Affordable Botswana - trip report Aug-Sept 08
Oct 15th, 2008, 10:59 PM
#41
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Wow, what a trip! So interesting to read about another way to see Botswana. Have not had the guts to do a selfdrive yet, but reports like this really makes me wonder if it wouldn´t be worth a try.
Really looking forward to the rest of your trip report.
Thanks,
Tom
Really looking forward to the rest of your trip report.
Thanks,
Tom
Oct 16th, 2008, 01:53 AM
#42
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I am also really enjoying this report and admire you for undertaking such a trip. It is encouraging for those of us who can't afford the typical Botswana experience. I won't give up hope of going one day.
Oct 16th, 2008, 06:40 AM
#43
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Thanks for comments, I'll prattle on a bit more ...
Why did I say wild boar before? I meant to say warthogs! Many many warthogs.
Day 11: Kasane to Ihaha campsite.
Paid our fees at the gate by credit card (had to pay separately for Chobe and pay Moremi when we got there). A note about the national parks ...
Had a lot of advice about how to get campsites, (partic thanks to luangwablondes) this is our experience of getting reservations. Agents in either UK or Botswana didn’t want to know unless you booked something else with them (ie expensive lodges), they admitted there was simply no money in it for them – OK, understandable. So better to phone (don’t email) Botswana National Parks offices and take whatever they offer, and keep trying because people don’t always confirm their provisional bookings. They are very helpful. We took what reservations they had and worked the rest of our holiday around that. You only have to pay the approx 9 dollars per night camping fee in advance. We initially reserved 2 nights at Ihaha and one night Savuti at the first attempt 3 months before we left, then a further 2 nights at South Gate 1 month before departure. When we got to our first entrance gate in Moremi (North Gate) we had no problems swapping our reservations at South Gate for different camps - one night at North Gate, one at Xakanaxa and then we even asked to stay an additional night at Xakanaxa and it was no problem. I think it was an advantage to have reservations of some kind, it seemed to be a ‘passport’, maybe it would be more of a problem if you didn’t have a reservation at all.
Chat to the staff at the park gates, they were all very friendly once you initiated a conversation, and they can tell you the condition of the roads, which diversions to use and recent game sightings in the area. Once again they wanted to know if we spoke ‘English’ English (!) and many wanted to talk football (soccer) and are very knowledgeable about the English football league. Another thing about the parks in Moremi – they are all getting a makeover, shiny new ablution blocks and entrance gates, it’s all going to look very nice (but hope it doesn’t mean increased park fees like Namibia). We did see the report of bush fires spreading near to the new buildings at South Gate, hope it’s under control.
Back to the trip - not far to Ihaha from Kasane, (40 km) so it was a leisurely game drive round all the loops to get there. Stunning game viewing again, lots of elephants and more of what we’d seen the first day (except for lion, there would be no more lion sightings until the last day in the park, and that was definitely worth waiting for !)
Ihaha: A lovely spot to camp, looking out across the Okavango, one of our favourite campsites. Had hardly set up camp when an inquisitive warthog came to visit. Came right up and looked at us expectantly – he must have been fed by campers at some point – but trotted off calmly when he didn’t get anything. We were just getting into bed when 3 buffalo came along and decided to sleep under the tree next to us, which made night-time trips to the ablutions a bit difficult. They were still there next morning, but as daylight broke they had a good scratch on the stone table and wandered off. The Namibian fishermen in mokoros were in the river opposite early evening and at night which was an evocative sight, and we saw a few camp fires across the water. We’d been told to lock all car doors at night because there had been thefts at that campsite, you can see how easy it would be to get to the campsite by boat. Very very windy during the night, we thought the tent would blow away, and we didn’t get much sleep.
Day 12: Game drive around the area, roads still not too bad, got sandier the nearer to Ngoma Gate we drove, but manageable. For some reason after the feast of the days before it was famine on the game front - maybe because it was still windy and they’d had a bad night like us! Strange how we literally couldn’t move for elephants the previous day and could hardly find one the day after. In some ways, when you can’t see any of the ‘big’ animals it forces you to look at everything else around you, we spent a while watching the zebras, interesting watching the interaction - lots of bickering going on there. If you park up and stay a while in one place what seems like empty bush comes to life – we took more notice of the birds, a mongoose family popped up, a monitor lizard moved off just a few feet from us and we’d never spotted him when he wasn’t moving, even watching baboons (not my favourite animal) was interesting. We came across a baboon eating a guinea-fowl which he appeared to have stolen from an eagle - we didn’t see the action unfortunately but the eagle was hopping mad and kept trying to pinch a bit back. We were rewarded in the end by finding some baby ellies having a mud bath. The wind calmed down at night so a more peaceful night’s sleep.
