Three Wonderous Days In The Okavango Delta

It’s time to catch you up on the last few fabulous days - it’s 1:00pm on Day 3 of my visit to Splash Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. I’m sitting outside on my balcony overlooking a grassy plain, zebra way off in the distance, birds flying overhead and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto playing on my iPad. The only thing missing is Robert Redford (as in the movie “Out of Africa” with Redford and Meryl Streep)

We’re back from our morning game drive (& mokoro/canoe ride) having spent time watching some lion cubs lounging around in the sun. Of course no day on safari is complete without morning tea in the shade of a large tree – and then sundowners as the sun sets across the Delta and bright stars appear in the sky. What a jam-packed few days it’s been!

Saturday 11 June – to the Okavango Delta

Early last Saturday, having farewelled T, we were driven to Windhoek’s airport (Namibia) where we boarded our Mack Air Cessna Caravan for the 2.5 hour flight to Maun in Botswana.

From there we flew in a small Moremi Air 4-seater Airvan – the other passengers were a UK couple also “on safari”. It was great to have a woman piloting, and soon we were over the plains and waterways of the Delta, elephants and hippos clearly visible below. We landed at the Moremi airstrip (just 600m long) to offload the UK couple, and were soon airborne for the 15 minute flight to the Kwara airstrip, landing around 2pm. We were now officially in the Okavango Delta!

Our driver from Splash Camp stowed our luggage in the back of the 4WD and with a 40 minute drive to the Camp, we were now on safari. As we left the airport we turned left onto a dusty road, crossed a small river with ducks quietly swimming, and turned left again to go along a road beside the river.

I looked across the river and spotted a hippo on the opposite bank, slowly walking towards the water. The driver immediately stopped the car so that we could watch and take photos – I learned that this was the norm whenever someone spotted anything at all.

The hippo slowly walked into the river, opening its giant mouth just for me to take its photo. What a treat.

As we drove on towards the Lodge, we watched herds of elephants and giraffe wandering across the plains, as well as steenbok, gazelle and of course many, many birds. Our driver was in touch with Godfrey, who would soon be our guide. He had asked what we wanted for “sundowners”, and before long, we rounded a bend to find Godfrey and his tracker, “Chuck Norris”, with 4 guests. We transferred to Godfrey’s 4WD, knowing that our luggage would be delivered to our rooms at Splash Camp … wherever that might be.

Now it was time to search for lions that were near a recent kill! With Chuck N pointing the way from his seat forward of the front of the 4WD, we were apparently heading in the right direction, bouncing over soft mounds of sandy roads. We stopped. Chuck N climbed into the front seat next to Godfrey. This signalled that we were close to the lions – being outside the normal shape of the car is a safety issue around big cats.

We rounded a bend and there they were, two of three lions lying asleep in the grass. One woke and looked at us, content to stay put, his very round belly filled with meat from the kill. At one point he looked right at me – an amazing feeling, particularly given that we were no more than 20 meters away.

We then drove across the bush to find the kill – here was the third male lion, sleeping beside the carcass, waking a little to check that the growing number of vultures and a hyena were not nibbling on his spoils.

As the sun started to set, and the temperature dropped, we drove on to find a safe place for sundowners while the colours of the sky changed to deep blues and the stars started to become visible. We climbed out of the 4WD and stood around chatting, getting to know more about the area and the animals we might see. Godfrey went back to the 4WD to speak with one of the other guides on the radio - suddenly we were packing up our drinks and glasses, and climbing back into the 4WD.

And we were off – the other guide had an inkling of where a leopard that had been sighted earlier in the week, might be.

By now it was dark, but with Chuck N wielding a large flash light, it was possible to find our way over the bumpy, sandy tracks. Then, along with two other 4WDs, we were off the track and amongst the trees. There she was! A beautiful animal, walking purposefully, trying her best to get away from us to make sure her young were safe. We didn’t stay long – she needed space to hunt.

The Lodge was still quite a long way away, and other than stopping to photograph an owl that Chuck N had highlighted with his bright light, and avoiding a largish herd of elephants beside the road, we continued to drive over the sandy, bumpy roads until we finally arrived at the wonderful place that is the Splash Camp Lodge.

