Botswana Wild Day 16 - Oct 13

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Savute Marsh and Bushman Paintings

Up and away for a morning game drive at 6:30 AM. for a complete circuit of Savute Marsh, once a wet marsh but since 1981 a dry grassy plain. We visited two man-made 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 black-backed jackal and hyena were waiting their turn, clearly wary of the elephants. Finally the jackal inched his way down for a drink, but the hyena wouldn't brave it, and when we drove away he still hadn't had a drink.

The dry marsh provided viewing of Secretary birds and Ostrich, but other than that, there was little game here. Just not enough water. Somewhat cooler temperatures today, probably just under 40 at its peak. The big bull elephants were very entertaining. At one point we saw a bull asleep, leaning against a tree in the shade. Elephants can't lie down for any length of time because their organs would get crushed by sheer weight, so they will lean against a tree for rest.

TYPICAL DAY ON SAFARI
Our usual pattern went something like this, depending on whether we were moving camp or staying another night:

* Rise at 5:00 or 5:30 am (some of our group preferred the latter, to get more sleep). The staff woke us up and delivered basins of warm water for washing up.
* Cold breakfast - cereal, yogourt, fresh fruit, juice, toast & Ouma bars (you had to be there to appreciate these, but they were GOOD, especially dunked in coffee)
* Leave camp just after sunrise at 6:00 or 6:30 am
* Game drive, moving very slowly right out of camp.
* Chris always spotted the game before we did. Stop for photographs or game/bird watching. Move on.
* Coffee break around 10:00 am on the road
* More game/bird spotting, photographs or just stopping to watch & listen. Our group learned to be very quiet and Chris turned off the engine every time we stopped. It was quite magical when all we heard were the sounds of nature.
* Back in camp around 2:00 for lunch, or else lunch on the road. Either way this was a substantial meal.
* Rest, showers, laundry, reading, or anything else in the shade to avoid the intense heat of the day
* Leave at 4:00 pm for afternoon/evening game drive
* Sundowners at sunset on the road somewhere
* Back in camp at around 7:00 or 7:30 pm for dinner
* To bed at around 10:00 pm (later for the night owls)

Kayla was particularly happy about this schedule because the best photography light is in early morning or early evening just as the sun is about to set. She didn't even mind the early rise time, which for those who know her, would be a big surprise, since she is normally NOT a morning person.

Before going out again, we celebrated Howard's 71st (we think) birthday with a cake baked to perfection in the bush oven.

As usual, we climbed aboard the truck at 4:00 pm that day for a second game drive. We were headed for a small rocky hill where Bushman paintings were on the rocks when another safari group told us they had seen a leopard coming down from the very hill we were going to see. So off we went in the direction of the last sighting. Chris drove up the dry Savute river bed then along the ridge above the river bed looking. After going back and forth, we were at last rewarded with a brief glimpse as the leopard was on the move way off in the bush, harassed by Guinea Foul in the rear.

If the Parks would allow tracking on foot we could have followed it more closely off road, but as it stands right now, no one is allowed out of the vehicles to track animals in the National Parks. We could see the reasoning behind this, as we had already observed quite a few irresponsible self-drive people who would likely spoil it for everyone else. When self-drives are no longer allowed, the parks might relax their rules about on-foot tracking. Kayla and a few others zoomed in and snapped a photograph of this most elusive animal.

We returned to the rocky hill and climbed up to see the Bushman Paintings. Sunset was at a nearby huge Baobob tree where we took a group picture - 11 tourists shoulder to shoulder just covered the tree diameter. Richard paced the circumference and heard a colony on bees buzzing in the trunk on the back side. African Killer Bees? We didn't stay around to find out. Good thing this was after sunset.

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Photos

Elephants at Water Hole
Black backed jackal down in for his drink.

Hyena Hesitating
He never did get his drink while we were there.

Black breasted ??
I am hoping our bird lovers will refresh our memory on this one.

Typical Sandy Track
Savute is deep sand.