Travels with Kathryn

Well, this is it, the last full day of mobile safari-ing. We may have had a slightly rocky start, but we are now fully fledged hard core, camping safari types. We mock lodge people (ignoring the fact that we will shortly become lodge people) and their white shirts and less than COMPLETE commitment to safari-ing. Anyway, on the subject of being committed off, we went:

• Zebras!
• Huge herd of impala – my notes state “not much other than impala so Issac, bless him, tried to get us more interested i.e. here’s one lying dwn, here’s one chewing.” Bless him.
• Hippo (in water).
• Buffalos.
• Open billed stork (bird).
• Marshall eagle (bird).
• African fish eagle (bird…).
• Yellow billed kite (bird…).

We had an early tea break and then went in search of something slightly more interesting than impala:

• Impala with lots of ox peckers (obviously Issac was still trying with the impala).
• Namibian cows – I was going to ignore these as they are indeed your standard farmed cows, but it was on the list so its going on the list.
• Open billed stork (bird..)
• Gardenia tree (desperation had evidently set in by this fault, but to be fair it was very hot).
• White backed vultures.
• ELEPHANT HUZZAH! I was starting to get somewhat concerned considering how high the population of elephants is meant to be, but we came to realise they are afternoon animals AND concentrate around the water.
• Lilac-breasted roller – yes a bird, but a nice one.
• Zebras – on the Namibian side, so obviously lost.
• Hippo!
• Roan antelope.
• Big goose – yes, this is my exact note. No idea whether it was like a fancy Botswanian goose, but you know, a goose was spotted.

It was then back to camp for an early excellent lunch (it was excellent because it was written down) of vegetable quiche, potato salad (with eggs), rice salad, and sliced meats. To be fair, the food was excellent, but by this stage there were a few things I was starting to miss, and eggs were one of them. This lunch was the egg-fest I needed. There was then a short rest period – not long enough for a nap, but long enough for me to enjoy a vervet monkey visiting the tents.

We then drove to Kasane (civilisation!) as this afternoon we would be taking a boat cruise along the Chobe River.

We were introduced to Captain Mike and helped onto our little 8 seater boat. I was directed to a seat in the back at the middle to act as a balance. I know my place. Our boat was a perfectly nice normal boat, but some were MASSIVE, including a huge double-decker boat with some kind of fancy French dinner taking place on it. I was just not ready for this number of people.

Anyway, off we went thankful for when we picked up some of the breeze. The reason all the boats leave from this point is because the river splits into two channels with an island in the middle. This island is known as Kasikilli to Namibia, and Sedudu to Botswana and was the subject of a territorial dispute between the two countries not resolved until 1999. The Botswana government believed that the island was part of the National Park and should be protected as such, the Namibia government considered that the island was part of the original Caprivi Strip “swap” (which we learnt about in a previous post remember?) and needed for grazing, reed gathering and as a burial site. In order to setle the dispute, the depth of each channel was measured and the border would be drawn at the deepest point (as this is the “main” channel), lucky for Botwana the channel the that seperated Namibia from the island was deeper (13m) as opposed to the channel seperating it from the island (7m) and therefore the island is now officially part of Botswana. For safari people, it means that the island is part of the National Park and much enjoyed by the animals for the fertile grass and see as a safer place from predators who are not prepared to cross the channel.

Off we went and we saw:

• Hippo – in Namibia. A lone male giving the grass a really good munch.
• African darter – yes a bird, but posing nicely drying its feathers in the sun.
• Buffalo – swum over from Botswana.
• African fish eagle – which for some unknown reason we stopped for, delaying getting to the elephants (why oh why?!)
• ELEPHANTS!
• More elepants – this is better.

On the subject of elephants, the second group were a bachelor herd obviously (based on my, and Captain Mike’s expert opinion) getting ready to cross the channel to the island. We made sure we were at a good distance and not impeeding the crossing. Effectively, what happens is the elephants take some time considering the crossing, and then at some point the leader will lead them across the water. We could tell this was going to happen. However, some moronic boat people literally pulled up right infront of elephants on the edge, blocking their crossing. We stayed for a while, hopefully the elephants would overturn the boat and trample everyone to death – but twas not to be.

However, we were rewarded as we boated slightly further along the channel and found and baby and mummy hippo, and then a whole family of elephants who crossed the channel right infront of us. WE WIN.

Now this was the elephant volumes I was looking for.

Having travelled around the island we headed back to Kasane via the main channel so I think, technically, that I have actually now been to Namibia. There were a few more crocodile and hippos (posing nicely), but that was the end of my elephants or so I thought…

We disembarked (not no falling in from either me or Mum so yay us!) and got back into the jeep to head to camp. On the main road from Kasane back to our gate (which is an actual road) turns out it was elephant crossing time:

Just magical.

You can tell I was on a post elephant high as my notes end there, but we did make it back to camp, and I remember a particularly good shower, and then it was our final dinner. As usual, I failed to take photos, but it was a feast of local specalities including pap (you know I am a fan), shredded meat etc. The only photo I took was of the very impressive ostritch napkin (they could also do giraffes, which I shall have to learn how to do!)

As I wrote, this was our last full day of overland safari-ing. I would totally recommend it to people, you get a very different experience but it is more basic than I/we were expecting and I would definately say that regardless of the anticipated weather, thou shalt pack waterproofs and potentially also a puffa coat! I would say though next time, that perhaps 10 days was too long and we should have sandwhiched 4-7 nights with lodges at each end. You do get to see so much more with the mobile safaris, and I think you get the better guides/trackers which is so important to the whole experience. Also the team were great, beds made and showers ready when we wanted, but the food was so much better than I expected (I was assuming BBQ meals of random antelope-y things) and I certainly didn’t expect cake. I did get very sick of porridge mind you.

Anyway, tomorrow we would be transferred to Kasane to become fully fledged lodge people. We were about to get very fancy.