Staff greeted us with hot, damp towels that we used to clean our hands and faces. Then it was time for dinner (very yummy, as all the meals were), and to be guided to our tents. Since we are in the wild, once it’s dark we have to be taken to and from our rooms by a guide. This was all completed with a minimum of fuss, and I was now in my huge room that overlooked “something”. Since it was dark and the temperature was now around 5oC, and there was nothing that could be seen outside, it was time to wash the dust off my face, change into my night gear and climb into bed.

This was Day 1 in the Okavango Delta! Our 40 minute drive from the airport had turned into many wonderful hours, and sightings of hippos, giraffes, elephants, lions, a leopard, two ostrich, and many birds. To say I slept well that evening is an understatement. My bed was warm and comfy – and even the occasional animal noises only roused me briefly.

How very privileged I am.

Sunday 12 June

Wake-up was at 5:45am for brekky at 6:15am. What a beautiful place – a firepit was blazing in front of the central Lodge, the area surrounded by tall trees with birds chirping noisily, a table containing many food options, and water boiling in large kettles on the fire ensuring a nice hot cuppa to start the day. The sun rose as we sat in chairs around the fire. Just perfect!

At around 7am, we were back in our 4WD with Godfrey and Chuck N, with warm ponchos and “bush baby” warmers (similar to hot water bottles) provided for each of us, and very much appreciated on this cold morning. As the sun and air temperature rose, we peeled off the layers, just in time for a tea and coffee break.

Within 24 hours of arriving, not only had we seen all the animals from yesterday, we also saw herds and herds of zebra – why do they always stop to watch you – and the somewhat elusive cheetah, known by the locals as “Mr Special”. He was so relaxed, lying in the grass meters from our car, rolling over and stretching, and totally comfortable with shutters clicking and quiet chatter. Some hyena were also in the area.

We checked on the lions and their kill. One of the three was lying beside the remains and the second was having a wonderful time pulling bits off the carcass. Vultures had gathered in the trees waiting for their turn, and jackals were watching from a distance. As before, the lions were very comfortable with our presence but they certainly kept a close eye on the gathering of other animals.

There is always a break for several hours after lunch – it’s a great time to catch up with photos, try to update this blog, ensure cameras are ready for the late afternoon/evening game drive, and have a shower. The “outside” shower in each lodge at Splash Camp is very special. It’s a private area off the bathroom, surrounded by timber and safe from prying eyes of the human and animal kind. The sun is warming and it just feels very good.

This afternoon we went for a boat ride along the gentle water that comes off the Okavango River, and also along the river itself. This was a motorised boat, not a mokoro – that would come later. It was a beautiful way to see more of the area from a different aspect. Birds are everywhere, fortunately no hippos were spotted, but we did see a small (apparently regarded as medium sized) croc that scuttled into the water as we came close by.

When we came back to our private landing, “sundowners” were waiting for us! Various drink options, wide-ranging nibbles and of course the glorious Botswana bush around us. Back in our 4WDs we were soon bouncing across the sandy roads, and as the sky darkened and the beautiful stars became visible, Chuck N used his spotlight to see which animals were around. A herd of elephants, some with their babies, some giraffe, even baboons.

Monday 13 June

Everywhere you go from Splash Camp is a game drive: from and to the airport, from and to the boat and mokoro, and of course the day to day “let’s go and see who we can find” morning and evening game drives.

During the morning game drive we checked on the now rotting kill. By now the lions had moved away and vultures, spotted hyena and jackals had moved in. It was fascinating to learn about the different types of vultures, the timing for each animal group to start its “feasting” and to actually watch the hierarchies in play.

As we searched for a leopard, we came across a group of 5 lions (mum and 4 largish cubs) lying in the sun. The adult raised her head, saw us and then lowered it to catch up on more sleep. One cub was more curious, coming away from its mother to take a closer look at us as we moved slowly around them.

Birds are everywhere and seem to come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some flit from place to place, others glide and swoop, and others walk from place to place. Ostrich were seen a number of times, always moving away as we approached them.

We came across herds of elephants in the long grass. Calves were somewhat visible, but were generally shielded by their mothers and others in the herd. Some females were obviously pregnant, and because this was visible, they were probably fairly far into their 22 month gestation.

And then there were the Kudu (see photo above). I confess that I tried eating kudu and ostrich in Namibia. Definitely not my favourite meats, and now having seen both in the wild, they’re totally off my list.

Tomorrow we fly south to the Kalahari, to stay at and explore around San Camp in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. How different this will be.

Location on Map: LINK