Botswana Holidays - Take More Than Just a Walk on the Wild Side

by Charles Duncombe
(UK)

The resident warthog relaxing at Chobe Safari Lodge :-)

When you ask people to talk about Botswana most will probably mention great safaris. However if you delve deeper and ask what makes Botswana's safaris so good you will probably start to get blank looks. I was therefore delighted to experience a Botswana safari for myself and now I am able to tell you why I can highly recommend a safari holiday to Botswana.......

Prior to my trip I knew that Botswana is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa. Since it gained independence in 1966 it has enjoyed a constant civilian government and stable economic growth. This makes it one of the safest African countries to travel to. The main threat is HIV which most tourists should not encounter if they practice common sense.

Botswana's location is also highly favorable. With Botswana being so close to Victoria Falls it is very easy to combine the two during a trip. I stayed at Victoria falls for a few days and then took a jeep to Botswana.

(sunset at the Victoria Falls)

Victoria Falls can be enjoyed in the wet season (late winter/ early spring) where the volume of water is breathtaking or in the dry season where you can walk across the top of them. Make sure you get your timings right though as walking across the falls in wet season would be a little tricky!

After a few days in Victoria Falls enjoying white water rafting, elephant ride safaris and even a bungee jump we got in our jeep to Botswana. We stayed at the Chobe Safari Lodge which is just a few hours ride from Victoria falls.

We could have traveled by light aircraft in a fraction of the time but to be honest the jeep was a great choice as we managed to get close to animals along the way including giraffes, elephants and baboons. I wasn't completely familiar with the Botswana highway code but I learnt pretty quickly that a herd of 5 ton elephants generally take priority when they are crossing the road!



We arrived at Chobe Safari Lodge and were driven up to the impressive looking reception with its high thatched roof. While others checked in I couldn't resist a little "nosy around". I turned the corner and had the fright of my life as I came face to face with a fully grown warthog bristling with tusks! I have had some welcomes from some grumpy looking hotel residents in the past but this topped the lot! As I backed away gently trying not to make eye contact (I knew my hours of watching the discovery channel were going to come in useful at last) someone tapped me on the shoulder. Half expecting it to be some other wild creature I was relieved to see it was one of the staff members who explained that the warthog was a guest at the hotel and was perfectly friendly!

We checked into our room and our encounter with nature continued as no sooner had we unpacked our things a troop of monkeys jumped across our balcony and into the trees. I couldn't believe that I could have got close to so many exotic animals without having even unpacked my toothbrush!

After we unpacked we relaxed in the bar with a few drinks. Our host told us that the big advantage of staying in Chobe and at the Chobe Safari Lodge in particular was the fact that it is on the banks of the Chobe river. This means that you can enjoy a traditional land safari in the early morning (when most of the animals hunt) and then a river safari in the afternoon.

Also being by a river means that in the dry season a lot of wildlife gathers in the same area. This means it's easier to find. It also means that tourists with a more violent disposition get to see more action!



As it was getting late we retired to bed ready for an early start in the morning.

Our room was opposite the river and so I awoke to the sounds of river birds and the occasional hippo yawn!

We all gathered at reception and got in two tier safari jeeps ready to adventure into the depths of the Chobe national park. I noticed straight away that the sides to the vehicles were not enclosed and so there was only going to be fresh air between by left arm and some of Africa's most fearsome predators. I frantically washed my hands to make sure there wasn't any lingering smell from that warthog the day before!

Apparently as long as you stay in the jeep and sit down the animals treat the jeep and all its passengers as one large, inedible, noisy, smelly animal and so you are safe. They are used to a certain silhouette and so it only gets dangerous if you decide to leave the jeep or if you start to stand up.

We drove out of camp and set off for the national park. After around 15 minutes we arrived, went through the gates and the hunt was on......

I almost expected to see sprawling savannah for hundreds of miles and thousands of wildebeest peppering it. However this area of Chobe is a little different. It surrounds the river and so it is usually lush (especially in wet season) with lots of bushes and trees. This means you weave in and out on dirt tracks and when you encounter wildlife it is usually quite close quite quickly. We had a nice surprise as we turned a corner and saw an elderly water buffalo minding its own business.



Around the next corner was a herd of impala with ears and noses twitching.



The dirt tracks were quite deep and sandy and so barrelling around in our jeep was good fun in itself. Our guide seemed to know exactly what he was doing and this was proved when we stumbled upon a pride of lions making their way through the undergrowth.



The whole pride including cubs walked past not further than 10 feet away from our jeep. They were walking with the swagger you would expect from the kings and queens of the jungle.

We didn't follow as they headed back to the bush and we set off for camp. On the way back we saw troops of baboons, giraffe and elephants.



The tour was capped off with a young bull elephant standing square on to us an flapping his large ears at us no more than 20 feet way. No doubt another bit of Botswana highway code I needed to learn!



When we got back to the lodge we relaxed by the pool as the river flowed past.

We then enjoyed a fantastic buffet lunch. I must confess I felt a little guilty at eating impala having seen so many of them a few hours earlier. It was absolutely delicious though, a very tender and succulent venison. To ease the guilt I pretended that we stole the impala from the jaws of a hungry lion.

After lunch we got ready for our river safari. I felt comfortable putting on the bright orange life jackets. Until I saw the size of the crocodiles on the river bank and thought that something a bit more camouflaged than bright orange would have been better!

We boarded a large flat bed river boat which accommodated about 20 guests.

We were transported down the winding river and I was amazed by the wildlife both in and out of the water. On the water edge I saw kingfisher, sea eagles and of course crocodiles.



And the crocodiles aren't just normal crocodiles. These things were 20 feet long and could have used the boat as a toothpick after their latest snack. They did look very sedate as they lay in the sun but our guide told us that if someone decided to go for a swim they would soon wake up!

In the river we saw a pod of hippos, elephants taking a bath and water buffalo wallowing in the reeds.

After a couple of hours exploring the various inlets of the river we returned back to the lodge.

We freshened up, relaxed in the bar and then sat down for dinner overlooking the river.



After our afternoon river safari and seeing so many crocodiles on the river bank I didn't feel quite so guilty trying crocodile for dinner. Again it was delicious..... and I resisted the joke to ask the waiters to make it snappy!

All in all the trip was superb and I can highly recommend Chobe as a great area to enjoy a safari in Botswana. I hope you can make it ... the crocodiles are ready to give you a warm welcome!

Charles Duncombe is Botswana Holidays and Safaris expert at UK travel company www.holidaysplease.co.uk