Day Seven - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The earliest wake up of the trip was this morning as we were attempting our third type of safari, by truck, and wanted to be in the park for sunrise. So, we got up, threw on some clothes and were loaded up in a Safari 4x4 before 6:00.

As we learned in the Delta, the morning is the time that animals like to come out for a walk, its just too hot in the afternoon to want to be doing anything other than lounging under a tree or drinking water. So it was the perfect time to be in a 4x4 and on land. We saw everything again only this time, thanks to the protection offered by the 4x4 truck, we could get up close and personal with all of the creatures. Springboks and Impalas were present everywhere we went, so they became about as exciting as another bush or tree by the end of the day. One of my favorite animals came out in full force, the Giraffes. Huge groups of Giraffes were strolling through the par, enjoying some leaves and making the most clueless face was they absent mindedly chomp away on leaves without a care in the world. They are one of the most interesting creatures, just based on the construction of their body.

Baboons were curious about our 4x4 and came up close to learn more about it before being scared off. Then we came upon a group of Cape Buffalo. There must have been 200+ Cape Buffaloes hanging together idly, many of them supporting birds on top of them, which was like a scene out of Peanuts.  Finally we saw a huge amount of Warthogs, which Alix dubbed her favorite. This was strange because Warthogs have to be the ugliest and weirdest animals we saw. Nonetheless, she is entitled to her opinion and was excited to see all of the little Warthogs and their quasi mullets scurry around near us. We drove a bit longer seeing many of the same animals and the sun began to rise up in the sky until our hunger had grown large and we were ready for breakfast. We left the park for the final time and had our sights set on Zimbabwe.

Day Six - Chobe National Park, Botswana

A few too many beers the night before made the early wake up call rather unpleasant. But, we were eager to get in the car for our last significant drive of the trip. We had a cereal breakfast, packed up our tents, loaded up the truck and were on the road by 7:15. We were heading for Kasane, a small town on the cusp of Chobe National park. We saw some sights on the way, Botswana has so many Elephants that they actually have an over population problem. So as we drove on the highway, we would see Elephants just casually on the side of the road unattended, not fenced in or anything. It was incredible that there are so many Elephants. Chobe is known for having the highest concentration of Elephants in the world, with over 70,000 in the park. The occasional Elephant or donkey drawn carriage kept us amused until we reached Kasane and pulled into the Thembe River Safari Lodge around 12:30.

 

We unloaded, made a quick lunch and designed some t-shirts for our trip. Due to the volume of girls in our group, this became a messy process, with many opinions and much debate over what should be on the shirts. But finally, the designed was finalized and people were relatively happy. So we put up our tents and quickly made our way down to the Thembe River, where we would be spending the afternoon on a boat for a safari cruise. This was our second type of safari, first we did safaris on foot and now we were opting for a boat, which was very cool and something none of us had ever done before. We brought a cooler of beers and drinks on the boat and were planning on making it a bit of a booze safari cruise due to the nice weather and autonomy we had on the boat.

Elephants just grazing without fences on the side of the highway

The views and sights from the boat did not disappoint. Thanks to the heat on this particular day, many animals needed to come down and enjoy some water. The first animal we saw was a Crocodile just as we pulled out of the dock, the Crocodile slithered away from the dock and issued us a reminder to not have so much to drink that we feel we could jump into the river and swim around.

A second reminder to stay on the boat was issued by the masses of Hippos we saw all over the place. We found a particular group of Hippos coming up out of the water and our boat driver decided to head towards them. As we got closer and closer everyone on the boat moved to one side, getting better and better views of the animals who were showing off the size of their bite above water. After a few moments of watching them, the Hippos took note of us and were not happy. They sent us a warning side in the form of a loud growl and a showing of their massive chompers and took a few quick steps at us. Our boat driver told us that this is how they warn people/animals or anything they feel threatened by. If we didn’t move the Hippo would likely have run up to our boat and rammed the side of it. So we backed out, heeding the Hippo’s advice and went to see what else we could find.

