Affordable Botswana Part 2: the return trip
Aug 7th, 2009, 03:23 PM
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Affordable Botswana Part 2: the return trip
Dumela!
We’ve recently returned from another Botswana trip – (actually it was May but I’ve only just got round to doing this report!)
I’m not going to do a full report, (after all, it was mainly ‘get up, break camp, watch game, back to camp at dusk, get fire going, cook dinner, and get terrorized by some creature or other’ every day!) but I’ll give my impressions of being in Moremi in May as opposed to August/Sept, and our experience at Grassland Bushman Lodge
And a few photos:
Moremi:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...w_photos_album
Grassland Bushman Lodge :
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...w_photos_album
But why did we retrace our steps? There are so many other places to visit!
There are a few reasons why we did such a similar trip as last year.
Our initial plans to travel up into the Caprivi region were thwarted by the flooding – we could have gone that way but didn’t want to battle through mud to get anywhere.
Second plan was to go through Kgadaghadi Transfrontier Park and up through the Kalahari to Maun, but the park accommodation was booked solidly on the South African side, and arriving without a booking doesn’t seem an option there.
Last trip we drove a long way and didn’t spend as much time as we would have liked in some places (Moremi in particular) because we’d booked many places on our itinerary, and had to keep moving, this time we decided we didn’t want to do so much driving as last time, (and we’re doing a longer driving holiday later in the year) and would spend more time in any place we particularly liked, and we had just 18 days so not so long as our month-long trip last time. So third option was to see how much time we could get in Moremi and just have a simple ‘camping holiday’ …. and the more we thought about it the more we liked the idea of staying around Moremi and not trying to do too much like we usually do. Basically it was an easy option compared with planning a trip into the unknown, though we still want to visit Zambia, Zimbabwe & East Africa some time in the future. We reasoned that we’ll have plenty more opportunity to visit the other places again in future when conditions allow.
Cost also came into it, we had a limited budget this year and having been before we knew what kind of budget we could work on
We’ve also heard various rumours about privatization of Moremi & Savuti and measures to prevent self-drivers using the camps so we thought we’d better go back while we still had a chance
From recent Ngami Times:
Park fees set to rise?
It is believed the government is considering substantially raising national park fees to keep out “undesirable tourism activities.” This would, sources say, ensure the country's wildlife areas – such as the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park - did not attract too many self-drive tourists, illegal operators or mobile operators but rather adhere to the low volume, high value aspects of current national parks policy.
Yes, we are those ‘undesirables’ .
Our objectives remain the same; wilderness experience and as much wildlife as possible. And we wanted to add a different dimension to this trip so found somewhere we could go out with the Bushmen and learn more about them.
As for costings:
Car & tent + equipment rental 18 days: $US 1,600
Park, car & camping fees in Moremi (9 nights) $US 450
Other accommodation, mix of camping, guest house, hotel & lodge: (9 nights) $US 500
+ fuel, food & extras
We were lucky with camp reservations in Moremi, got 5 nights pre-booked from UK and another 4 when we arrived in Maun. We’d thought about camping on the pans but Nxai was booked out so in the end we were quite happy with the prospect of tootling round Moremi for 9 days. A reminder that you have to pay park fees in advance now, they will not accept money at the gates and will not let you through without having paid. But once in they are very flexible if you want to change sites – we had mainly South Gate bookings but spent most of our time in North Gate, Xakanaxa and Third Bridge
If we couldn’t have got any more reservations in Moremi we would have considered one of the Delta lodges. A few people have mentioned about turning up in Maun and seeing what was on offer at the Delta lodges – we found the following advertised – might give you an idea:
Kwando Safari camps April & May 2009
Nxai Pan Lodge, Tau Pan lodge & Kwara Camp & Lagoon camp: pula 1,600 pppn ($US225) (+flights)
Little Kwara & Lebala: pula 1,900 pppn ($US 267)
Kwando Safari camps June to October 2009
Nxai Pan Lodge, Tau Pan lodge & Kwara Camp & Lagoon camp, Little Kwara & Lebala: pula 2,100 pppn $US295
Mobile Safari: $US 275 pppd
Ker & Downey camps April, May, June / Nov, Dec 09
Okuti, Kanana, footsteps across the Delta : pula 1,875 pppn ($US265) (+ flights)
So, here’s a short account of the self-drive in Moremi since there are not so many self-drivers on the forum. I thought it would be most useful to point out differences between the May 09 trip and the August 08 trip, ( see ‘Affordable Botswana’ in trip reports http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ug-sept-08.cfm )
I would say there were 2 big differences:
1. The sand & dust. In August/beginning Sept the tracks were very difficult and we got stuck in deep sand a couple of times and nearly stuck many times. The sky wasn’t very clear due to many bush fires in the region. We got hot and very dirty from the dusty, sandy roads – dust got into everything – clothes and food – and we never really felt clean until we left Moremi and had a few good soaks in the bath. But all routes were passable with care. In May this year we didn’t even have to take the tyres down for sand driving, the sand was much more compact and most of the ‘main’ routes could have been done with a saloon car – this was due to recent rain which compacted the sand and made the sand roads much easier. We were actually dreading a couple of the tracks we’d driven the year before and couldn’t believe they were so easy this time round. HOWEVER there was a lot more standing water and we had to go carefully through deep puddles and some minor routes through mopane woodland were just too difficult to negotiate because you couldn’t see if a hole contained roots or rocks which might damage your (rented!) vehicle. And most disappointing of all, many of the tracks around Khwai were impassable, so we missed seeing what was our favourite area last visit, but it just wasn’t worth getting stuck when we didn’t have to go that way. The day we tried (against the advice of the park officials) we couldn’t get past a truck which was stuck in the water blocking the track.
