Into the Bush We Go

Our trip to Botswana, while short, promised a lot of firsts for me.  I would experience my first safari, sleep in a tent while actually camping (not partying on Duxbury Beach), and marvel at the craziness of overland border crossing in Africa. I was certainly not disappointed by any of the above and I actually surprised myself by being able to take it all in stride and enjoy the process.

Kat, Charlie & Paula at Thebe River Safaris Lodge, Chobe

When booking our Africa trip months ago, our volunteer coordinator, Paula, had offered to include a few days touring Botswana into our itinerary following our 12 days of building huts in the tiny village of Mwandi.  We had eagerly signed up, excited to have a few days planned for us.  And, after getting to know Paula (her manic energy, scatterbrained nature, and kind heart), we knew we were in for an exciting couple of days! The plan was to drive to Botswana and spend two nights at Elephant Sands (an unfenced private conservatory) and then drive to Chobe National Park for some game viewing and a river cruise.  So, after our rewarding volunteer experience in Mwandi, Mike, Paula, Dan (Paula’s husband), and Charlie (a chatty 20 year old Brit and fellow volunteer) piled into Paula’s packed Land Rover for our Botswana adventure.  The bumpy and slightly cramped ride was full of endless stories, interesting facts, and humorous arguments between Paula and Dan.  But it was the chaotic border crossing that will stand out in my memory of the drive.

Kazungula car ferry at Zambia – Botswana border

When we approached the border, we were running late so everyone was already a bit on edge.  Mike and I were surprised by the disorganization and confusion of it all.  The entire border crossing station was under construction so we had to walk carefully to avoid being hit by pick up trucks.  There were multiple offices and zero signage.  Mike, Charlie, and I cleared within minutes once we figured out where to go but we ended up having to wait for Paula for over 40 minutes because the lady authorizing vehicles was “busy.”  Once we finally cleared, we had to drive our car onto a dilapidated ferry to take us across the Zambezi river to Botswana.  Again, with no direction (other than Dan waving his arms frantically and confusingly), we eventually took the 10 minute ferry ride that completed the crossing! (Interestingly, this location marks the spot where Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe come close to meeting at a quadrapoint).  We were ready to breathe sighs of relief when Paula told us that, due to a hand, foot, and mouth disease scare (great) we had to dip our shoes in water before crossing. What!?!  In a country with seemingly no rules, we have to find any and all shoes in our bag and dip them in water before being ok’d to enter the country? Mike, Charlie, and I were the only people doing this and it turns out we did it totally wrong by putting our shoes in a random bucket of dirty water.  But in the end, we made it into Botswana and were able to proceed with touring this incredible country.

Driving to the bush

We stayed for our first two nights at a place called Elephant Sands.  The amazing thing about this accommodation is that it is not a game park and there are no fences.  Any animals you see while staying there are totally natural and in the wild.  This fact made camping even more exciting….and slightly scary.  Paula had arranged for us to camp in tents in the middle of the African bush for one of our nights (the “bush” is defined as a rural, sparsely populated area, but that doesn’t even touch the remoteness of our camping location.  Picture craggy vegetation in the African wild with no sign of life other than paw prints in the sand). This incredible experience, while not the most straight forward way for me to ease into camping, ended up being the perfect introduction to tent camping for me.

Kat bush tent

We were accompanied into the bush by a lively pair of guides: Roan – a South African, boisterous, beer-slugging, wildlife and safari expert and Frank – a soft spoken, Botswana native.  They picked a beautiful spot for us to sleep, set up camp, cooked a phenomenal, meat-filled feast, and regaled us with countless stories about the African wild.  We even had the chance to do a night game drive which was exhilarating and productive as we saw an elephant feeding.  As the night wore on though, I found myself getting more and more nervous about what would happen once we went to sleep and snuffed the campfire. Wild animals could literally circle our tent in the middle of the night.  Roan had told us several tales of lions visiting while campers were going to the bathroom or hyenas scavenging leftover food.  

Kat & Mike campfire in the bush

Luckily, we escaped the evening unscathed and were able to enjoy a morning drive through the bush before spending our second evening at the Elephant Sands lodge. Here, elephants visit the water hole right next to the resort on a daily basis and I found myself drinking my morning coffee a few meters away from these beautiful, gentle beasts.  It was surreal to be so close and to be able watch the animals in their native environment.  

Elephant Sands

After Elephant Sands, we drove to Chobe National Park and were able to experience a day safari drive and a sunset wildlife viewing cruise down the Chobe River.  We began with a game drive through Chobe National Park, the most diverse park in the country. We were picked up by a guide named Pacey who was a bit underwhelming but kept us entertained by his dry one liners (as in, we thought he might actually be falling asleep) and his oversized, black rimmed sunglasses that had clearly been left over from his last tour (and looked like they belonged to a 19 year old European girl).  On a bright note, the drive through Chobe allowed us to see a myriad of animals – dozens of giraffes, elephants, antelope, warthogs, etc.

Mike on Chobe Safari

Later that day, we boarded a somewhat makeshift (and a bit sketchy) boat to cruise the Chobe River. Lucky for us (heavy sarcasm here), Pacey was again our guide. But, despite the lackluster tour guide skills, the river cruise was a highlight of our time in Botswana.  We saw hippos (the animal responsible for the most human deaths), buffalo, elephants (grazing and swimming across the river!), crocodiles, and giraffes at close range.  And, we were able to witness an unforgettable African sunset. Chobe was a great park for our introduction to game viewing and safaris.   

Chobe River Sunset

Heading into our Botswana trip, I didn’t know what to expect from a safari.  I had pictured driving in an open air vehicle through wide open plains and spotting an animal so far in the distance that only binoculars or a hefty telephoto camera lens would do it justice.  My only opinions about African wildlife had been gleaned from watching The Lion King (warthogs have cute personalities like Pumbaa right?). Yet, I was pleasantly surprised and blown away by the actual experience.  To be able to see wild animals in their natural habitat was incredibly special.  Whether we were observing the laid back giraffes eating calmly from trees, watching an elephant wake up from a nap, or waiting patiently to catch a photo of a hippo yawning, our time spent in Chobe and at Elephant Sands was a great success.  It was the perfect way to whet our appetite for game viewing heading into our self-drive safari in Namibia.  Even the inconveniences of the border crossing, chaos of traveling with a group, and annoyance of me singing Hakuna Matata on repeat, could not cloud the unique bush camp experience or exciting safari through Chobe.