Crossing Moremi and Chobe national parks was the most anticipated portion of our trip. Seven days of total immersion in the wild to enjoy wildlife and unique camping experiences. We were super excited when we left Maun early morning. It took us an hour and a half to reach the southern gate of Moremi via pretty decent gravel and sandy tracks . Before entering the park, we crossed path with giraffes, zebras, impalas and an elephant. Tone was given, and it climaxed when a pack of wild dog ran towards the car. We stopped along the road, but they were obviously in a hurry, as no one cared to wait for the one who laid down to catch his breath. He had to quickly resume his course to follow the pack. It is therefore with huge bananas on our faces and utmost excitement that we stopped at South Gate to register.
South gate
We were supposed to camp outside of the park for the first two nights as we were told that all camps were fully booked. But at registration, we were told otherwise and a campsite was confirmed available. That was a good surprise! We had to forfeit our prepaid booking, but we were so happy to avoid the commute that it was a no-brainer. Eff also dully noted that there might be an availability in another camp further inside the park, and made a plan to drive and go there no matter what the day after. But first, we started our journey, driving through this new reserve, focusing on the southern sections around Black Pools and Xinii.
Many hornbills were flying around, reminding us of the Lion King’s Zazoo. We saw the African grey hornbill, the red-billed and the yellow-billed. Few big Southern ground hornbills were also wandering in the plains. The scenery was diverse and beautiful: vast yellow savannah, bushy forest and flat areas near waterholes. It was very dry though, as much if not worse than the other parks we had visited before. Patches of broken trees and an impression of desolation in some areas were evidences of the presence of elephants. Our first magic encounter was with giraffes though. There were three or four of them roaming in the plains, few metres away from us. They were our first real and close sighting of giraffe of the entire trip, so we decided to stop for a while and spend our breakfast break observing them. They are such elegant and peaceful animals with their long necks and thin legs.
On the way to Black Pools waterhole, a parade of elephants with babies was walking in line, quite clumsily yet with cuteness for the younger ones. It was amazing. We had a feeling of being in a real safari compared to the previous parks, with a much higher variety of species. There was no sign of lions yet but when zebras, wildebeests, kudus, tsessebes and giraffes keep appearing along the road, it does not matter much.
We arrived at Black Pools where a group of elephants was bathing. They had the same ritual than the one we had already seen in Nxai pans: drink, shower and dust throw on their bodies. There were babies again, some so little that they must have been less than a month old. They are so funny with their big ears, their small trunk and the way they roll themselves in the mud and in the dirt! We stayed for a while, observing several groups coming and leaving after having fun. Some giraffes came to drink as well, being extremely careful and cautious around the pachyderms. They observe the surroundings for a long time before deciding to make an approach to the waterhole, spreading their legs on the sides, and having a sip. It is quite an exercise for them. Having long and thin legs seems not that easy to manage.
We continued our discovery of the area, stopping for a lunch break in one the unfenced picnic sites. Luckily we had no encounter, but in Moremi and Chobe you must be prepared to any situation, which actually makes things fun. We were looking for lions in the high yellow grass, but could not see any. They are the same colour than the vegetation and they spend most of their day lying, so unless they stand up for few seconds exactly when you happen to drive by, it is almost impossible to spot them. As the day was coming to an end, we decided to stop again at Black Pools on our way. And we were happy we did. There were a even larger number of elephants, some buffalos rode by white egrets in a distance, and even an hippo hiding under some grass. It was a busy end of afternoon at the pools! Giraffes and vervet monkeys were also around, and we saw our first saddle-billed stork. They are so beautiful with their bright red and yellow bill. We finally headed back to the camp to settle for the night. Our first day had been really promising and we were looking forward for the next ones.