2. The new ablutions. The joy of hot water and a hot shower in clean ablution blocks! Not to be underestimated. They were extremely clean and well maintained when we were there but the baboons were doing their best to wreck them.
Otherwise the game viewing was very similar, although we were not so lucky with the leopards & cheetah this time, which makes us realize we’ve been very lucky previously, but in compensation we did have excellent sightings of wild dogs – on our ‘wish list’. We did have some good lion encounters though, a pride of 5 spending the night in the camp at Third Bridge was an experience, and the hyaenas were as troublesome as usual trying to eat the car tyres and pinch the camp chairs. One elephant wouldn’t let our neighbours out of the ablution block for an hour one night – every time they tried to leave he herded them back in, but I’m sure he had a huge grin on his face as he ambled past us – saw it as a very good game! I have to thank luangwablondes and canadian robin for the catapult anti-baboon suggestion – it really does work, just showing the baboon leader the catapult without even using it was enough to keep them away.
Also not much difference in temperature between May and August. We did have a couple of storms with spectacular lightning displays but only at night and we’d eaten and got cleared away by then. It made for some spectacular night viewing – seeing the huge shape of an elephant suddenly illuminated by lightning only metres from the tent was amazing – then dark would descend again and you’d have no idea where he was. Next day was fine and apart from some puddles the roads were clear. The weather in Botswana has been a talking point this year – the locals were stunned when it rained when we were there in May, and even more so when it rained heavily in June too.
If anyone wants more information about Moremi I’ll gladly answer questions.
Also if anyone needs a review of the following accommodation I can tell you my impressions too: Maun Lodge, Kalahari Bush breaks campsite (Namibia, near Gobabis), Tautona Lodge (near Ghanzi), Rivendell Guest House (Windhoek)
This is an informative website moremi lions which not only has excellent photos but gives a good idea of current conditions.
http://moremi.earth-touch.com/
Since they are based near Xakanaxa they often mention ‘our’ lions and it was nice to read someone else’s account of the period we were there, and specifically some of our ‘lion in camp’ incidents. At one time it was updated every day but recently it hasn’t been so regular, and there’s a lot about croc research at the moment but go back to May & June to see some fantastic lion photos.
Next: Grasslands Lodge, a favourite of Predator Biologist
We’ve recently returned from another Botswana trip – (actually it was May but I’ve only just got round to doing this report!)
I’m not going to do a full report, (after all, it was mainly ‘get up, break camp, watch game, back to camp at dusk, get fire going, cook dinner, and get terrorized by some creature or other’ every day!) but I’ll give my impressions of being in Moremi in May as opposed to August/Sept, and our experience at Grassland Bushman Lodge
And a few photos:
Moremi:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...w_photos_album
Grassland Bushman Lodge :
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...w_photos_album
But why did we retrace our steps? There are so many other places to visit!
There are a few reasons why we did such a similar trip as last year.
Our initial plans to travel up into the Caprivi region were thwarted by the flooding – we could have gone that way but didn’t want to battle through mud to get anywhere.
Second plan was to go through Kgadaghadi Transfrontier Park and up through the Kalahari to Maun, but the park accommodation was booked solidly on the South African side, and arriving without a booking doesn’t seem an option there.
