Adventures to Finish Botswana

8 to 16 January, 2020 - Tsodilo Hills, Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Khama Rinosceros Sanctuary, Gaberone - (Botswana)


A slight diversion from the travel specifics, to start this blog entry. We have camped at some beautiful grounds in the wild, and had some interesting and varied visitors. Mainly for memory sake, we decided it worth listing those that came by. Day time visits were dominated by antelope, primarily impalas and red lechwe; primates represented by baboons and vervet monkeys; special mention to the giraffes at Chobe and the zebras in Moremi; our swimming Hippo neighbour (Charlie) at Ihaha; and countless birds, with hornbills, kingfishers, and bee-eaters standing out. Night time visits included hippos and hyenas. And we had reports from rangers that we had lions on one evening somewhere in the ground, and a leopard on another. I am going to try to forget the ever present moths that tried to suicide in our wine and dinner. The vast variety of large millipedes and beetles was bewildering, too, but loved the dung beetle who pushed her ball from one end to the other in an amazing world record time.

Returning, now, to regular programming...

Re-entering Botswana, we bumped and threw ourselves over many kilometres of dirt tracks, the object being to visit the Tsodilo Hills. A World Heritage site in north western Botswana, the ancient rock art from different eras of history adorn many faces of a pair of hills. These hills are the only variation in an otherwise vastly flat landscape, and were sacred and important to San and other nomadic peoples.

At the small visitor centre, we found a wonderful man from a local San tribe. His first name was Boo, but he introduced himself by his middle name. That was a name we have little chance of pronouncing, let alone remembering. It had a "click" in the middle, and he told us it meant "beloved" in his language. Let's just go with Boo, because we can deal with that.

It is very remote, and rarely visited at this time of year, their low season, and we were the first sign-ins for two days. During the high season, according to Boo, there are many guides, and they make multiple rounds per day. During the low season, only two or three guides hang about, and there are many days when they get nobody.

Boo took us on a walk for a few hours, and showed us some of the variations in the art styles. He described the eras for each set, what they used to make the pigments, and how they would have lived and used the pictures. He showed us important plants, those that have significance, and those that were used to locate grubs that could be turned in to poison for arrows. Being people who normally shun being shown around, but determining this was a good place to make an exception, we were so happy. Boo was the perfect guide.

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Rhinos on the Rhino Trail
We visited the Tsodilo Hills to take in the ancient rock art. Following the "rhino trail", we visited some 12 painting sites.

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Camping on site at Tsodilo Hills was an option, and being the only arrivals for the day, we made ourselves comfortable in the basic campground. Not long before dusk, another vehicle arrived. A beaming smile and a wave from the weary couple who had driven those tiring bumpy roads. "Hello, can we join you?" she called to us. I scanned the many vacant spots; "Sorry, I think we're full. You will have to go back." Our new neighbours set up in their own half of the campground, and Chris and Deola came and introduced themselves. Within minutes we were chatting and laughing like old friends over a glass of wine. Such an easy and natural pair to get on with, and by nightfall, we had combined our dinners - predominantly theirs, I must confess, as we had some fish to pan fry, and they had what looked like a kilogram of rump steak on their braai.

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Chris and Deola
We thought we were the only campers at Tsodilo Hills for the night, when just before dark, some neighbours arrived. We had a fantastic evening of food, wine, and riveting conversation. Check out the amazing set up on their van! Our van seemed very puny and inconsequential in comparison!

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Although asphalted, the road from Tsodilo Hills to Maun presented its own challenges. Hundreds of kilometres, with some good stretches that allowed you to drop your guard and gain some speed, only to be suddenly confronted by potholes the size of an open pit mine, without enough time to brake safely.

Our target was an afternoon helicopter flight, our splurge. Over the Okavango Delta for 45 minutes, with late light.

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Giraffe, from Above
You can see his tongue, and the oxpeckers on his back. He seems to be looking up at us, trying to work out what is going on.


A Decent Bloat of Hippos
In a pool on the Okavango Delta.


A Few Hippos Share
We counted 50+ hippos in total, in 4 or 5 bloats, in this one pool alone.


Big Yawn, Captured from Above
On our helicopter flight at the Okavango Delta.


View over the Okavango Delta


Looking Down to a Crane in Flight
A crane flies over the picturesque vegetation.


Giraffes at a Tree
They all seemed to be enjoying what looks like a not very tasty tree.