Next morning we packed up and put our rubbish in the cage provided, locked it with an iron bolt, bound it up with wire and turned it opening-down to deter the baboons. No chance, one sauntered over, rolled the cage over until it found the opening, opened the bolt, undid the wire and got his reward, these things are seriously intelligent when it comes to getting food, but this one was not at all aggressive, not like the famous Third Bridge baboons which we’d meet later.
Some pics of Ihaha and our campsite visitors on the acco photos.
Coming next: Ihaha to Savuti.
Why did I say wild boar before? I meant to say warthogs! Many many warthogs.
Day 11: Kasane to Ihaha campsite.
Paid our fees at the gate by credit card (had to pay separately for Chobe and pay Moremi when we got there). A note about the national parks ...
Had a lot of advice about how to get campsites, (partic thanks to luangwablondes) this is our experience of getting reservations. Agents in either UK or Botswana didn’t want to know unless you booked something else with them (ie expensive lodges), they admitted there was simply no money in it for them – OK, understandable. So better to phone (don’t email) Botswana National Parks offices and take whatever they offer, and keep trying because people don’t always confirm their provisional bookings. They are very helpful. We took what reservations they had and worked the rest of our holiday around that. You only have to pay the approx 9 dollars per night camping fee in advance. We initially reserved 2 nights at Ihaha and one night Savuti at the first attempt 3 months before we left, then a further 2 nights at South Gate 1 month before departure. When we got to our first entrance gate in Moremi (North Gate) we had no problems swapping our reservations at South Gate for different camps - one night at North Gate, one at Xakanaxa and then we even asked to stay an additional night at Xakanaxa and it was no problem. I think it was an advantage to have reservations of some kind, it seemed to be a ‘passport’, maybe it would be more of a problem if you didn’t have a reservation at all.
Chat to the staff at the park gates, they were all very friendly once you initiated a conversation, and they can tell you the condition of the roads, which diversions to use and recent game sightings in the area. Once again they wanted to know if we spoke ‘English’ English (!) and many wanted to talk football (soccer) and are very knowledgeable about the English football league. Another thing about the parks in Moremi – they are all getting a makeover, shiny new ablution blocks and entrance gates, it’s all going to look very nice (but hope it doesn’t mean increased park fees like Namibia). We did see the report of bush fires spreading near to the new buildings at South Gate, hope it’s under control.
Back to the trip - not far to Ihaha from Kasane, (40 km) so it was a leisurely game drive round all the loops to get there. Stunning game viewing again, lots of elephants and more of what we’d seen the first day (except for lion, there would be no more lion sightings until the last day in the park, and that was definitely worth waiting for !)
Ihaha: A lovely spot to camp, looking out across the Okavango, one of our favourite campsites. Had hardly set up camp when an inquisitive warthog came to visit. Came right up and looked at us expectantly – he must have been fed by campers at some point – but trotted off calmly when he didn’t get anything. We were just getting into bed when 3 buffalo came along and decided to sleep under the tree next to us, which made night-time trips to the ablutions a bit difficult. They were still there next morning, but as daylight broke they had a good scratch on the stone table and wandered off. The Namibian fishermen in mokoros were in the river opposite early evening and at night which was an evocative sight, and we saw a few camp fires across the water. We’d been told to lock all car doors at night because there had been thefts at that campsite, you can see how easy it would be to get to the campsite by boat. Very very windy during the night, we thought the tent would blow away, and we didn’t get much sleep.
Day 12: Game drive around the area, roads still not too bad, got sandier the nearer to Ngoma Gate we drove, but manageable. For some reason after the feast of the days before it was famine on the game front - maybe because it was still windy and they’d had a bad night like us! Strange how we literally couldn’t move for elephants the previous day and could hardly find one the day after. In some ways, when you can’t see any of the ‘big’ animals it forces you to look at everything else around you, we spent a while watching the zebras, interesting watching the interaction - lots of bickering going on there. If you park up and stay a while in one place what seems like empty bush comes to life – we took more notice of the birds, a mongoose family popped up, a monitor lizard moved off just a few feet from us and we’d never spotted him when he wasn’t moving, even watching baboons (not my favourite animal) was interesting. We came across a baboon eating a guinea-fowl which he appeared to have stolen from an eagle - we didn’t see the action unfortunately but the eagle was hopping mad and kept trying to pinch a bit back. We were rewarded in the end by finding some baby ellies having a mud bath. The wind calmed down at night so a more peaceful night’s sleep.
Next morning we packed up and put our rubbish in the cage provided, locked it with an iron bolt, bound it up with wire and turned it opening-down to deter the baboons. No chance, one sauntered over, rolled the cage over until it found the opening, opened the bolt, undid the wire and got his reward, these things are seriously intelligent when it comes to getting food, but this one was not at all aggressive, not like the famous Third Bridge baboons which we’d meet later.