Chobe from the Thebe River

Hippo fight

The views were beautiful, with or without animals, the green trees, blue skies and hot sun made it a picture perfect day and we continued down the coast seeing all types of Springboks, Antelopes, Wildebeests, Cape Buffalo, Giraffes and other animals along the coastline, eating or drinking. We saw huge crowds of Hippos fighting with each other, causing a commotion under and above the water. Then we came upon a huge pack of Elephants, probably about 25 of them just grazing the land and drinking water. Their trunks trolling the water and slapping each other. We could believe the interaction between them as we cruised by and witnessed these huge animals in a huge group. Everywhere we looked their were Elephants, and the only sight more welcome than tons of huge Elephants was the occasional baby Elephant which you can’t help but laugh at when you see.

We had seen many great sights and were content with our day, when all of the sudden we were privy to a once in a lifetime situation. As we were heading back to the dock when it was almost sunset, we noticed the outline of three sleeping animals under a tree. Our boat driver saw them, no one else even knew what he was talking about they looked so obscure. But sure enough there were three Lions sleeping under a tree and just as we went in to watch them they were waking up. At first we could only see their outlines, until all of the sudden they came out into the light. As they were waking up and stretching out a huge group of Impalas were walking together slowly down the coast. The Impalas seemed to know that there was danger nearby, because they spread out and had lookouts in the back while a small group went forward. It was an amazing display of animal consciousness. The Lions were also aware that there was potential danger/ food nearby and you could see them planning for how to handle the unwelcome visitors. 

All of the sudden the Lions disappeared and then, as if they had walkie-talkies or some type of communication, they attacked the Impalas from three different angles trying to corner them. The Impala at the back on lookout made a bark of some type about 3 seconds before the Lions surprised the Impalas, but the Impalas up front chose not to heed the words. The Imapalas scurried quickly, and it was clear the Lions weren’t looking to kill the Impalas, because if they had wanted to they easily could have. The Lions were protecting their territory and nearly scare a group of Impalas to death in doing so. It was an amazing thing to witness and our boat driver let us know how lucky we were to witness something like that. We were hoping for a kill, but we got something almost as good. We get accustomed to thinking kills happen constantly and visibly all of the time thanks to Discovery Channel or Animal Planet, but that takes weeks of following and professional filmers to capture, we were lucky to have an encounter visible from the water on our cruise.

We headed back to the dock as the sun set and admired it from the boat until it feel dark all around us. Many agreed that the river cruise was probably the coolest thing we had done the whole trip. Certainly filled with constant views, and excitement and we went back to camp for dinner with smiles from ear to ear.

Wes and I on the Thebe in Chobe

Moyo cooked some chicken for dinner, and we enjoyed a nice climate outside in the night. We had early plans the next morning and a border crossing into Zimbabwe, so we didn’t stay up late. Wes and I tried to find a bar with a TV nearby to watch some of the Stormers and Bulls highlights or watch the Chelsea game, which was on, but had no such luck finding that. So we hit the hay early, excited for the next day.

Day Five - Gweta, Botswana

Even though we were given a few extra minutes to sleep this morning, I couldn’t fight the clock that had been set in my body and I was up a few minutes before sunrise. I decided to embrace the moment, “carpe diem” if you will, and go enjoy the beautiful sunrise while I could. I know before long my journeys in Africa will be a distant memory so I watched the sunrise before the others awoke. The peacefulness around me was unparalleled and I wish I could come back to that moment in time whenever I needed it. But alas, we only had precious few hours left in the Delta, so we got up and got going. One last morning walk was in order before we packed up, so Sparks led us back into the bush from our campsite, hopeful to see some of the animals we had yet to see. As the walk went on we saw some of the usual suspects, Giraffes, Wildebeests and Zebras and just when were about to turn back to head home we saw an Elephant. Seeing an Elephant on foot was like nothing else, the sheer size of the animal is always staggering but when you’re just standing with nothing around you and there is a wild Elephant, you can truly understand how big they are. So we admired as the Elephant ate some leaves for a breakfast, until we had seen enough and decided that we too would go enjoy some breakfast.