Last trip we drove a long way and didn’t spend as much time as we would have liked in some places (Moremi in particular) because we’d booked many places on our itinerary, and had to keep moving, this time we decided we didn’t want to do so much driving as last time, (and we’re doing a longer driving holiday later in the year) and would spend more time in any place we particularly liked, and we had just 18 days so not so long as our month-long trip last time. So third option was to see how much time we could get in Moremi and just have a simple ‘camping holiday’ …. and the more we thought about it the more we liked the idea of staying around Moremi and not trying to do too much like we usually do. Basically it was an easy option compared with planning a trip into the unknown, though we still want to visit Zambia, Zimbabwe & East Africa some time in the future. We reasoned that we’ll have plenty more opportunity to visit the other places again in future when conditions allow.
Cost also came into it, we had a limited budget this year and having been before we knew what kind of budget we could work on
We’ve also heard various rumours about privatization of Moremi & Savuti and measures to prevent self-drivers using the camps so we thought we’d better go back while we still had a chance
From recent Ngami Times:
Park fees set to rise?
It is believed the government is considering substantially raising national park fees to keep out “undesirable tourism activities.” This would, sources say, ensure the country's wildlife areas – such as the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park - did not attract too many self-drive tourists, illegal operators or mobile operators but rather adhere to the low volume, high value aspects of current national parks policy.
Yes, we are those ‘undesirables’ .
Our objectives remain the same; wilderness experience and as much wildlife as possible. And we wanted to add a different dimension to this trip so found somewhere we could go out with the Bushmen and learn more about them.
As for costings:
Car & tent + equipment rental 18 days: $US 1,600
Park, car & camping fees in Moremi (9 nights) $US 450
Other accommodation, mix of camping, guest house, hotel & lodge: (9 nights) $US 500
+ fuel, food & extras
We were lucky with camp reservations in Moremi, got 5 nights pre-booked from UK and another 4 when we arrived in Maun. We’d thought about camping on the pans but Nxai was booked out so in the end we were quite happy with the prospect of tootling round Moremi for 9 days. A reminder that you have to pay park fees in advance now, they will not accept money at the gates and will not let you through without having paid. But once in they are very flexible if you want to change sites – we had mainly South Gate bookings but spent most of our time in North Gate, Xakanaxa and Third Bridge
If we couldn’t have got any more reservations in Moremi we would have considered one of the Delta lodges. A few people have mentioned about turning up in Maun and seeing what was on offer at the Delta lodges – we found the following advertised – might give you an idea:
Kwando Safari camps April & May 2009
Nxai Pan Lodge, Tau Pan lodge & Kwara Camp & Lagoon camp: pula 1,600 pppn ($US225) (+flights)
Little Kwara & Lebala: pula 1,900 pppn ($US 267)
Kwando Safari camps June to October 2009
Nxai Pan Lodge, Tau Pan lodge & Kwara Camp & Lagoon camp, Little Kwara & Lebala: pula 2,100 pppn $US295
Mobile Safari: $US 275 pppd
Ker & Downey camps April, May, June / Nov, Dec 09
Okuti, Kanana, footsteps across the Delta : pula 1,875 pppn ($US265) (+ flights)
So, here’s a short account of the self-drive in Moremi since there are not so many self-drivers on the forum. I thought it would be most useful to point out differences between the May 09 trip and the August 08 trip, ( see ‘Affordable Botswana’ in trip reports http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ug-sept-08.cfm )
I would say there were 2 big differences:
1. The sand & dust. In August/beginning Sept the tracks were very difficult and we got stuck in deep sand a couple of times and nearly stuck many times. The sky wasn’t very clear due to many bush fires in the region. We got hot and very dirty from the dusty, sandy roads – dust got into everything – clothes and food – and we never really felt clean until we left Moremi and had a few good soaks in the bath. But all routes were passable with care. In May this year we didn’t even have to take the tyres down for sand driving, the sand was much more compact and most of the ‘main’ routes could have been done with a saloon car – this was due to recent rain which compacted the sand and made the sand roads much easier. We were actually dreading a couple of the tracks we’d driven the year before and couldn’t believe they were so easy this time round. HOWEVER there was a lot more standing water and we had to go carefully through deep puddles and some minor routes through mopane woodland were just too difficult to negotiate because you couldn’t see if a hole contained roots or rocks which might damage your (rented!) vehicle. And most disappointing of all, many of the tracks around Khwai were impassable, so we missed seeing what was our favourite area last visit, but it just wasn’t worth getting stuck when we didn’t have to go that way. The day we tried (against the advice of the park officials) we couldn’t get past a truck which was stuck in the water blocking the track.
2. The new ablutions. The joy of hot water and a hot shower in clean ablution blocks! Not to be underestimated. They were extremely clean and well maintained when we were there but the baboons were doing their best to wreck them.