Some pics of Ihaha and our campsite visitors on the acco photos.
Coming next: Ihaha to Savuti.
Oct 18th, 2008, 09:39 AM
#44
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Day 13: Ihaha to Savuti.
Tracks4Africa estimated a 6 and half hour drive to cover 140 km so we set off early so that we wouldn’t have to rush game sightings along the way.
When you come out of Ngoma Gate you hit a gravel track through the Chobe Forest Reserve with a few villages along the way, there’s not much to see through the Forest Reserve and we made good time to Kachikau Village. The track then gets sandier and trickier and we followed advice from the ranger on the gate to take the road signposted Linyanti and cut back to Ghoha Gate (it will make sense if you look at a map and it’s the route also advised in the Bradt Guide). It really is worth asking people you meet along the way what the track is like and what to avoid, you can save yourself a lot of trouble, and we found that 4x4-ers like nothing better than talking road conditions (as well as tyre pressures, dif locks and the like! Amateurs – arm yourself with the appropriate vocabulary if you want to join in the conversation!!)
At Ghoha Gate they asked us if we’d passed any bush fires (we hadn’t), the sun was almost obscured by a smoky haze from bush fires, but they didn’t know exactly where the smoke was coming from.
It was only another 30 km from Ghoha Gate to Savuti camp site so we congratulated ourselves on making good time and were looking forward to an afternoon’s game viewing round Savuti. Mistake! About half way there a slight error on the part of the driver (the one who said ‘it’s not so difficult’ and ‘don’t know what the fuss is about’) meant we got stuck in a particularly deep bit of sand. Easily done, as we found out later that many people got stuck here. We set about the task of getting out with good humour, each saying that it had to happen at some point and we were confident we knew what to do, had all the tools, had even got the tools out from under all the luggage ready for such an eventuality! One wheel in particular was in a deep hole so we jacked it up, handy hint - make sure your kitchen kit had a sturdy chopping board for such occasions to rest the jack on so it doesn't just sink into the sand, then put sticks down, freed the sand from under the chassis then had a go at getting out – big mistake, we just dug the other wheels deeper in. Well we learned the hard way that it’s worth jacking up all 4 wheels and doing it properly the first time. 3 hours later things were not so jolly, we were hot and dirty with sand where you can’t mention and more familiar with the underside of a Toyota than I ever want to be again. We’d given up all pretence of keeping a look out for wild beasts and got attacked instead by a swarm of bees – what was that about, attracted by the sweat? Hubby got stung a couple of times and I’m ashamed to say that the ‘doom’ had to come out because it got a bit frightening when they were buzzing round your head, quite silly when you think of all the things with teeth we’re told to be afraid of! I’ve never been stung by a bee or a wasp in my life so it wasn’t the time to find out if I had an allergic reaction. It was getting quite late and we’d convinced each other that it wouldn’t really matter if we were stuck there all night, after all we had the tent, food and water, and we could try again first thing next morning .... but then we noticed that the sky was strangely overcast and we did get a whiff of burning vegetation and it struck us that if the bush fires came our way we might be in trouble. By the way, we hadn't seen another vehicle in at least 5 hours so it’s a good lesson that you have to be able to take control of the situation yourselves. We did get out at the next try so then just kept going until we reached Savuti camp site, by which time we’d (almost) forgotten the bad bits and were quite proud of our first real 4x4 escapade. I’m sure you hardened 4x4ers are shaking your heads in disbelief and thinking ‘what a couple of idiots’ but you’ve got to learn by experience! Hubby spent the rest of the evening trying out his story; ’.... 3 hours and then I was attacked by a lio.. an ele... a BEE!’ Hmm, that story needs a bit of work.
Savuti camp was a slight disappointment. The sand is deep and black and on this occasion the skies were dull, we didn’t even get a sunset so the place had a sad air. Our camp site wasn’t great, we were sort of stuck in the middle next to the ablution block. After our exertions we were ready for a good shower - there was plenty of warm water in the showers - and an early night so it didn’t really matter. I’d heard lots of stories about elephants and hyaenas wandering into this camp and was hoping for some action but we didn’t hear or see a thing all night.
No game viewing that day apart from elephants round the Savuti waterhole when we arrived.
Next: Savuti to North Gate along Khwai river
Tracks4Africa estimated a 6 and half hour drive to cover 140 km so we set off early so that we wouldn’t have to rush game sightings along the way.