Packing up for the mainland

Moyo had been preparing bacon and eggs for us while we were on the walk and we returned to camp, which had almost been all packed up, with a nice aroma of eggs and bacon. We ate, finished packing up camps and filled the Mokoros with all of our belongings. It was another beautiful day, and we planned to get out of the Delta before the heat became too much to bear. So we pushed off for the last time around 10:30 and headed back for the village. Wes and I were together for the final ride, as usual and we enjoyed the final views of the Rain Trees and reeds as we hit the main ravine in the Delta and then pulled up to the village. Our truck was waiting for us and we quickly unloaded from the Mokoros and loaded onto the truck. We said our farewells and thanked all of the polers and bushmen for all that they did for us before we all hopped on the truck and headed back to Maun.

Me & *** back on the mainland

Having enjoyed our few days in the Delta, we knew that today was a bit of a travel day, in order to get to our two main destinations that remained. So, we were allowed to shower for the first time in a few days and get a quick lunch in us before we hit the road for Northern Botswana. We stopped in Maun to go shopping for any creature comforts we desired, which usually weren’t available other than chocolate or alcohol. But, we enjoyed them nonetheless and we began our journey in the truck to the north.

The village where our polers lived

We arrived at our camp for the night around 5:00, with plenty of sunlight to set up camp and walk around for a bit. They had a beautiful pool at Planet Baobab, which we took advantage of to cool off after a day of driving through the heat. The area we were staying in was known for its Baobab trees. Baobab trees are some of the oldest trees on earth, some dating as old as 3500 years. We walked around and explored some of the humongous trees which seemed like something out of a fairytale or Lord of the Rings, before heading back to camp for dinner. 

T-Bone Steaks for Dinner

Moyo was preparing T-Bone steaks for dinner tonight and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With a morning of driving on the horizon, it was a perfect time to enjoy some beers and some good food, since we could sleep on the ride to Chobe in the morning. So we sat around the fire, under the stars and the Baobab trees, eating our T-Bones and drinking beer deep into the night, until the tiredness overtook us and we couldn’t stay awake any more.

Day Four - Okavango Delta, Botswana

Moyo, Sparks, *** and *** by the fire early in the morning

As we had become accustomed on this trip, the day began early. We awoke before sunrise and found all of the Polers and Moyo by the fire preparing tea and coffee for those who were having a hard time keeping their eyes open. We watched the sunrise over the delta and knew that if we walked at sunrise, we would have some company around us, unlike yesterday. So we all hopped in Mokoros and headed out to a different island for the morning walk.

Morning Mokoro Ride

The uncertainty of the Mokoros was not a welcome feeling in the stomach at 6:00. With each stroke it felt like the boat was bound to capsize. But after about 15 minutes we hit land and disembarked onto land. Sparks led us once again with Warrior taking up the rear. Almost instantly we had our first encounter, a harem of Zebras on a morning stroll for breakfast.

Harem of Zebras in the morning

Now I have seen a fair number of wild animals on safaris, and zebras in particular. But there is nothing like the feeling when you see wild animals and you are standing on the same ground as them with no boat, plane or truck to protect you from them. We also were not in a reserve, but in the wild delta. We had strict orders to stay in a line, not make much noise and stay together. The Zebras noticed us of course and began to slowly walk away, uncertain of whether or not we were a threat.

Sparks leading us through the delta on foot

            We continued along on the walk, happy that we’d found some animals. We again, like the day before, found remains from a lion’s kill. Today we found a Cape Buffalo skeleton that had been there for about a year, Sparks told us. The skeleton left behind was incredibly large, and must have been something to watch the moment the  lion preyed on the Buffalo. 