Otherwise the game viewing was very similar, although we were not so lucky with the leopards & cheetah this time, which makes us realize we’ve been very lucky previously, but in compensation we did have excellent sightings of wild dogs – on our ‘wish list’. We did have some good lion encounters though, a pride of 5 spending the night in the camp at Third Bridge was an experience, and the hyaenas were as troublesome as usual trying to eat the car tyres and pinch the camp chairs. One elephant wouldn’t let our neighbours out of the ablution block for an hour one night – every time they tried to leave he herded them back in, but I’m sure he had a huge grin on his face as he ambled past us – saw it as a very good game! I have to thank luangwablondes and canadian robin for the catapult anti-baboon suggestion – it really does work, just showing the baboon leader the catapult without even using it was enough to keep them away.
Also not much difference in temperature between May and August. We did have a couple of storms with spectacular lightning displays but only at night and we’d eaten and got cleared away by then. It made for some spectacular night viewing – seeing the huge shape of an elephant suddenly illuminated by lightning only metres from the tent was amazing – then dark would descend again and you’d have no idea where he was. Next day was fine and apart from some puddles the roads were clear. The weather in Botswana has been a talking point this year – the locals were stunned when it rained when we were there in May, and even more so when it rained heavily in June too.
If anyone wants more information about Moremi I’ll gladly answer questions.
Also if anyone needs a review of the following accommodation I can tell you my impressions too: Maun Lodge, Kalahari Bush breaks campsite (Namibia, near Gobabis), Tautona Lodge (near Ghanzi), Rivendell Guest House (Windhoek)
This is an informative website moremi lions which not only has excellent photos but gives a good idea of current conditions.
http://moremi.earth-touch.com/
Since they are based near Xakanaxa they often mention ‘our’ lions and it was nice to read someone else’s account of the period we were there, and specifically some of our ‘lion in camp’ incidents. At one time it was updated every day but recently it hasn’t been so regular, and there’s a lot about croc research at the moment but go back to May & June to see some fantastic lion photos.
Next: Grasslands Lodge, a favourite of Predator Biologist
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:00 PM
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thanks for the report and photos.
I just returned from Botswana in June, thou I didn't do a self drive.
But it was great to see your photos, I loved the ones of the giraffes, as you could really feel their movement.
Thanks for posting,
amy
I just returned from Botswana in June, thou I didn't do a self drive.
But it was great to see your photos, I loved the ones of the giraffes, as you could really feel their movement.
Thanks for posting,
amy
Aug 8th, 2009, 04:42 PM
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Great report! Looking forward to the next chapter.
I am very curious about the information you provided on the last-minute booking options advertised in Maun. The Kwando deal, in particular, is very appealing. Where exactly did you see this advertised, and do you know if I would book this directly with Kwando's office in Maun, or through a travel agent's office?
Any additional details on this whole topic of booking a luxury safari upon arrival in Maun would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
Thanks!
I am very curious about the information you provided on the last-minute booking options advertised in Maun. The Kwando deal, in particular, is very appealing. Where exactly did you see this advertised, and do you know if I would book this directly with Kwando's office in Maun, or through a travel agent's office?
Any additional details on this whole topic of booking a luxury safari upon arrival in Maun would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
Thanks!
Aug 8th, 2009, 08:51 PM
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Many thanks for your report, your basic "costings" is very useful and I wish more reports included it. I also find interesting the last minute bookings available in Maun. Those prices are like less than half rack, I think. Thanks again.
regards - tom
regards - tom
Aug 9th, 2009, 04:12 PM
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Amy,
Thanks for your kind comments. I hadn't been on fodors for a while and was delighted to find your trip report which totally distracted me from writing mine! What a fantastic experience, I particularly remember you mentioning the gymnogene since I'd never heard of it before this trip and of course the meerkats - I was so envious that they came to you - we saw them on a visit from Planet Boabab but they weren't so habituated to humans and we had to admire them from a distance. So thanks for taking the time to write in such detail, I'm much lazier!
MisterAviator,
I saw the deal in the window of an agent in Maun ('Liquid Giraffe'), but I'm sure Kwando would have to match it if you went to their office directly. I tried to get more details but the girl responsible was on her lunch break and we didn't pursue it because we'd already got our park reservations by then. But I do think you need to be there to get the pula rates, we've tried and failed to get pula rates from outside Botswana. I haven't looked into the usual rates for these camps so I can't make a comparison myself, but tom (cary999) seems to think it's about half.