When you come out of Ngoma Gate you hit a gravel track through the Chobe Forest Reserve with a few villages along the way, there’s not much to see through the Forest Reserve and we made good time to Kachikau Village. The track then gets sandier and trickier and we followed advice from the ranger on the gate to take the road signposted Linyanti and cut back to Ghoha Gate (it will make sense if you look at a map and it’s the route also advised in the Bradt Guide). It really is worth asking people you meet along the way what the track is like and what to avoid, you can save yourself a lot of trouble, and we found that 4x4-ers like nothing better than talking road conditions (as well as tyre pressures, dif locks and the like! Amateurs – arm yourself with the appropriate vocabulary if you want to join in the conversation!!)
At Ghoha Gate they asked us if we’d passed any bush fires (we hadn’t), the sun was almost obscured by a smoky haze from bush fires, but they didn’t know exactly where the smoke was coming from.
It was only another 30 km from Ghoha Gate to Savuti camp site so we congratulated ourselves on making good time and were looking forward to an afternoon’s game viewing round Savuti. Mistake! About half way there a slight error on the part of the driver (the one who said ‘it’s not so difficult’ and ‘don’t know what the fuss is about’) meant we got stuck in a particularly deep bit of sand. Easily done, as we found out later that many people got stuck here. We set about the task of getting out with good humour, each saying that it had to happen at some point and we were confident we knew what to do, had all the tools, had even got the tools out from under all the luggage ready for such an eventuality! One wheel in particular was in a deep hole so we jacked it up, handy hint - make sure your kitchen kit had a sturdy chopping board for such occasions to rest the jack on so it doesn't just sink into the sand, then put sticks down, freed the sand from under the chassis then had a go at getting out – big mistake, we just dug the other wheels deeper in. Well we learned the hard way that it’s worth jacking up all 4 wheels and doing it properly the first time. 3 hours later things were not so jolly, we were hot and dirty with sand where you can’t mention and more familiar with the underside of a Toyota than I ever want to be again. We’d given up all pretence of keeping a look out for wild beasts and got attacked instead by a swarm of bees – what was that about, attracted by the sweat? Hubby got stung a couple of times and I’m ashamed to say that the ‘doom’ had to come out because it got a bit frightening when they were buzzing round your head, quite silly when you think of all the things with teeth we’re told to be afraid of! I’ve never been stung by a bee or a wasp in my life so it wasn’t the time to find out if I had an allergic reaction. It was getting quite late and we’d convinced each other that it wouldn’t really matter if we were stuck there all night, after all we had the tent, food and water, and we could try again first thing next morning .... but then we noticed that the sky was strangely overcast and we did get a whiff of burning vegetation and it struck us that if the bush fires came our way we might be in trouble. By the way, we hadn't seen another vehicle in at least 5 hours so it’s a good lesson that you have to be able to take control of the situation yourselves. We did get out at the next try so then just kept going until we reached Savuti camp site, by which time we’d (almost) forgotten the bad bits and were quite proud of our first real 4x4 escapade. I’m sure you hardened 4x4ers are shaking your heads in disbelief and thinking ‘what a couple of idiots’ but you’ve got to learn by experience! Hubby spent the rest of the evening trying out his story; ’.... 3 hours and then I was attacked by a lio.. an ele... a BEE!’ Hmm, that story needs a bit of work.
Savuti camp was a slight disappointment. The sand is deep and black and on this occasion the skies were dull, we didn’t even get a sunset so the place had a sad air. Our camp site wasn’t great, we were sort of stuck in the middle next to the ablution block. After our exertions we were ready for a good shower - there was plenty of warm water in the showers - and an early night so it didn’t really matter. I’d heard lots of stories about elephants and hyaenas wandering into this camp and was hoping for some action but we didn’t hear or see a thing all night.
No game viewing that day apart from elephants round the Savuti waterhole when we arrived.
Next: Savuti to North Gate along Khwai river
Oct 18th, 2008, 11:20 AM
#45
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I loved your photos! thanks for sharing. Great close-ups and such variety. Great job! www.pbase.com/pattyroth
Oct 28th, 2008, 07:55 AM
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Sorry for delay in posting next episode, been away and then spending a bit of time revisiting my photos and I’ve put them in more of chronological order of sightings so that if you follow the trip report you can associate the sightings with the report. Now let’s get this straight, I know they are in the 99% mediocre category, I don’t need the experts to tell me that, yes there is the mandatory lion’s head (don’t you detractors remember the excitement of seeing a magnificent male lion for the first time, never mind get close enough to get a photo?) I don’t want OOHs and AHHHs thank you very much, and I have no idea how my monitor is calibrated (!) but I do think it’s nice for someone who is interested in the trip to see what you can see along the way, and even a mediocre photographer can get a couple of reasonable shots. I’ve done a bit of fiddling with a photo editing package, I personally like printing some of the elephant pics in b&w, and the lions in sepia. I should add that I used a Canon 450D and 75-300mm zoom lens.