Buffalo remains from a lion kill

Just as we looked up from the Buffalo skeleton, we spotted a Giraffe male and female enjoying some leaves on a morning walk. The Giraffes were quite a ways a way but we could see them clearly chewing on leaves and walking side by side. The darker skin was the male and the lighter skin was the female, Sparks told us. You could tell by the number of camera clicks that Giraffes were a group favorite. 

A couple of Giraffe strolling through the delta

We started to venture back to the Mokoros and it was then that animals began appearing everywhere. It was almost 8:00 when Wildebeests and Zebras and Springboks and Warthogs graced us with their presence. Even two Cape Buffalo ran by us on the way back. So after the disappointment of the first afternoon walk, we had major success the next morning. We returned back to camp for a proper breakfast happy with what we’d seen, and amazed we could view it so up close in the wild on foot.

Wildebeests

Moyo prepared a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs, which we ate as far away from the fire as possible, because the day was heating up. We sat around camp for a bit in the morning, many played cards (which had become a little bit too commonplace in my opinion) while some of us just lounged around, talked, read, wrote in journals or slept. I took a brief nap and woke up restless, not wanting to spend the day in the camp. So a group of us decided to get dirty and go “swimming” in the delta. We took a Mokoro over to a little area that we more suitable to swim in and splashed around enjoying the heat and the water. Mokoroing is actually much more difficult than it looks. And after a few false starts we finally discovered some helpful hints that allowed us to row straight and steady.

Climbing the Rain Tree

The water felt nice and the abundant water cooled off the sun’s blazes. We were instructed not to go anywhere without a guide, but Sarah, Jake, Alison and I decided that going a little out of the way wouldn’t do anyone harm. So we rowed our Mokoros over to an island opposite our camp and the swimming hole and came up on land to a magnificent “Rain Tree” that is present in almost every picture of a sunset. Jake and I climbed the tree and had indredible views of the Delta from about 20 feet up. We rested up in the tree, contemplating what would happen if one of us were to fall out of the tree and injure ourselves, seeing as there isn’t a hospital, let alone means to get to a hospital in less than a few hours. However, luckily we were careful and came away without injury. We walked around the idland a bit further to the most peaceful out of the way place I’ve probably ever been. No people within miles, no man made structures, nothing, just nature. I hadn’t had a feeling quite like this since the fall of 2006 when I spent 36 hours on a solo on Lighthouse Beach in Eleuthera, Bahamas. It is a feeling I miss and one I hope to have again soon.

On the sunset Mokoro cruise, watching some Hippos from a safe distance 

We returned back to camp in time for a sandwich before we embarked on a “Sunset Mokoro Cruise” We hopped in the Mokoros around 17:00 and were lead out to the main drag of the Delta where we ran into a huge group of Hippos. For obvious reasons we couldn’t get too close to the Hippos. Hippos kill more humans than any other animal. And in our desires to not become statstics, we stayed at a safe distance and watched the Hippos, their jaws stretching wide open above the water. We hid in the reeds and watched the sun fall and the birds and hippos play in front of us. Sarah, being the bug lover she is found solace in bugs, frogs and other small animals around us. Meanwhile Wes and I made fun of her and chatted to pass the time in the beautiful setting.

Sun begins to set as we head back to camp

We headed back just as the sun fell by the Rain Tree I’d come to love. The Polers rushed us back so that we would not be travelling around the delta after nightfall. Then it becomes much more difficult to spot Crocodiles, Snakes, Hippos and other potentially hazardous creatures. We got back to supper nearly being ready along with a blazing fire in the middle of camp.

Race against time to beat the setting sun back to camp

Moyo prepared Chicken Curry for us and it was delicious. The day helped me work up quite an appetite thanks to an afternoon of adventuring and swimming around the delta and an abbreviated lunch. We ate with the Polers and were told that they were going to teach us songs, dances and stories from their village outside of Maun. It was difficult to communicate with them, even though they spoke English, it was very different than American English with a thick accent. 

