http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Botswana , North West , Okavango Delta en-us Mon, 07 Dec 09 08:54:47 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 09 08:54:47 +0000 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 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 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 Sept 2126Arrived in Maun and booked a last minute trip to the Delta for the next day. The Okavango Delta is the world largest inland delta and one of the few deltarsquos in the world that does not drain into the ocean instead all the water from the Kavango river floods a huge area of Botswana and slowly drains into the Kalahari sand. We got a great last minute deal to one of the best camp http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-440172.html Mokoro trip in the Okavango Delta Botswana and the Etosha NP NamibiaTwice now wersquove signed our lives away for the microlite flight over the Victoria Falls and now for the 3 day mokoro trip on the Okavango delta. The indemnity form that we signed for the latter said that it was an ldquoinherently dangerous activityrdquo. It crossed my mind that our travel insurance would surely exc http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-435755.html Alongside the Maasai Mara and SerengetiNgorongoro the Okavango Delta is undoubtedly one of the most famous natural wonders of Africa. It is our next destination as we cross the border into Botswana.At this time of year the delta is flooded and this yearrsquos floods are particularly high. We camp in Maun the hub of all delta activities then gear up to be poled into the delta on mokoros sm http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-429483.html August 1 2009We visited the Okavango Delta. To reach the Delta you must take an hour long bumpy truck ride to the water's edge. Then we have a three hour boat ride. The boat is called a mokoro which is a shallow hallowed out canoe pushed through the water by a poler. The poler uses a long pole to push through the shallow delta waters. The ride was nice and peaceful. We had our sleepin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-427316.html Hi EverybodyWe just returned from safari. It was fantastic There were 2 other people and our guide. We could'nt have asked for better we all got along so well. Angela from England and Danny from Australia. We had to camp enroute to Botswana which gave us a chance to get to know each other. Our first adventure was the Okavango Delta. We met up with local native guides who took us into th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-427039.html 6709Another incredibly full day I was awake around 6 a.m. already and had to make my bathroom run. The sunrise was just beginning so I threw on some clothes and went out to the patio the colors in the eastern sky were amazing. I took several pictures. Multiple birds were already calling and the Vervet monkeys were jumping all over the thick canopy of branches above the bar area. Too fas http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-416914.html 6609An extremely full day of activities although we didnrsquot know that when we startedI woke up around 5 needing my nightly bathroom run. As I got out of the tent I saw the moon setting. It was ENORMOUS A yelloworange color a giant globe sitting on the horizon as if it was pretending to be the sun. But it wasnrsquot as it was in the western sky. Just breathtaking even in my http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-416904.html Day 21 Monday11May09 JRJ Up early for another mokoro trip and two short walks. On the walks we briefly saw an Elephant in the undergrowth but it was so quick noone managed to get a photo. It's amazing how well an animal that size can hide. We also saw many different birds and some red lechwe bounding through the shallow water which was cool. Got back to island and packed up our stuff onto http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-412673.html Day 20 Sunday 10May09 JRJ Didn't have to get up until 8am but got up at 650 to see yet another amazing sunrise over the lagoon. Had brekkie and then loaded all our belongings onto speed boats. We set of from camp with our speedboat driver 'Cobra' through the narrow channels between the papyrus reeds that make up the Delta. On the way we saw a few kingfishers and a couple of crocodiles. It http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-412668.html Wow so much to update on ...We first went to Ngepi camp which reminded us of Shambala it had some crazy toilets and showers and statues and wind chimes everywhere. We stayed in a tree house on the river where there was only two ideas to the house and a mosi net to protect us from the croc's and Hippo's not sure how effective that would be we had an outdoor shower on the balony which was so li http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-383384.html Day 301 5209And it was time to hit the road again we said our goodbyes to Vicky who was finishing the trip and to the excitement of Livingstone. With a relatively smooth border crossing we stamped out of Zambia and caught a five minute ferry through 'Nomans land' to Botswana. Botswana enforces a very strict foot and mouth prevention program which involves walking through specially soaked pad http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-382586.html When we asked what time the bus passes Planet Baobab we got several different answers that amounted to 3 buses pass by anytime between 8 am and 4 pm. Alrighty then very exact times to work with We wanted a decent breakfast and didn't want to pack up in the dark so we left around 915 am and expected a long wait for the bus. We just reached the road when a gravel truck pulled up and told us t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-378109.html After leaving the tallest dunes in the world in Namibia we headed through to the Etosha Pan for some game drives and then it was off to Botswana.First we were off to the Okavango Delta for some bush camping near a beautiful swimming hole to doze off to sleep to the sound of roaring lions mokoro rides they are Botswanian canoes which are pushed along by poles in a gondala style and for game walk http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-370690.html . http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-363388.html Okay well unsurprisingly my blog blitz failed miserably... I've been back home in Owatonna for the last week mostly catching up on jet lag read sleeping. New goal finish by the time I go back to school January 5th I estimate I should need four more entries max to cover the remainder of my trip. I probably have or will see you all by then but if you still read this it will still save m http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Okavango-Delta/blog-358134.html