Days 40 thru 45

(Rhia’s comments are italicized)

The Okavango Delta covers about 16,000 km², but very little of it has water right now. The reason is a dam that was built in Angola and a 3 year drought that has severely affected so much of Botswana and Namibia. So the journey from Maun to the water was around 140 kms to our camp at the Khwai Collective.

What we thought we paid for and what we got were two different things. That is an understatement! We expected to be sleeping on cots on a platform in a pre-built tent. What we got was pitching a tent ourselves, with mats and blankets for a bed. For me, this was thrilling. Not so much for the 65 year-old, arthritic one 😂

This type of camping where there are no fences between you and the animals is called raw camping. To be surrounded by nature in its rawest form was exciting. I’ll restrain from commenting until the first night is discussed…😱

Our group consisted of Frank, the guide/driver, Aney, the cook, and us.

Unfortunately, Aney had no experience in the wilderness, and was intensely afraid of being alone at camp. Consequently, this impacted every aspect of the trip as she came with us everywhere; this meant we couldn’t leave straight after breakfast as we had to wait for Aney to finish her work, we couldn’t grab lunch then go out again as we had to wait for the food to be cooked and cleared away etc. Every game drive was delayed 😢🤬😔. But I think, like us, Aney did not expect the camping to be raw. That is an understated way of saying that lions, elephants, and hyenas came to our campsite at different times!

Our first game drive started late, of course, along the Khwai River. The elephants were out in force, but also lots of other animals , including some mating lions, not more than a kilometer from our camp 😳.

We retired  that night (to a canvas tent on the ground) to the sound of frogs and hippos at the river (about 200 meters away). BUT about 30 minutes later, we heard the distant call of a lion followed by a closer lion roar. I must interject here…when the lion first roared, I knew it was very close! I thumped Dan awake but he just mumbled it was the other side of the river and went back to sleep. Remember, we’re in a canvas tent on the ground…and I’m no stranger to Africa so KNEW the lion was close! Dan, in his ignorance, slept while I, with my experience, sat bolt-upright mulling over which would be worse; a lion attack or another heart attack 😱 The roaring IN OUR CAMP went on for 6-7 hours! There were a few roars from the river, then one from very close! No, they were all IN OUR CAMP but this one, which happened  around 4 am, was incredibly loud! I have been thinking for days about how to describe this moment in time. In my ignorance, I was convinced that the lion was across the river. But in hindsight, the tent was shaking from the ultra low vibrations, and quite possibly the wind from the roar. I reiterate, our tent was canvas and on the ground! I would compare it to the sound of the lion roaring at the beginning of an MGM movie, with the THX Dolby surround volume turned to max, but that would be too quiet and tame. Later, as Frank walked us the 50 meters to the bathroom, he said he’d never before, in 14 years, had his tent rattle from a lion’s roar. We asked him how close he thought the lion was, and he casually pointed down to the large lion tracks in the sand right next to us. I had been desperate to pee since 3a.m. but wasn’t about to leave the tent until Frank was up and the fire built! I must give kudos to my bladder that night for its ability to stretch like it did!!! 👏👏👏

Our second day of game drives (began late) was absolutely spectacular. I saw my first wild dog, red lechwe, stout mongoose, and too many new and beautiful birds to count.

When we drove back to camp for lunch, we were shocked to see elephants there!! There’s no denying now that this is truly WILD camping!

We spent the night with the lions, once again! For some reason, they’ve decided they like our camp 😱

Our third day was a disappointment as our guide seemed to run errands rather than doing a game drive! However, we did stop at a pool that had over 50 hippos in it and watched as over half of them exited the pool into the trees across the river. The ever-reliable elephants were there too!

We drove by some traditional villages…

…and drove over the REAL bridge over the river Khwai!

The lions decided not to park at our camp on the third night, though some hyenas found it comfortable! The silence was deafening…and kept us awake 😂 Between the hyenas (and wondering where the lions were), my bladder was tested once again!

Our final day definitely ended on a high note. We saw elephants  (of course), lots of Crocs, a Maribou Stork at the elephant carcass, and…

…OMG #3…a leopard!!!!

Everyone on safari hopes to be lucky enough to see a leopard; they are solitary animals, and active at night so are very elusive. Most everyone goes home without seeing one in the wild. But somehow, with only 30 minutes left before we had to leave the park, Frank found a leopard!!!!

I must admit that I would NEVER have done wild camping knowingly. I did in my mid 20s…but mid 60s…NO! Having said that, it was fantastic and I’d do it again AS LONG AS I CAN HAVE A COT/FOLDING BED to sleep on. I’m not sure my bladder would agree with me but we (bladder and I) survived!

We got back to Maun safely and spent the day washing clothes, catching up on the blog, and getting ready to leave Maun. Foodie alert, we also visited a great Indian food place named Tandurei Restaurant. When we return, I will insist on trying their many other dishes.