Sun sets for the final time of our stay in the delta

They sang songs and did dances and the polers were surprisingly enthusiastic about their songs.  It was enjoyable until we were asked to show some American culture. It is embarrassing to sing songs that represent America like “the Cotton Eyed Joe” or “Electric Slide.” I chose to play a minor role in these songs and dances, claiming ignorance. As we were singing and dancing, a member of the Peace Corps situated in Botswana stumbled into our camp, equipped with only a bottle of Delta water with iodine immunization tablets in it, a flask of Gin and a marijuana joint. The kid was about 3 years older than us and from Philly. He was very, very strange, but was starved for Americans and was excited to join us after he told me he hadn’t seen an American in 8 months. It was bizarre, but a memorable evening nonetheless. I ducked out early, embarrassed by our “American” presentation and excited for our final morning in the Delta.

Day Three - Okavango Delta, Botswana

This morning, we woke up at 5:45, just before dawn, to depart Maun and enter the Okavango Delta. The delta was about an hour drive from Maun, and from a small village of bushmen we departed land into the delta for our two-night excursion. 

Locals preparing our Mokoros

And we're off

We were greeted by several of the local villagers, who would lead us and take care of us while in the bush. These leaders and "polers' (the term for the steerers of Mokoros whcih are locally made hollowed out trees, similar to canoes, but steered more like gondolas in venice). The Okavango delta is the largest inland delta in the world. It is as undisturbed and wild as almost any area you can find these days. No electricity, no buildings, just the natural delta with small islands and waterways through the grasses. The delta is roughly the size of Holland, it is huge. The way we traveled into the delta was by Mokoro. Mokoros are hollowed out wooden canoes, controlled by a long pole, much like a gondola. The “polers” were men and women, from the nearby village who spent there lives here and consequently knew the waterways and area quite well. 

Sparks on the Left and Warrior on the Right

The Delta was true bush camping. We mokoroed for about an hour and a half to the island, where we would be camping. The serenity of the views all around us were remarkable. We were warned about the existence of Hippos, Crocodiles and Snakes in the water all around us on our way out to the island, and many of the girls were a little nervous that the mokoros might capsize. Soon enough, we had reached land and were ready for 48 hours of undisturbed immersion into the depths of the delta. We immediately set up camp, pitched tents, made a fire to cook and prepared a simple lunch. All of the local villagers told us that we had to lay low in the middle of the day because of how intense the heat ifs out of the shade. The time from about 11:00 to 15:00 had to be spent either sitting in the shade, reading, writing, chatting or swimming. Too much time in the sun and we would risk heatstroke or dehydration.  

Sparks showing us what elephant droppings looks like on the game walk

So, I decided I would follow their advice and after I had eaten lunch, laid down for a bit in anticipation of the afternoon walk we would soon embark upon. Once we had an adequate afternoon siesta, we left for our game/nature walk. In the late afternoon we left for our game walk around our part of the island. It was beautiful, but we didn’t see any live animals, only the remnants of prior kills.

Sun setting at the end of our walk

View from our campsite just after the sun has fallen

We returned to the camp site just after sunset. The fire was already going and dinner was in the process of being prepared. Moyo was cooking Chicken Curry, which looked delicious and we sat back and just appreciated the natural views all around us as we awaited darkness. Soon the last ray of light has shined through the rain trees in the distance and it was nighttime and time for some Curry.

Mokoros at dusk

Dinner

We stayed up for a while after dinner, interacted and learned a bit about the local's lives in the village in Botswana. But the days started early here and ended early here. ANd by about 10:30 it was time to retire, and energize for another day out in the hot sun. 

