Botswana April 2018 - to see what all the fuss is about

[madaboutcheetah]

@deano - Enjoying your report.  Thanks so much for writing this up!  Whilst I loved your report right from post 1 and the cheetah family at VP ....... I'm especially enjoying the Duma Tau segment.  Again, Thank You and Happy Anniversary!!!

[deano]

Thank you @madaboutcheetah - We enjoyed all the places we stayed and constantly go back and forth about what we enjoyed the most. We did that guessing game before the trip along those lines as well and I have to say that having the benefit of having been there now we still can't decide!

 

Working on the final installment now.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

[deano]

Day 11 Last day DumaTau:

 

The four of us guests would all be leaving today - we were going home via London and Brian and Susan off to Vumbura and we were all on the same flight out of Chobe Airstrip around 10.30AM so we knew that we had to be up early to get a good drive in.

Mrs deano got all arty with her iPhone as we said our goodbyes to the camp staff. 

 

We definitely got out early and couldn't resist the dawn light photos. This one under exposed to get that reddish glow.

 

Dead trees all looked like they needed to be photographed today

 

Mocks took us a bit more East today and we drove through some very different vegetation that looked like prime leopard country but we didn't see any leopards or any tracks and signs but it is a place that gives youth 'feeling ' that they are there for sure - they were just being elusive like leopards are.

 

This hornbill was happy to be seen though.

 

After about an hour of a quiet drive Mocks pointed out this unremarkable looking spot. Turns out that it is Livingstone Crossing and anybody who knows that name will be interested anytime it gets mentioned. This is the spot that he used to cross from Namibia and just further up the "track" was a large Ebony tree with LV4 carved into it - supposedly his bush office (No.4) where he used to deal with mail on his expeditions. You all know that my vivid imagination had me picturing 100 porters wading through the reeds with a couple of Europeans along for the ride. Wish they had GoPros back then and a drone and a smartphone..........and a Safaritalk trip report of course.

 

No time for drinks today as we had a long drive back to the airstrip but we did cover a lot of ground and soon found ourselves back by the channel and the flood plains en route to Chobe Airstrip. We could see a large herd of elephants approaching the water and Mocks suspected a crossing would happen so we parked up in a nice spot and just waited for the elephants to come to us.

 

 

If you had told me beforehand that this was to be our last sighting then I would have snapped your hand off; it was fantastic and we watched the whole herd as they approached and started to cross. The sounds as they waded in were just what you expect - rushing water, splashing and low rumbles from the elephants and then some unexpected very loud trumpeting thrown in when they reached dry land (maybe something surprised them). 

 

 

 

After the majority got across, there was a mother with calf towards the rear and they paused for a while to sniff the air with their trunks. Mother was a bit skittish and baby just picked up on that but they eventually crossed on their own as we sat and watched in silence - well, silence interrupted by camera shutters.

 

 

 

 

The last to cross were three youngsters. They really charged across in their attempts to catch up with the rest of the herd and then - no sooner had the place been filled with elephants and slashing sounds - just like that they were all gone.

 

 

 

The water calmed down and the sounds of elephants in the bush gradually faded and  after a minute of sitting and just taking it all in we eventually made our way to the airstrip for the start of our journey home. Still time for a few sightings on the trip back to the airstrip and amongst more elephants and giraffes and impalas - all deciding to make photography difficult  - we did find a group of kudu and one male that posed nicely for us.

 

This was our final sighting of a wonderful trip although I have to say that the 'pond hopping' 'plane rides back to Maun still allowed for aerial game viewing but I had seen all that I  had wanted to and of course much, much more. So, I left my camera in the back pack and enjoyed the scenery as we flew over the Linyanti, the rest of the Okavango Delta and finally back to Maun (via a few different camp airstrips with Vumbura being the only one I remember).

 

I had read about Botswana, watched many videos and documentaries, listened to friends who had been and now I had actually been and seen it for myself and you know what? I know now what all the fuss is about!

 

A short final video - mostly the elephant crossing - mostly recorded on iPhone as well but it captured the essence of it.

 

Thank you for reading. Go to Botswana. You will love it.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

 

 

[Peter Connan]

Lovely trip report, thank you!

[mopsy]

Great report @deano really liked your narrative and your photos were fantastic!

 

Thanks for sharing!

[michael-ibk]

Thank you for a fantastic report, a joy to follow. And know what? OK, convinced, I will go to Botswana. :-) 

[xelas]

Fabulous trip report, @deano, makes me wanting to go back sooner then later. Great job on posting all those photos, really support the excellent narrative.

[AKR1]

@deano

 

I really enjoyed your spectacular trip report- brilliant idea with the photographs and narration further illustrated with daily videos capturing the day. Thanks very much for posting this and allowing the rest of us to vicariously enjoy the Okavango and its special inhabitants along with you. Congratulations on your anniversary.

[Hads]

Hi @deano what a cracking report. Great that you got to see plenty of leopards.

Vumbara camp looks awesome.

[safarigirl.se]

What a finish of a great trip! and great TR @deano I´m as you know also hooked on Botswana, I´m really looking forward to adding some new places next time, this TR gave me lots of inspiration. Kalahari and the bat-eared fox is high up on my bucket list!

 

Loved the last video of the Elephants crossing the river, the sound ot the water being pushed aside is just great. 

Thank for sharing this trip, it was a really great to follow! 

 

[Atravelynn]

I'll skip the lamb, potato, and onion pie, but am very interested in the rest of your report, especially since it is in April, an intriguing and less popular month, maybe a bargain time to go too, except for Kalahari, where it's prime time.

 

I've been off the forum too, so admonishment to us both.

Anniversaries everywhere!  Congrats on your 25th!

 

Wonderful leopard sighting and the leopards must have enjoyed you too but not a crowd.  Another leopard duo followup!

 

Your skies and mokoro shots rival the animals.  Well done on the otter. That single lion at night is stunning.  I like the trio of hornbills also, nicely lined up. 

 

Such great sable sightings.  Did your guide say anything about green season vs dry for sable?  Then here come the elephants IN the delta, making use of the gorgeous scenery.

 

Your trip and report confirm there is much to fuss about!  Thanks for the wonderful report.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Atravelynn

[Alexander33]

What a wonderful report. Thanks, @deano. You always do such an effective job in relaying your enthusiasm and excitement during the course of your travels, and we are all the better for it. We are going to Botswana next year for the first time as well, and I hope we have the opportunity to experience as much fuss as you did!  Thanks again for sharing, and Happy Anniversary to the two of you. 

[basto]

Great trip and great trip report @deano! I just love the way you have experienced all the small details and spent your time enjoying the camps! So much going on all the times! And wow, I think wilderness really produced good service for you - really like their suprises, must have been a wonderful way to celebrate your anniversary.  Happy anniversary! Thanks so much for sharing this - it was good to dream a bit about Africa today ;-)!

[Marks]

What a fantastic farewell from the elephants.

As always, I enjoyed your engaging writing - and the videos were an excellent touch.

[monalisa]

Fantastic trip report. It seems you were very lucky with your sightings, especially with the dogs.

And your photos are stunning by the way. I love the baby elephant, and the sequence of the leopard chomping on the guinea fowl just about blew my mind. Amazing!!

[philw]

Great report @deano and thanks for sharing. Given you go in what many regard as low (or lowish) season you either have fantastic eyes and/or are incredibly lucky. I think you must have been the only person who saw that cheetah at Old Mondoro a year ago!