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?...localeid=en_GB
Can anyone confirm the antelope in no. 58? It looks like a roan but is more light coloured compared to the no. 57. And the eagle in no. 33?
Lynn (atravelynn)...an apology to you, since you are the only one to mention the ‘baby antelope nursing’ photo in the original set, it was my feeble attempt at a joke following on from your brilliant puquin photo, I thought it might provoke a few suggestions but the joke fell rather flat! It was actually a red deer from our local park, I do hope you’ll forgive me, I appreciate that you made the effort to actually look!
Now, where were we …?
Day 14: Savuti to North Gate along Khwai river
Next day we were in a bit of a quandary, we had a booking at South Gate, (Savuti to South Gate 160km, estimated time 7.5 hours) and at this point we were not sure how flexible the parks office would be in letting us stay in an alternative camp. Also we had a notorious stretch of road to drive, the subject of much discussion and research; whether to drive the Marsh Road or the Sand Ridge Road to reach North Gate. As this was billed as THE most difficult bit of road in the reserve, and we’d had enough trouble on the previous bit, we reluctantly decided we should tackle this sooner rather than later even though it meant not spending as much time round Savuti and the Savuti marsh as we had hoped. The sky was quite dull again, and some other campers said that the game had been disappointing round there. (I’ve since read pixelpower’s report on the same area at approx the same time and they didn’t see much with a guide either, so that makes me feel a bit better about our decision)
We got through the Sand Ridge Road without incident, (and got our confidence back!), it was difficult in parts but you just have to keep your foot down and keep going through the sandy bits. Not good conditions for game viewing because you do have to concentrate on the road. Very narrow in some of the sandiest parts, I’m not sure what would have happened if we’d met another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Quite flat landscape, mostly mopane trees and grassland. One far-off sight of leopard legs dangling from tree but couldn’t get close, very frustrating.
Once out of Mahabe South gate we were on the north side of the Khwai River, and this is where it got interesting. It’s a beautiful drive, the water levels were still quite high and the track was very near the water sometimes, and disappeared into it at others. The first few times we had to cross the water it looked shallow enough not to cause a problem and we could see that others had gone before so we just went for it. Then we got to what looked like a very deep bit and didn’t think we’d get across it, and I wasn’t about to wade in to see how deep it was, so we followed some other tracks trying to find an alternative route, but they always ended up facing the water. This is where the trackback on the GPS came in useful, because the river or river inlets/ponds/overflows didn’t follow a straight line, so we were sometimes practically going round in circles and the trees were quite thick so you could easily get disoriented. To be honest you probably wouldn’t get lost for long but it’s a confidence-booster. After about half an hour of this we tracked back to where we started and found a Wilderness Safaris vehicle seriously stuck in the crossing we’d avoided –water up to the top of the wheels, so it CAN happen to the experts too! We tried to help and used our tow-rope, which broke at the first attempt, but then a heavier supply vehicle came along and pulled them out without much trouble. They also showed us another place to cross, which we’d dismissed at first look, and although it was quite deep it was solid under the wheels so we got thorough OK. We met 2 other drivers who’d got stuck in this bit, so we were lucky here. The only advice I would give any novices here would be to hang around for a bit, if you have time, and at least do the crossing with 2 vehicles so you can help each other if necessary – there’s not always going to be another vehicle around but in my opinion it would be worth waiting a while and at least enjoy the scenery! The locals also said that the water levels change dramatically from day to day, so what is impassable one day might not be the next, and vice versa – so again, it’s worth asking around if anyone has done that route before you drive it.
No long before we got to Khwai village we found the track difficult to follow again, this time because we reached an open area where the ground was hard, dry and flat and had been well-driven so it was difficult to find the ‘main’ track. After a few dead ends we drove over a marshy area without incident (but expecting to fall into a watery channel at any time) and luckily discovered the track on the other side.
Game viewing around the Khwai River was fantastic. Honey badger having a mud bath, tsessebe, roan (I think, it’s the photo on the slideshow after ‘roan (?)’ if that was indeed a roan then is the next photo roan too? - it seems very light coloured/blonde compared to others we’d seen), hippo, large herd of buffalo, giraffe, hyaenas sleeping under a tree, and lots of elephants, we stayed quite a while by the river to watch them – I always love the sight of a herd speeding up as they approach the river for that first drink.
When we got to North Gate we paid the fees for the Moremi section, had to pay cash here, so be prepared, although they take U$ dollars, rand and Sterling at a fair exchange rate. We asked if we could stay there instead of driving to South Gate and it was no problem. We crossed the famous rickety log bridge over the River Khwai into Moremi – the campsite was just by the bridge but we still had plenty of time for a drive so drove to Hippo Pool, where you can get out of the car and into a hide over the lagoon – plenty of hippos and birdlife- nice to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet outside after bumping along in the car for a while.
