Mokoro Trip 1

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A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe used by the Bayei people residing in the Okavango River Delta. I’ve wanted to come here since watching Planet Earth’s documentation of the area. So cool how the hand shaped delta can flood to provide everything needed by thousands of buffalo, elephants, etc., probably millions of birds and fish species, and definitely plenty of peoples. Nowadays the mokoros are made out of fiberglass as the government no longer allows the chopping of whatever tree it was. A good thing I guess, but when I got in and the shoddy patch work started leaking in two places I was longing for some solid oak. I booked a two day one night self-catered camping trip which promptly started by an hour long drive through some of the roughest bush I had experienced yet! What a fun rollercoaster ride. Hehehe free fun! Once in the mokoro we immediately saw 7 elephants almost as big as the ones in Etosha. We rounded the corner in our push pole craft and saw 2 more juvenile bulls trying to show us their strength. A quick “Hee-aw!” and they bolted with their huge trunks between their legs. Lol…Nothing but a bunch of birds for the next 4 hours until we reached out camping destination. A nice place to hang my hammock and enjoy some shade during the hottest part of the day. And boy was it hottttt….We (and by we I mean me and the guide) set out around 4:30 for an afternoon game walk which entailed us looking at many many footprints of animals that were there 3 weeks ago… :/ But our journey’s end was to the Hippo Hole where we saw 7 hippos about 100 meters away. They make funny noises when the pop out of the water. Like a whale they blast water and air and then do what sounds like a deep laugh like the Count from Sesame Street. Its loud and surprising so the laugh is quite fitting. Jerks! Back to camp to fight the wind all night long for an early rise to do another game walk.

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