Road to Xakanaxa
We woke up very early to pack up and head towards another camp. We had no confirmation for availability, but with the experiences we had so far we decided to try our luck. It was a quite long way to get there and there was not enough time to come back if there was any problem. Quite a bet…
We drove only few minutes before being intrigued by a cloud of dust in front of us. We thought first it was a mini tornado as there were many, but it was a hunt scene. Two hyenas were chasinf two warthogs. One of them escaped but the other, sandwiched between two ferocious and hungry predators, did not survive. He screamed atrociousy for few seconds and then we could only hear the sound of the hyenas devouring their prey. In less than fifteen minutes the warthog was completely gone. Not a single bone was left. The hyenas fought for the best piece, one of them tearing the feast into two and walking further away to be able to enjoy her share. It was quite intense.
Did you know? Hyenas are mostly scavengers because they are lazy, but when they have to they hunt, and as a matter of fact they are one of the most efficient predators of all.
A bit further, baboons playing in the trees along the tracks gave us a good reason for another stop. We observed them for a moment and continued our journey. The rest of the day was quiet, with the usual KIP (Kudus Impalas Zebras) encounters, until we reached the vicinity of Audi pools. This area was surprisingly flooded, but luckily it did not impact the driving conditions of the tracks. What impacted the ride were elephants. They were appearing literally everywhere, on each side of our narrow sandy track, in front of us, and even behind us. One who think that an elephant can’t be missed.Well, one is wrong… Despite their size, they blend very well in the thick bushes, and we even woke up one who was sleeping on the side. He stood up hastily, trumpeting loudly to show his discontent. We were driving slowly, aware of any movement, stopping to let them go when needed, careful not to separate mums from their babies to avoid any aggressive behaviour. I was really nervous. Driving through tens if not hundreds of elephants for more than one hour is quite unique and special, but as far as I’m concerned, it is more scary special than exciting special.
Incident at Xakanaxa
We arrived at the camp safely. No one was able to confirm whether we could stay or not. So we had a quick lunch and went for an short afternoon game. It was much quieter than in the morning. We saw waterbucks and many types of water birds such as grey herons, African spoonbills, African sacred ibis, and another saddled-bill stork. Hippos were bathing in the middle of one pool, heads randomly appearing and disappearing in the water. Such peaceful sightings were the best way to end our game day. We went back to the camp and took an empty campsite. A lady came to ask for our permit, and was not impressed at all when we showed her the permit from South Gate. The camp was supposedly fully booked, so as it was too late to send us back, she advised to stay put and hope for a no-show. Not very reassuring… But we were super lucky on that one as the campsite had been booked by our neighbours for their big party, but they had all settled in the same one (they are really massive) so they happily confirmed that we could stay for the night. What a relief!
The campsite was nearby an open area where an elephant was roaming by. He was quite close, and we thought then that it was a great idea to take some pictures with him in the background. Mine was especially for my niece’s family book requested by the day care. I thought it would be cool to have “adventurous aunty” in it.
But…. That’s when things went wrong. We basically did every possible mistake we could. We got scared when the elephant flapped his ears only few metres away from us so we made sudden escaping movements. It scared him back so he started trumpeting and running towards us. We ran and I screamed, which you must never do and I knew that. I felt his trunk in my back and got a red mark for few hours, Eff fell on the floor and scrawled behind the car. It lasted only few seconds, but we had the scare of a lifetime… We were so lucky that in fact he was a very quiet elephant, who left us alone after pushing us away from him. He stayed nearby for the rest of the evening while we drank wine to recover from our emotions. We were also ashamed to have been so inconsiderate. That’s how accidents happen, and when they do, it might cost the life of the animal which is then considered troubled while he has done nothing but protecting himself. Accidents are always caused by humans’ stupid behaviour. What a lesson learnt!
Khwai
Khwai was the only camp where we had officially secured two nights. It was a short drive away from Xakaxana under our Botswana standards. We had a quiet and enjoyable morning, stopping by several waterholes before and after Hippo pools. We saw buffalos, crocs drying lazily in the sun, hippos bathing and few elephants while having breakfast at a hide. We registered at the camp in time for lunch and a quick nap and went for an afternoon game. Still no sight of cats, despite our best efforts to find them.