Back at camp we found the baboons a real problem. We had the tailgate of the car down while we prepared the fire at dusk – a huge baboon jumped on the back and tried to steal a 10kilo bag of potatoes – could he read the writing on the bag, because it wasn’t open?! A few potatoes dropped out and he ran off with them. Judging from yells and shouts coming from elsewhere in the camp as he rampaged through we decided then to wait until after dark to start preparing food. I had picked up a potato which had rolled under the car and put it on the table while we sat and had a drink. Suddenly a snarling hairy shape landed on the metal table between us, and we were sitting only 3 feet apart, you can imagine how much noise it made, sending glasses and plates flying. I was head height with the teeth of this creature as it snarled and then ran off with his prize potato, completely fearless of humans. I was really quite shaken. I missed the slingshot tip before we went, just read about it on our return (apparently just the sight of one will send them off in fright) and tried the toy snake ploy instead, which the baboon promptly sat on.
We had many visitors in the night, which was interesting. The hippos had made their presence known early on with loud grunting, and then came out for a night-time graze right next to us. A couple of elephants wandered right past the car/tent, I only heard them because of the breaking branches as they munched, and peeked out to see a wall of grey. I was just about to pop out for a night-time stroll (!!) when a HUGE hyaena walked past and investigated the campfire, strange how the urge can disappear after that (the huge hyaena turned out to be a baby when the rather shaky and off-centre photo was developed, but it was a ‘point and shoot in the dark’ shot)! The baboons woke us up next morning bouncing about on the car, so we didn’t even bother with breakfast, too much aggravation.
Next day - North Gate to Xakanaxa, our favourite campsite
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?...localeid=en_GB
Can anyone confirm the antelope in no. 58? It looks like a roan but is more light coloured compared to the no. 57. And the eagle in no. 33?
Lynn (atravelynn)...an apology to you, since you are the only one to mention the ‘baby antelope nursing’ photo in the original set, it was my feeble attempt at a joke following on from your brilliant puquin photo, I thought it might provoke a few suggestions but the joke fell rather flat! It was actually a red deer from our local park, I do hope you’ll forgive me, I appreciate that you made the effort to actually look!
Now, where were we …?
Day 14: Savuti to North Gate along Khwai river
Next day we were in a bit of a quandary, we had a booking at South Gate, (Savuti to South Gate 160km, estimated time 7.5 hours) and at this point we were not sure how flexible the parks office would be in letting us stay in an alternative camp. Also we had a notorious stretch of road to drive, the subject of much discussion and research; whether to drive the Marsh Road or the Sand Ridge Road to reach North Gate. As this was billed as THE most difficult bit of road in the reserve, and we’d had enough trouble on the previous bit, we reluctantly decided we should tackle this sooner rather than later even though it meant not spending as much time round Savuti and the Savuti marsh as we had hoped. The sky was quite dull again, and some other campers said that the game had been disappointing round there. (I’ve since read pixelpower’s report on the same area at approx the same time and they didn’t see much with a guide either, so that makes me feel a bit better about our decision)
We got through the Sand Ridge Road without incident, (and got our confidence back!), it was difficult in parts but you just have to keep your foot down and keep going through the sandy bits. Not good conditions for game viewing because you do have to concentrate on the road. Very narrow in some of the sandiest parts, I’m not sure what would have happened if we’d met another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Quite flat landscape, mostly mopane trees and grassland. One far-off sight of leopard legs dangling from tree but couldn’t get close, very frustrating.
Once out of Mahabe South gate we were on the north side of the Khwai River, and this is where it got interesting. It’s a beautiful drive, the water levels were still quite high and the track was very near the water sometimes, and disappeared into it at others. The first few times we had to cross the water it looked shallow enough not to cause a problem and we could see that others had gone before so we just went for it. Then we got to what looked like a very deep bit and didn’t think we’d get across it, and I wasn’t about to wade in to see how deep it was, so we followed some other tracks trying to find an alternative route, but they always ended up facing the water. This is where the trackback on the GPS came in useful, because the river or river inlets/ponds/overflows didn’t follow a straight line, so we were sometimes practically going round in circles and the trees were quite thick so you could easily get disoriented. To be honest you probably wouldn’t get lost for long but it’s a confidence-booster. After about half an hour of this we tracked back to where we started and found a Wilderness Safaris vehicle seriously stuck in the crossing we’d avoided –water up to the top of the wheels, so it CAN happen to the experts too! We tried to help and used our tow-rope, which broke at the first attempt, but then a heavier supply vehicle came along and pulled them out without much trouble. They also showed us another place to cross, which we’d dismissed at first look, and although it was quite deep it was solid under the wheels so we got thorough OK. We met 2 other drivers who’d got stuck in this bit, so we were lucky here. The only advice I would give any novices here would be to hang around for a bit, if you have time, and at least do the crossing with 2 vehicles so you can help each other if necessary – there’s not always going to be another vehicle around but in my opinion it would be worth waiting a while and at least enjoy the scenery! The locals also said that the water levels change dramatically from day to day, so what is impassable one day might not be the next, and vice versa – so again, it’s worth asking around if anyone has done that route before you drive it.