Here are the actual ads, with a couple more trips advertised (hope it's readable, only took the photo as a reminder for myself:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...localeid=en_GB
Working on the next chapter, will be done shortly.
Thanks for your kind comments. I hadn't been on fodors for a while and was delighted to find your trip report which totally distracted me from writing mine! What a fantastic experience, I particularly remember you mentioning the gymnogene since I'd never heard of it before this trip and of course the meerkats - I was so envious that they came to you - we saw them on a visit from Planet Boabab but they weren't so habituated to humans and we had to admire them from a distance. So thanks for taking the time to write in such detail, I'm much lazier!
MisterAviator,
I saw the deal in the window of an agent in Maun ('Liquid Giraffe'), but I'm sure Kwando would have to match it if you went to their office directly. I tried to get more details but the girl responsible was on her lunch break and we didn't pursue it because we'd already got our park reservations by then. But I do think you need to be there to get the pula rates, we've tried and failed to get pula rates from outside Botswana. I haven't looked into the usual rates for these camps so I can't make a comparison myself, but tom (cary999) seems to think it's about half.
Here are the actual ads, with a couple more trips advertised (hope it's readable, only took the photo as a reminder for myself:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...localeid=en_GB
Working on the next chapter, will be done shortly.
Wow, very nice. Loved your last report (and Canadian Robin's self-drive too)--it's great to get another.
Aug 9th, 2009, 10:31 PM
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tockoloshe,
Wow! Not only did you answer my question, but you had photos of the actual data. You are to be commended for your keen attention to detail. I am thinking of visiting Maun in September and would love to book my safari lodges on the spot to save some serious pula!
Wow! Not only did you answer my question, but you had photos of the actual data. You are to be commended for your keen attention to detail. I am thinking of visiting Maun in September and would love to book my safari lodges on the spot to save some serious pula!
Aug 10th, 2009, 03:43 AM
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Great report and great info on the "specials" for the Kwando venues. That's almost 1/3 of the published rack!
I hope next year it's the same. I would definitely give it a try and gamble.
Again: Great report/info!
SV
I hope next year it's the same. I would definitely give it a try and gamble.
Again: Great report/info!
SV
Aug 10th, 2009, 03:44 AM
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Hi luangwablondes,
You're right, that wasn't clear, I should have specified that costs & fees are the total for 2 people.
Leely2,
Thanks - I'm looking forward to Canadian Robin's next self-drive report, they must be in East Africa now, I think.
You're right, that wasn't clear, I should have specified that costs & fees are the total for 2 people.
Leely2,
Thanks - I'm looking forward to Canadian Robin's next self-drive report, they must be in East Africa now, I think.
Aug 10th, 2009, 03:47 PM
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cruisinred, maybe try and do your self-drive soon, they seem to want to force the self-drivers out in favour of the high spenders!
I have to give a recommendation to Grassland Lodge.
grasslandlodge.com/
I first read about it in Predator Biologist’s report a while ago, (Predator Biologist: Grassland Bushman Lodge report, Posted by: PredatorBiologist on May 13, 2008 I think this is the link).
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...dge-report.cfm
He’s covered just about all aspects of what to expect and I endorse everything he says, so I won’t repeat it, and he can give info on the lodge whereas we camped. So this is my experience:
Grassland Bushman Lodge is west of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and about 60km east of Ghanzi, along a sandy track, not too difficult but quite slow, it took us longer than anticipated, also because of the many farm gates we had to open/close (stopped counting at 15). Tip – volunteer to be the driver or you’ll be the one hopping in and out of the car endlessly. Most guests arrive by plane.
The Lodge is owned by the de Graff family, and Neeltjie and her husband Tiaan manage it now. She speaks fluent Naro bushmen and is a licensed guide who worked in the Delta for many years at Ker and Downey camps.
We had a very warm welcome from Neeltjie, I know it’s a fairly common experience for self-drivers to be treated like a bad smell by some lodges– get ‘em out of sight quickly’ – but Neeltjie couldn’t have given us a warmer welcome. We had a drink and a chat at the lodge before she explained where to camp and what activities we could do. She completely understood that camping in the bush was to us a luxury we can’t do elsewhere, more of a luxury than staying in a comfortable lodge.