The day was mostly uneventful. Action took place in the evening. We had been warned that wildlife was roaming around the camp. We had to watch for thieving monkeys at lunch, so we decided to prepare a quick and easy dinner on that night. Our option prove to be a good one when the tiny vervet monkeys were replaced by big baboons at sunset. They are not cute anymore when they come down from the trees in groups, looking for food and anything else they can steel from you. The atmosphere became even more interesting when an elephant appeared and start eating the trees bordering our campsite, breaking one to reach the yummy upper leaves. We could clearly ear the sound of action, while seating quietly in our chairs and sipping our drinks. Hippos bathing in the nearby river were grunting noisily, stating their presence. It was quite impressive, but after all it was exactly what we came for. All of this ended up being almost nothing compared to what happened later. We were quietly eating our pastas by the fire, when I saw Eff’s face becoming white as he was telling me not to move nor make any sound. I turned my head and there was a big hyena less than two metres away from me, sniffing everything on the table. She went all around, ignoring both of us and left when she could not find anything of her liking. When you have seen what a hyena is capable of, I can assure you that having one so near you is really, really scary… We heard people screaming and chasing her away. Apparently they are very coward so showing a bit of aggressivity is enough to send them off. We still didn’t know that when another one passed by on Eff’s side, oblivious of our presence and again totally uninterested by our cooking. We were so glad if was not a barbecue dinner. Our night was a short one as we went up to our tent vey quickly to avoid other encounter. Lying in bed, we could hear elephants nearby, people shouting at hyenas and hippos grunting. That was a real wilderness experience. Baboons screams woke us up, and we discovered various animal spoors around our car in the morning. The place had been busy overnight!
We spend the day driving along the river in the outskirts of the park and of the camp. We saw some mammals such as a big group of buffalos, many red leechwes, and the usual antelopes, but the day was mainly bird-oriented. There were several species of storks and herons standing on the shores, a pied kingfisher busy fishing, ibises showing their best profile and eagles perched in the trees searching for a prey to catch. Some crocs were lying on the shores, and elephants were drinking and bathing. After our crazy drive with them, I became more and more wary about them. We were on the bank on of river when we saw one coming out of the forest to reach the water. Eff stopped the car to observe him. I was shaking a bit, and nervous as he stayed very near from my side of the car, facing me most of the time. And the difficulty is that you can’t read elephants. They are totally expressionless for amateurs like us. So each time he was flapping his ears, I could not tell whether he was just fanning himself, or becoming annoyed by our presence. The engine was switched off, and I could not help but thinking that we would have no time to switch it on and drive if the latter was the answer. I totally freaked out when a second elephant arrived in the back, heading straight towards us. It was being surrounded once again. Eff was not unsure about turning the engine on as the noise might upset them, but finally did and we drove off. Unfortunately, the road in the forest was blocked by a fallen tree (another elephant’s doing), and the only option was to go back by the river bank. Yep, with the elephants…. We stopped at the bend of the river to check where they were. Five of them were there, slowly going in the river. We waited for all of them to be in, away from the shore, to make our way and rejoin more hospitable places. What a fright again and what a change. Few days before I was over the moon and excited to see an elephant, and there I was totally freaked out by the sight of them so close to us. We went to the other bank, and crossed path again with elephants. There were so many of them, we could not believe it. Observing them from a distance was still fun thought. They are very interesting animals when they keep their distance from me.
We were disappointed by not seeing cats at all as Moremi is supposed to be a very good park for predators, and it was our last day in this reserve. We drove through weird places, completely savaged by elephants, leaving a feeling of desolation with the numerous dead and broken trees set around dry waterholes. We went back to the savannah area to try our luck, but went back to the camp unsuccessful again. The night was quiet this time. No hyena and an elephant at a reasonable distance. Only hippos were on duty, so we went to sleep listening to their lullaby.