No long before we got to Khwai village we found the track difficult to follow again, this time because we reached an open area where the ground was hard, dry and flat and had been well-driven so it was difficult to find the ‘main’ track. After a few dead ends we drove over a marshy area without incident (but expecting to fall into a watery channel at any time) and luckily discovered the track on the other side.
Game viewing around the Khwai River was fantastic. Honey badger having a mud bath, tsessebe, roan (I think, it’s the photo on the slideshow after ‘roan (?)’ if that was indeed a roan then is the next photo roan too? - it seems very light coloured/blonde compared to others we’d seen), hippo, large herd of buffalo, giraffe, hyaenas sleeping under a tree, and lots of elephants, we stayed quite a while by the river to watch them – I always love the sight of a herd speeding up as they approach the river for that first drink.
When we got to North Gate we paid the fees for the Moremi section, had to pay cash here, so be prepared, although they take U$ dollars, rand and Sterling at a fair exchange rate. We asked if we could stay there instead of driving to South Gate and it was no problem. We crossed the famous rickety log bridge over the River Khwai into Moremi – the campsite was just by the bridge but we still had plenty of time for a drive so drove to Hippo Pool, where you can get out of the car and into a hide over the lagoon – plenty of hippos and birdlife- nice to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet outside after bumping along in the car for a while.
Back at camp we found the baboons a real problem. We had the tailgate of the car down while we prepared the fire at dusk – a huge baboon jumped on the back and tried to steal a 10kilo bag of potatoes – could he read the writing on the bag, because it wasn’t open?! A few potatoes dropped out and he ran off with them. Judging from yells and shouts coming from elsewhere in the camp as he rampaged through we decided then to wait until after dark to start preparing food. I had picked up a potato which had rolled under the car and put it on the table while we sat and had a drink. Suddenly a snarling hairy shape landed on the metal table between us, and we were sitting only 3 feet apart, you can imagine how much noise it made, sending glasses and plates flying. I was head height with the teeth of this creature as it snarled and then ran off with his prize potato, completely fearless of humans. I was really quite shaken. I missed the slingshot tip before we went, just read about it on our return (apparently just the sight of one will send them off in fright) and tried the toy snake ploy instead, which the baboon promptly sat on.
We had many visitors in the night, which was interesting. The hippos had made their presence known early on with loud grunting, and then came out for a night-time graze right next to us. A couple of elephants wandered right past the car/tent, I only heard them because of the breaking branches as they munched, and peeked out to see a wall of grey. I was just about to pop out for a night-time stroll (!!) when a HUGE hyaena walked past and investigated the campfire, strange how the urge can disappear after that (the huge hyaena turned out to be a baby when the rather shaky and off-centre photo was developed, but it was a ‘point and shoot in the dark’ shot)! The baboons woke us up next morning bouncing about on the car, so we didn’t even bother with breakfast, too much aggravation.
Next day - North Gate to Xakanaxa, our favourite campsite
Oct 28th, 2008, 08:37 AM
#49
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Great pictures!
I think the antelope in #58 is a subadult roan, looks like the one in this link http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Imag..._equinus2.html
Can't help much with the eagle on #33, though I would guess it's a tawny eagle
the one in #21 definitely looks like a marabou stork
I think the antelope in #58 is a subadult roan, looks like the one in this link http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Imag..._equinus2.html
Can't help much with the eagle on #33, though I would guess it's a tawny eagle
the one in #21 definitely looks like a marabou stork
Oct 28th, 2008, 12:39 PM
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Loved your photos. They really are excellent. Would imagine you will enlarge and frame some. (I did that after our trip last year.) Thanks for posting them. I never get tired of admiring such great work! www.pbase.com/pattyroth
Oct 28th, 2008, 05:22 PM
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pattyroth
You have a great range of locations and colourful photos there. I do choose my own favourites and print a calendar every year so that I'm reminded of special sightings/locations.
You have a great range of locations and colourful photos there. I do choose my own favourites and print a calendar every year so that I'm reminded of special sightings/locations.
Oct 29th, 2008, 04:00 AM
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Finally caught up. So no luck in Savuti either eh? Well, in our case Moremi/Khwai made up for that. I hope for you too. Can't wait for the Xakanaxa part.
