to check it o http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-452034.html After Leaving the natural wonder of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe we headed west into Botswana where the highlights were camping out in Chobe National Park and then two nights in the Okavango Delta. More animals and natural beauty abounds in this small country. Only about 1.6 million people there seems to be more wildlife than humans. Chobe is a large national park that is famous for its large elep http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-449435.html After spending a few days in Maun getting ourselves organised and the Land rover fixed ready for our trip through the centre of Botswana 550 miles through Moremi Savuti and Chobe. We would spend 8 nights travelling through these areas which can only be described as wilderness areas. They are all national parks with lots of game and very rough 4 by 4 tracks but no food water or petrol so we h http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-447811.html Final Safari DayDuring the night we heard lions roaring several times. Apparently their sound carries quite some distance and it's hard to tell how far away or how close they really are. Until morning that is. If there are fresh tracks in or around camp we know they were there. As usual we were up early for a morning game drive along the Chobe River flood plain. We saw lots of cape buffalo and http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Chobe-National-Park/blog-447179.html Savute to Chobe RiverWe left camp early for the morning game drive 600 AM and almost right away spotted two lions resting under an acacia tree. At one point along the way a huge male elephant came directly towards us where his track crossed our track. Guess who got priority for crossingWe followed a firebreak for quite a while going over many sand ridges that changed colour from deep red to l http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Chobe-National-Park/blog-447170.html 2709 210I must confess that my main reason for wanting to visit Botswana was because of a beautiful photo I had seen in a guide book of a Mokoru boatsman poling a dug out canoe through the Okavanga Delta. Other than that I'm ashamed to say how little I knew about the culture and history of the country ok....and also the precise location...yikes. Anyway I guess this is what travelling is http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-447064.html Savute Marsh and Bushman PaintingsUp and away for a morning game drive at 630 AM. for a complete circuit of Savute Marsh once a wet marsh but since 1981 a dry grassy plain. We visited two manmade water ponds with water pumped from aquifers for the wildlife. At the one we visited this morning there were two bull elephants with their trunks sucked on right where the water came out. A blackbacke http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Chobe-National-Park/blog-446868.html Travel day Khwai to SavuteThis was a long travel day between two national parks. It started with an unsuccessful look for Leopard at the Khwai public campsite. One had been spotted in a tree just before we arrived. Again no luck. We were able to help a tourist from North Van no less get out of a mud hole where he was stuck in his Toyota SUV. Yet another selfdrive issue. Coincidentally we sa http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Chobe-National-Park/blog-446595.html Along the Khwai RiverWe were up at 500 AM had a light breakfast and away at 615 for a morning game drive around the Khwai River area. Chris was determined to see Leopard but no luck. However we came close to 2 very large bull elephants lots of impala and the lilac breasted roller Botswana's National Bird was photographed by all our 12 cameras but alas no video sniff sniff. Returning to http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-446578.html Entertainment Lion StyleWaking up revealed new lion stories from overnight. In the middle of the night Joel got up to pee unzipped his tent door and was a few steps outside his tent when he discovered lions sleeping around our campfire about 10 metres away. When one big male looked right at him he decided to wait for morning backed slowly into the tent and zipped up the tent door. Chris had http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-446428.html The Lion Sleeps Tonight NOTThe Third Bridge Lion Pride kept us entertained for a few days. Last night when the females had killed the buffalo and the pride was starting to feed we noticed them looking off into the night as though expecting someone. The two male lions in this pride were somewhere in the dark and we knew they would be along any time. Obviously they were expected.During the nigh http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-446416.html Ultimate Safari Day.For those of you who don't want to read the whole blog skip to the part below starting with Lions.Up early this morning which would be our pattern for the rest of our days on safari. Breakfast buffet at the hotel load up the luggage on a cart that is pulled behind the safari vehicle. Glad we brought duffle bags ined with orange garbage bags. Most everyone else has regular l http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-445517.html Movin On UpOK so Richard thought that neither of us got sick from that plane full of coughing people but he was wrong. Today Kayla was sick with a head cold. So we canceled our plans for the day and decided that lounging around Backpackers especially in 40 degree weather was not a bad thing to do. So far it has been much hotter than we expected and higher than average than what is usually e http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-445511.html I had been in Africa just under a month now and while I had seen so many incredible animals met so many incredible locals I still wouldn't say that I had fallen in love with Africa yet. Maybe it was the hustle and bustle of long days on the tour bus or simply because I'd been too worried about taking good photos that I forgot to enjoy it but I was still willing to give Africa a chance.The Delt http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-443920.html Up the creek without a paddleWhere yesterday was all about land with a little water today was all about water with a little land. Power boat for 34 hour to reach a local village in the Okavango Delta followed by 2 hours of mokoro dugout canoe through reeds of the delta powered by a 6 metre pole manned by a local mokoro poler. At one point on the way we broke out into a deep channel and Kayla http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-442698.html Moremi Game Drive Today was a big day starting at 630 am and ending at 630 pm tonight. We hopped into Backpackers safari vehicle and headed for Moremi Game Reserve. Before even entering the park we sighted two elephant under a distant acacia tree. It turned out to be our only viewing of these elusive animals except for their distinct loaves of bread left everywhere on the road. Kayla would http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-442410.html Getting to Know Maun Yesterday we slept in lazed around and then caught a ride into Maun to pick up a few lunch supplies. It was fun doing some people watching in the grocery stores. We had hoped to find a bookstore for a Botswana Bird book but no such luck on a Sunday. So when the driver was ready to return to Backpackers we came too a little overwhelmed by this new and strange environment a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-442406.html Off to BotswanaWe left Heathrow after a hectic taxi drive from Camden at Leanne and Brad's home. It only took 45 minutes but the route as difficult to remember. The flight was 11 hours of not much sleep our neighbours all around in a constant fit of coughing. But no residual cold or worse so far.Then a beautiful flight in a bright turbo prop with smart looking attendants. Then we found taxi a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-442004.html Gabriel arrived at camp looking exhausted but with adrenalin still clearly pumping. He briefly confirmed what Femke had already radioed in. The two of them had spent the night with a newlyidentified pride of lion and wanted to collar the ldquomatriarchrdquo lioness as part of their research into large predator interactions. AnneLise somehow despite the early hour already brighteyed http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Moremi-Game-Reserve/blog-441201.html