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Adventure followed, as we pushed our little petrol Nissan Patrol to its limits. We went to the Moremi Game Reserve, part of the Okavango Delta, for four days. It's been raining. It's been raining quite a bit. We were fully prepared for sandy tracks, and we were prepared for rough tracks. We were prepared for soggy stretches, and deep muddy trenches. We were prepared to have to go without any path or road. We were not ready for dozens of large holes that were almost thigh deep water and slosh. Relentless, one after the other, for kilometres. Our poor little car got pushed, low range and not so high clearance. But it got us through. Many. Day 1 almost got stuck. Day 2, stuck for a minute or 2, with the exhaust gurgling in the mud, we managed to get out. Day 3, I think we might have gone too deep, but momentum got us to the muddy climb out - which we only barely clambered out. And Day 4, got stuck for a few minutes, but wiggled through. Maybe it was that one which was our undoing. 9 or 10 kilometres before the exit, Patrol died. It would start, and idle, but would not get any revs up, all necessary for just driving, let alone mud plunging. I knew what the problem was - I could see the distributor was soaked. I had no tools to deal with it, so we decided to try and get it dry by idling. After an hour, it was no better, but finally a vehicle showed up. A couple from Germany, and he knew what he was doing, but he also did not want to risk taking off the distributor cap, as without the correct driver, we might risk damaging it and be in a worse place. He threw us the rescue we needed, though, and he towed us to the South Gate, where we hoped to find a good set of tools. Alas, no. Perhaps we were going to have to call Maun and request an extraction, potentially not a cheap solution, and also eating the rest of our day up, when a group of soldiers appeared. I hoped they might have tools, and maybe a mechanic, but they had neither. However, they were determined not to leave us stranded. Soon, we had six uniformed men peering in to the engine bay, and eventually one got the cap off. All six were active, now. Using paper towel dry connectors, leads taken off and examined. Rotor dried. One had the air filter open, and was drying out the inside of that. They were even checking the oil. Minutes later, our engine was re-assembled, and it started first time. If it had been appropriate, I would have hugged those soldiers. It was not, so I thanked them profusely instead.

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A Black and White Kingfisher


Grazing Elephant in Moremi
Before we even entered the reserve, we were treated to some beautiful moments.


Bathing Elephant in Moremi


Another Great Giraffe Expression


Red Lechwe Posing in the Beautiful Light


First Steps
A tender moment, as a mother Impala helps her newborn discover walking.


Hippos are Capable of Great Expressions, Too
Hippopotamus at Moremi Game Reserve checks us out.


Bedraggled
An afternoon storm came, and Jo and I managed to find some shelter from the tropical downpour. Even running 2 metres from the car to the shelter made us soaked. Obviously, it is the same for all the animals who get caught out there! This little mouse came in to join us.


Visitors for Breakfast
Zebras came to our campsite at Third Bridge while we were having our morning coffee.


Cheeky Look from a Zebra


Poking his Tongue Out at Us
Giraffe expressions continue to make us laugh, time and time again.


Practice
Adolescent lechwe butt heads in practice for adulthood, when it will mean so much more. For ten minutes or so, we watched three take it in turns to engage with each other, locking horns and pushing and butting, then prancing and leaping to re-engage once again.


Scanning for Prey
An unidentified hawk or falcon, perched and scanning.


Hornbill
There were many hornbills, gliding and swooping, or bouncing along at ground level through long grass. They seemed to like hanging around the tracks we drove, or maybe there are just so many.


Rescue Mission
This little turtle (I think, might be a tortoise, we were quite a way from water) was walking in the rut of the 4wd track. I couldn't leave him there, and felt obliged to move him a metre or two away from the highly dangerous path he had chosen to traverse.

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One more safari drive awaited us, at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Again, we camped inside. We did and evening and morning animal search, and besides some more animals we have not seen on this trip (like oryx, and some better sightings of animals like wildebeest), we did encounter some white rhinos. Six rhinos, three couples.

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Wildebeest
They are normally quite shy and flighty, but this one tolerated us getting quite close.


Pair of White Rhinos

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Our final night in Bots, a stop in Gaborone, to visit Chris and Deola from the Tsodilo Hills. It turns out, Wednesday is chicken night, a regular gathering amongst a regular circle that rotates through various homes. The Briers were the host, and we were the special guests for the evening. Cheers!

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Cheers to Chicken Night in Gaborone

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