The campsite is well away from the lodge (about 3 kms) and we were the only ones there – just how we like it. We had a lone wildebeest sleeping near the tent, he snored more than my husband, but it was comforting in a strange way!. There were 2 toilets and 2 showers in the open but screened off, with another sink in the open. There was a donkey boiler for hot water but we didn’t use it (wood was supplied) because we found that the sun warmed the water in the pipes enough to have a shower with warm water. Being in the open the showers were frequented by many birds, so there were a lot of droppings, but they were otherwise clean. They also had visitors of other types – I found a puff adder in the toilet area one day (next to my foot), which was probably a good thing because it reminded us not to be complacent about wandering around the bush. After that incident we always took a large stick along with us to bang on the ground and on the sides of the shower so that any other occupants were forewarned! (hubby had a similar experience at Kazikiini camp near Moremi when he’d approached the open shower quietly and a squirrel shot out and used his leg as a springboard, accidentally giving him quite a scratch – moral of story, make your approach known to allow the wildlife to make an exit!)
We’d chosen Grasslands because we could join in the activities on offer at the lodge - I’d mentioned in previous posts that I was frustrated about finding a place where you didn’t have to pay an excessive amount of money for accommodation and still find activities to do. We are willing to spend what it takes to experience something special (like a flight over the Okavango) but do not want to spend our time in Africa cosseted in a lodge, we want the sounds & smells of the bush! Grasslands fits the bill perfectly. I’m not sure they can always accommodate campers on activities if they have a max number of guests, but it’s worth asking when you book. They certainly need to know in advance if you want to do the Bushmen activities because they have to track down their Bushmen first! (I’ll say Bushmen because we asked about the correct terminology and they themselves are not offended by that term)
As Predator Biologist said, you do not see a great deal on the game drives, but for us it was good to be driven around for a change. The San driver showed us various plants and animal tracks when things got a bit slow.
However the Bushmen activities exceeded expectations, and judging from others’ reports I think we got the best experience going! This is particularly why I wanted to write about Grasslands – it’s worth going for the Bushman experience alone, and of course it generates income for them.
Neeltjie took us to see them on 2 occasions – once to their small temporary settlement to see them playing traditional games and dancing, and a second afternoon to follow them around whilst they gathered food and explained – through Neeltjie – how they use certain plants, then made a fire and cooked various items of bush food for us. We were extremely lucky to have what seemed like the whole community with us, the kids were not at school (“When do they go to school?” “When the truck comes for them” ) and joined in enthusiastically. They were gathering some food ‘for real’, not just for show, in fact it got quite late but we couldn’t make for home until they’d found a particular plant they wanted that day!
Photos again:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...localeid=en_GB
I am VERY wary of so-called ‘cultural experiences’, and usually find even the idea of them excruciatingly embarrassing. This was something totally natural and you didn’t feel that you were intruding, on the contrary they were so happy to be able to show guests their traditional ways, and got terribly offended if we didn’t take photos. We were the only guests with Neeltjie (as translator) on this activity, so it was truly personal and intimate. It was also good to hear that it’s a good day’s entertainment for them too, they did it with such good humour and obvious enjoyment . We agreed that it was the highlight of this trip.
One little point, Grassland Lodge does not accept credit cards at the moment (their bank won't allow them to) but that may change soon.
Needless to say the whole trip was a fantastic experience, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return and do the whole thing over again (maybe minus close encounter with puff adder!)
If anyone would like any more info please feel free to ask.
I have to give a recommendation to Grassland Lodge.
grasslandlodge.com/
I first read about it in Predator Biologist’s report a while ago, (Predator Biologist: Grassland Bushman Lodge report, Posted by: PredatorBiologist on May 13, 2008 I think this is the link).
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...dge-report.cfm
He’s covered just about all aspects of what to expect and I endorse everything he says, so I won’t repeat it, and he can give info on the lodge whereas we camped. So this is my experience:
Grassland Bushman Lodge is west of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and about 60km east of Ghanzi, along a sandy track, not too difficult but quite slow, it took us longer than anticipated, also because of the many farm gates we had to open/close (stopped counting at 15). Tip – volunteer to be the driver or you’ll be the one hopping in and out of the car endlessly. Most guests arrive by plane.
The Lodge is owned by the de Graff family, and Neeltjie and her husband Tiaan manage it now. She speaks fluent Naro bushmen and is a licensed guide who worked in the Delta for many years at Ker and Downey camps.
We had a very warm welcome from Neeltjie, I know it’s a fairly common experience for self-drivers to be treated like a bad smell by some lodges– get ‘em out of sight quickly’ – but Neeltjie couldn’t have given us a warmer welcome. We had a drink and a chat at the lodge before she explained where to camp and what activities we could do. She completely understood that camping in the bush was to us a luxury we can’t do elsewhere, more of a luxury than staying in a comfortable lodge.
