Thursday, December 19th – Saturday, December 21st 2024
World Tour Days 47 – 49
We had an early morning 6:00am departure for a big drive day. Along the highway were large herds of zebra who were migrating from the Okavango Delta area (where we were heading). They could move away from the delta due to it being the short rainy season, meaning grass was now available in other areas. At 11:00am we grabbed our smaller backpacks and jumped in the open air safari jeeps which would take us to our campsite for the next several nights. On the drive we saw a large herd of elephants with many babies crossing the dirt road in front of us. One baby used his trunk to test how deep the puddle in the road was before deciding it was shallow enough for him to cross. The puddle was maybe 1 inch deep. Nick was amused watching the babies be so cautious.
After a long driving day we made it to our activity, which was a ride in a canoe. Nick and I sat in the canoe and the ‘poler’ was a guide standing in the back using a long wooden pole to drive us forward in the water. The river was reflecting the clouds and trees, which was gorgeous. We saw hippos, elephant bones, and many birds. It was a peaceful way to end the day.
For the next two nights we got to camp in the Khwai Conservation Area. There were permanent tents for us with beds, showers, and toilets, and a large communal tent for meals and lounging. The camp had chairs set around a fire pit and lanterns were lit in the evening time. Since there are no fences we needed a guide to escort us between the areas when dark.
The next day was a full day of game drives. In the morning we were in the Moremi Game Reserve. The drive started off with seeing various birds of prey, hippos, zebras, and and a giraffe. The giraffe had a bird on it, eating all of the flies and other insects it disturbed.
There were wildebeest, including a mom with a baby less than a week old. It was the smallest we had seen so far. There were not many options for coverage for using the bathroom so the ladies ended up all in a line behind the one bush.
Our jeep found 4 female lionesses laying in the shady grass by a small tree. It was a pleasant surprise to see the two cubs with them that were so young they still had all of their spots. We got to sit in the jeep very close and watch them for ages. The babies were playing with each other and the tails on the moms, climbing the tree, snuggling, and more. They had a lot of energy and it was clear the adults were just trying to nap and were being annoyed by the cubs. We learned that the females will help each other with feedings, and got to watch the cubs breastfeed.
Before ending our morning drive we got to see a hippo being chased on land by an older more dominant male. They were very fast and it was cool to witness them move on land, as they are most often seen in the water when we see them. All in all, the morning drive was 5 hours with a tea break.
After the morning excitement we were back at camp for a lunch and a siesta. In the later afternoon we left to the Khwai Conservation Area for another game drive. We saw sables, tree squirrels, water bucks, and other common animals such as impala. The water bucks are cool because they look similar to caribou but have a white ring around their butts.
The highlight of the afternoon was a pack of hyenas. Our jeep parked and watched 3 baby hyenas, predicted to be about 3 months old, playing outside their den waiting for the adults to return. The guide said one of them may have been older and from a different litter. Slowly more hyenas began to appear: there were 5, then 8, then it was hard to keep track as some were leaving and joining. The largest adult we had seen came back and most of the babies scattered back into the den. Since the movement was so sudden we were worried the newest adult was not a part of their family. Luckily, that was not the case.
The baby hyenas played in a puddle in front of the other jeep. The adult hyena checked on a den opening we had not been paying much attention to. Out popped a tiny baby, fully black, less than a week old. It was stumbling around unsure of its footing but happy to have adult supervision to emerge from the den. It made the 3 month old baby look gigantic. Reluctantly, we had to leave the hyena pack behind and head back for dinner. As we did we heard lions roaring in the distance.
Our time in the Okavango Delta area ended with a lovely dinner and another sleep in the permanent tents. The excursions are always a welcome break from our canvas tents and sleeping pads.
The next day we drove to Maun, where we would spend the night before making our way to Namibia. On our way we saw two hyenas marking their territory This included sniffing the bushes and peeing everywhere. We made it camp early and spent the afternoon relaxing, a rarity with the pace of the overland tour.