By the way #57 and 58 are definitely roan, and 33 is a tawny I think.
Also; I think we passed the campsite that you described. It was very near to the gate right? We could see straight away that the baboons were going to be a problem. Another thing we noticed is that the shower building was quite far away. Walking to and from that building seemed quite a risk to us, certainly when done not in full daylight...
Ciao,
J.
By the way #57 and 58 are definitely roan, and 33 is a tawny I think.
Also; I think we passed the campsite that you described. It was very near to the gate right? We could see straight away that the baboons were going to be a problem. Another thing we noticed is that the shower building was quite far away. Walking to and from that building seemed quite a risk to us, certainly when done not in full daylight...
Ciao,
J.
Oct 29th, 2008, 05:57 AM
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I am really enjoying your post - so many of the same experiences that we enjoyed about the same time. Your photos are great - makes me want to go back. We too found Savuti dissapointing and left a day early. Keep it coming! Robin
Oct 29th, 2008, 06:08 AM
#56
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Looks like a roan to me, as well.
I know this because I did lots of research because I mistakenly thought my roan were something else.
You'll see my 3 roan 1/4 thru my botswana/zimbabwe pics.
Mine were also seen while in Selinda but in the northern reaches.
There wasn't much there or around Savuti - too much water.
I know this because I did lots of research because I mistakenly thought my roan were something else.
You'll see my 3 roan 1/4 thru my botswana/zimbabwe pics.
Mine were also seen while in Selinda but in the northern reaches.
There wasn't much there or around Savuti - too much water.
Oct 30th, 2008, 11:22 AM
#57
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Hi Lisa! Just thought I'd let you know that I have started posting my report under the thread "Self-drive: Nxai Pan, Moremi and Chobe - August 2008"
I am so enjoying your post - it is so interesting to read your perspective of the trip we took. Robin
I am so enjoying your post - it is so interesting to read your perspective of the trip we took. Robin
Oct 30th, 2008, 12:23 PM
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Thanks for all the roan clarifications!
Looks like Savuti hasn't got many votes in this period ... anyone had better experiences? I went to a talk on African wildlife by the photographer Andy Rouse last night (some beautiful photos, but I don't want to get drawn into a subject which seems to court controversy on this forum) and he recommended the Khwai river area as one of the top photography spots in Botswana - I have to say again that we thought it was much better than Savuti, though I appreciate that sightings can change day to day.
I think I said before that we made sure we had some time in Maun to go to the parks offices a) to try and add more bookings and b) because we hadn't received a paper copy of our reservations confirmations before we left home - well we got our letter of confirmation today for August, in a envelope boldly stating 'On Botswana Government Service' - we did think it might be a speeding fine!
Xakanaxa and Moremi next up - leopards, lions & cheetah
Looks like Savuti hasn't got many votes in this period ... anyone had better experiences? I went to a talk on African wildlife by the photographer Andy Rouse last night (some beautiful photos, but I don't want to get drawn into a subject which seems to court controversy on this forum) and he recommended the Khwai river area as one of the top photography spots in Botswana - I have to say again that we thought it was much better than Savuti, though I appreciate that sightings can change day to day.
I think I said before that we made sure we had some time in Maun to go to the parks offices a) to try and add more bookings and b) because we hadn't received a paper copy of our reservations confirmations before we left home - well we got our letter of confirmation today for August, in a envelope boldly stating 'On Botswana Government Service' - we did think it might be a speeding fine!
Xakanaxa and Moremi next up - leopards, lions & cheetah
Oct 30th, 2008, 03:16 PM
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We found the Khwai River valley to be very beautiful - it was one of our favourite areas - and we certainly did very well there in terms of sightings.
I might have thought your envelope was a speeding ticket too except that I remember reading on this forum about someone who received the same envelope from the parks people - their postman was so impressed that he rang the doorbell and handed it to the Fodorite in person - said he thought it looked too important to leave in the mailbox!
I might have thought your envelope was a speeding ticket too except that I remember reading on this forum about someone who received the same envelope from the parks people - their postman was so impressed that he rang the doorbell and handed it to the Fodorite in person - said he thought it looked too important to leave in the mailbox!
Oct 30th, 2008, 03:39 PM
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I've just arrived at Savuti.
How funny I'd be the one to pick up on your photographic response to the puquin.
So you spent the night in the vehicle after the car broke down and you were attacked by bees. The skies darken and brush fires are looming. It must have been a night of fitful sleep!
How funny I'd be the one to pick up on your photographic response to the puquin.
So you spent the night in the vehicle after the car broke down and you were attacked by bees. The skies darken and brush fires are looming. It must have been a night of fitful sleep!