The campsite is well away from the lodge (about 3 kms) and we were the only ones there – just how we like it. We had a lone wildebeest sleeping near the tent, he snored more than my husband, but it was comforting in a strange way!. There were 2 toilets and 2 showers in the open but screened off, with another sink in the open. There was a donkey boiler for hot water but we didn’t use it (wood was supplied) because we found that the sun warmed the water in the pipes enough to have a shower with warm water. Being in the open the showers were frequented by many birds, so there were a lot of droppings, but they were otherwise clean. They also had visitors of other types – I found a puff adder in the toilet area one day (next to my foot), which was probably a good thing because it reminded us not to be complacent about wandering around the bush. After that incident we always took a large stick along with us to bang on the ground and on the sides of the shower so that any other occupants were forewarned! (hubby had a similar experience at Kazikiini camp near Moremi when he’d approached the open shower quietly and a squirrel shot out and used his leg as a springboard, accidentally giving him quite a scratch – moral of story, make your approach known to allow the wildlife to make an exit!)
We’d chosen Grasslands because we could join in the activities on offer at the lodge - I’d mentioned in previous posts that I was frustrated about finding a place where you didn’t have to pay an excessive amount of money for accommodation and still find activities to do. We are willing to spend what it takes to experience something special (like a flight over the Okavango) but do not want to spend our time in Africa cosseted in a lodge, we want the sounds & smells of the bush! Grasslands fits the bill perfectly. I’m not sure they can always accommodate campers on activities if they have a max number of guests, but it’s worth asking when you book. They certainly need to know in advance if you want to do the Bushmen activities because they have to track down their Bushmen first! (I’ll say Bushmen because we asked about the correct terminology and they themselves are not offended by that term)
As Predator Biologist said, you do not see a great deal on the game drives, but for us it was good to be driven around for a change. The San driver showed us various plants and animal tracks when things got a bit slow.
However the Bushmen activities exceeded expectations, and judging from others’ reports I think we got the best experience going! This is particularly why I wanted to write about Grasslands – it’s worth going for the Bushman experience alone, and of course it generates income for them.
Neeltjie took us to see them on 2 occasions – once to their small temporary settlement to see them playing traditional games and dancing, and a second afternoon to follow them around whilst they gathered food and explained – through Neeltjie – how they use certain plants, then made a fire and cooked various items of bush food for us. We were extremely lucky to have what seemed like the whole community with us, the kids were not at school (“When do they go to school?” “When the truck comes for them” ) and joined in enthusiastically. They were gathering some food ‘for real’, not just for show, in fact it got quite late but we couldn’t make for home until they’d found a particular plant they wanted that day!
Photos again:
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/ShareL...localeid=en_GB
I am VERY wary of so-called ‘cultural experiences’, and usually find even the idea of them excruciatingly embarrassing. This was something totally natural and you didn’t feel that you were intruding, on the contrary they were so happy to be able to show guests their traditional ways, and got terribly offended if we didn’t take photos. We were the only guests with Neeltjie (as translator) on this activity, so it was truly personal and intimate. It was also good to hear that it’s a good day’s entertainment for them too, they did it with such good humour and obvious enjoyment . We agreed that it was the highlight of this trip.
One little point, Grassland Lodge does not accept credit cards at the moment (their bank won't allow them to) but that may change soon.
Needless to say the whole trip was a fantastic experience, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return and do the whole thing over again (maybe minus close encounter with puff adder!)
If anyone would like any more info please feel free to ask.
Aug 10th, 2009, 07:27 PM
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Tockoloshe: Fabulous report! So glad that you enjoyed Grasslands and met Neeltjie, Tiaan, and the bushmen, on all accounts welcoming and wonderful people. Your photos are terrific and its nice for me to see many familiar faces and I couldn't agree more with your assessment of time spent with the bushmen. We can all learn a lot by returning to our original root and seeing how we have changed and what we have forgotten. My horse at Grasslands almost stepped on a puff adder and I saw a pair mating as well, glad your encounter went just as a reminder to be cautious. Camping alone out there must have been wonderful.
I really enjoyed your Moremi writings too, very interesting to compare the two seasons over a short period of time. I'm glad you relished them both. Also, fantastic bargains you uncovered in Maun for those who have time and adventure but need great values, wonderful to know there are options out there that can work, especially during high season when the savings are staggering.
Thanks for the report and terrific photos!
I really enjoyed your Moremi writings too, very interesting to compare the two seasons over a short period of time. I'm glad you relished them both. Also, fantastic bargains you uncovered in Maun for those who have time and adventure but need great values, wonderful to know there are options out there that can work, especially during high season when the savings are staggering.
Thanks for the report and terrific photos!