Crossing Chobe to Linyanti
The following day was a long day of driving. The only campsite we had managed to secure was at the northern border of Chobe. It had looked ok then, but we did not know that our average speed was less than thirty kilometres an hour.
We left early, leaving Moremi behind to head to Chobe. On the sandy main road, Eff spotted what looked like lion’s spoors. We stopped to check but they were heading the opposite direction. It was confirmed by a guide who stopped to ask whether we had seen it. We hesitated to turn around, and finally continued straight as the prospect of looking at the lion in the thick bushes was underwhelming. We arrived at Chobe gate an hour later, welcomed by a honey badger wandering around. A car full of photographers were registering at the same time. And the most incredible scene happened: 20 people, including Eff, armed with big lenses started chasing this poor animal for a perfect shot. She was running away to constantly find someone else in her way, hissing her dissatisfaction. This for me was the perfect example of animal harassment, and the limitation of tourism. I stared in disbelief, waiting for Eff to come back to his senses. He did quickly and we were able to take the road.
The drive was uneventful. The park was beautiful, driving on narrow sandy tracks along a reddish savannah and bushes. Eff spotted fresh cat’s tracks, this time going towards our direction. We drove even slower, following the fresh path until the spoors left the tracks to head into the side. And we saw our first leopard! Well, we had a brief glance at his face before he completely disappeared in the bushes. Still we were extatic, and Eff very proud of his newly acquired tracking skills. It made our discussion for the rest of the drive until Savuti where we had planned to have lunch.
Savuti is probably the best known section of Chobe park, and famous for its concentration of lions. Once there we understood why as the scenery was exactly where you would picture lions. Large plains with unblocked views, few trees and bushes to lie down, and very sandy tracks to track them. We stopped at the camp, managed by SKL the same company than Khwai where we came from and Linyanti where we were heading to to check if we could swap our booking and stay in Savuti instead. We were welcomed by very rude and unhelpful people, who did not even allowed us access to the camp for lunch. We have a sandwich at the gate instead before heading to Linyanti. As it was midday and a very hot day all lions were sleeping and none dared showing up. This was the result of our last minute preparation. Next time, as there will be a next time, we will organise in advance building the entire trip around Savuti.
We arrived in Linyanti quite worn-out. The scenery was very different from Savuti. We were back in foresty area instead of open plains. At registration the first thing we’ve been told was that it was elephant territory so we had to be careful. Even if our campsite was a hundred metre away from the ablution block it was forbidden to walk there at night. I was like “Whaaaat?! Not agaiiin….”. The campsite was along a river from where we could hear hippos. There weren’t many tracks around this camp so we decided to have a quick drive around as late afternoon safari.
The road was very narrow, sandy and bordered by mopani trees, the preferred treats of elephants. Without surprise there were massive herds, crossing the roads or eating the trees. Once again we had to be very careful, and once again my heard was pounding. Midway of the four kilometres loop, we heard loud growls and an elephant trumpeting. The growls, which sounded like lion’s, intensified for a while. We decided to go and check again as obviously a cat was around. We could not locate it but instead, we saw a distraught elephant who started chasing us with no reason. Eff had to go full speed to escape, manoeuvring in the sandy winding tracks. It was quite obvious that something had upset the animal, and we were assuming that it was connected to the outburts we had heard earlier on. Probably he had been attacked or disturbed by a lion. Whatever the reason was, it was official for me, I had an elephant overdose. The rest of the evening at the camp was quiet. And we felt asleep with the sound of hippos.
It was our last night of this unbelievable seven days if immersion in the wild. We had our share of adventures and loved it. We were a bit disappointed by not seeing lions, but that’s the reality of wildlife. Probably it was the result as well of our last minute organisation. We spent too much time travelling from one camp to another instead of discovering small sections. A visit to Moremi and Chobe could last more than 20 days in one go. Next time that’s what we will do and we will make sure to spend minimum 2 to 3 nights at each location. But we have no regrets as it was an unforgettable experience.