Day Two - Maun, Botswana

The first night of camping in Botswana was a good one. We were all very tired, so that was helpful in getting us to fall asleep without the comfort of a mattress. We had to get up early to continue our drive into the heart of Botswana so we got up with the sun, which Moyo and our truck driver told us would be a habit we should get used to. After a simple breakfast of cereal and fruit, we packed up and left Camp Itumela.

Day two of the trip was the least interesting day of the trip. We spent almost the entire day in the truck getting from Palpaye to Maun. We took a few stops for bathroom breaks and Lunch, but the majority of the time was spent driving on the highway. While driving we passed a number of mines, we didn't know what the mines were for specifically. Having seen the movie Blood Diamond before, many wondered whether those could be diamond mines, but that was about the extent of the excitement on the truck all day.

When we did arrive in Maun, we had to get a few preparations for the Okavango Delta, which we would be entering the next day. The delta is untouched by the normal effects of mankind. There is no electricity, no running water, just the trees, grass animals and water left there by nature. So we had to ensure we had enough drinking water and other necessities for the 48 hours we'd spend in "the bush."

Once we were adequately prepared we headed to Camp Sitatunga, to camp out before we headed into the delta the next morning. They had a pool and a bar, and since we arrived early we were able to take advantage of both.

That evening after dinner, we got into a series of political discussions with our truck driver and tour leader. We spoke about the political and economic problems involved with Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, the curse of natural resources and problems of race within Southern Africa. It was an interesting conversation with the perspective of 2 native South Africans (one Afrikans and one Zulu) as well as a native of Zimbabwe/Rhodesia.

Many interesting points, differing political tendencies and perspectives were brought forth and eventually I was left with the two leaders, while all of the others on the trip either went to the bar or to bed. I enjoyed hearing candidly, from 35ish year olds their beliefs, thoughts and concerns. It was a genuine insight into the problems in the country beyond the international stories that we hear about in the US. With my mind contemplating the difference in lifestyles between SOuthern Africa and the US I headed to bed to get a good night's rest heading into the Delta.

Day One - Palapye, Botswana

There was an abundance of optimism and hope in my decision to go directly from the Avicii concert that ended at 4 am to the airport for a flight that would be leaving at 6 am. However, I did get to experience the concert and I did make that flight, the only side note is that it was a very difficult 2 hour stretch through which I managed to stay awake without sleeping through my flight, take naps on the floor of the airport and get through security without them noticing I had enjoyed a number of drinks at the Avicii concert. But soon enough I was on the plane and by the time the plane had left from the gate, I was deep in slumber.

enjoying a 5:30 am cat nap before the flight

The flight to Johannesburg was short, or so it seemed, thanks to my instantaneous pass out on board the plane. I was awoken by the stuartist as we were about to land in Jo'burg. After getting off the plane into the Johannesburg airport, 3 tour leaders in greeted us and brought us to the truck. There were 10 kids on the trip. I only knew two of them going into it, Sarah and Alix who were in the same program as me. Sarah is from California and goes to Tufts and Alix is from New York and goes to Tufts. Thoiugh i didn't know anyone else on the trip, I had briefly encountered a few others around UCT. 

The first night in Palapye, setting up camp around the truck

We drove for about 7 hours from Joburg to cross the border into Botswana. The drive was bumpy, it was clear that Cape Town enjoyed better infrastructure and public roads than other parts of South Africa and particularly Botswana. We were leaving the comfort zone we had developed in Cape Town and were venturing into a much more indicative area of Africa. For all of Cape Town's attributes, it is far more European/Western than most of Africa. 

Botswanan Skies above

It was nice to have the time just to sit and relax after all of the craze that surrounded Avicii and getting to Jo'burg.  Due to the small size of our trip, we had tons of space, since our bus was built to fit 26.  Low and behold, After a long day of travel, we arrived at our first campsite in Palapye, Botswana by dinner time. We pitched our tents, ate dinner, which was provided for us at the campsite and I passed out by 10:30.