Aug 17th, 2009, 02:32 AM
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Hi tockoloshe
Just found your 2 trip reports (wanted to check out what upset the safaritalk crowd)- both a great read for the self-driver. Glad you enjoyed Grasslands, we visited the lodge last year and loved it, didn't even realise they had camping.
Can I ask a question about Moremi, you said about campsites "... But once in they are very flexible if you want to change sites" - how did this work, who did you ask about changing sites?
Thanks
Ted
Just found your 2 trip reports (wanted to check out what upset the safaritalk crowd)- both a great read for the self-driver. Glad you enjoyed Grasslands, we visited the lodge last year and loved it, didn't even realise they had camping.
Can I ask a question about Moremi, you said about campsites "... But once in they are very flexible if you want to change sites" - how did this work, who did you ask about changing sites?
Thanks
Ted
Aug 24th, 2009, 02:23 AM
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Hi Ted
Great to hear you enjoyed Grassland lodge, haven't heard many reports about it.
About the camp sites ... when we arrived in Maun we had to go to the DWNP office to pay the park fees and try to get extra nights, which were mostly for South Gate. We asked about changing and they told us to ask at the campsite we wanted to stay at. So we would try to arrive early and ask the ranger if we could stay there instead of our allocated site - they were generally very accommodating and we ended up staying exactly where we wanted to stay. I think some people just turned up and camped in 'free' sites but we were uncomfortable about doing that without asking. We often found the un-numbered campsites nicer than the numbered sites, they were further from the ablutions, which I guess many people don't like, but we preferred not having passing 'traffic'. I'd better point out that this was not peak season, I'm not sure they would be so accommodating in the very busy periods.
One thing about South Gate - many people seem to think it's not a good game viewing area, but we've had great sightings near there, and the area around Xini Lagoon (about 16km north from South gate) is stunning - good lion, elephant, lechwe, croc, hippo, bird & lizard sightings and photo opps. The hyaenas in South Gate were brazen, one came and sat opposite us on the other side of the fire - stretched out like a domestic dog! His mates came along when we were tucked up in bed and tried to steal our camp chairs and eat the car tyres - shouting didn't do any good, but the camera flash scared them off (at this point we wondered if we should revise our idea of camping away from everyone else, we'd got what we thought was a lovely secluded spot surrounded by trees and out of sight of the other campers... but rather unnerving when surrounded by a pack of hyaenas, and a trip to the ablutions in the dark was out of the question!) One family camping with a small child were very scared by the hyaenas coming right up to their ground tent and peering through the mesh - they decided to get a roof top tent for the next trip.
Ooops, got a bit carried away, a bit more there than you asked for, but wanted to say that if you can't get bookings for anywhere other than South Gate it's still very worthwhile! (though not helpful if you're travelling up through to Chobe)
Great to hear you enjoyed Grassland lodge, haven't heard many reports about it.
About the camp sites ... when we arrived in Maun we had to go to the DWNP office to pay the park fees and try to get extra nights, which were mostly for South Gate. We asked about changing and they told us to ask at the campsite we wanted to stay at. So we would try to arrive early and ask the ranger if we could stay there instead of our allocated site - they were generally very accommodating and we ended up staying exactly where we wanted to stay. I think some people just turned up and camped in 'free' sites but we were uncomfortable about doing that without asking. We often found the un-numbered campsites nicer than the numbered sites, they were further from the ablutions, which I guess many people don't like, but we preferred not having passing 'traffic'. I'd better point out that this was not peak season, I'm not sure they would be so accommodating in the very busy periods.
One thing about South Gate - many people seem to think it's not a good game viewing area, but we've had great sightings near there, and the area around Xini Lagoon (about 16km north from South gate) is stunning - good lion, elephant, lechwe, croc, hippo, bird & lizard sightings and photo opps. The hyaenas in South Gate were brazen, one came and sat opposite us on the other side of the fire - stretched out like a domestic dog! His mates came along when we were tucked up in bed and tried to steal our camp chairs and eat the car tyres - shouting didn't do any good, but the camera flash scared them off (at this point we wondered if we should revise our idea of camping away from everyone else, we'd got what we thought was a lovely secluded spot surrounded by trees and out of sight of the other campers... but rather unnerving when surrounded by a pack of hyaenas, and a trip to the ablutions in the dark was out of the question!) One family camping with a small child were very scared by the hyaenas coming right up to their ground tent and peering through the mesh - they decided to get a roof top tent for the next trip.
Ooops, got a bit carried away, a bit more there than you asked for, but wanted to say that if you can't get bookings for anywhere other than South Gate it's still very worthwhile! (though not helpful if you're travelling up through to Chobe)
