Arrival
A trip to Africa is an adventure in itself. Even in Germany, the journey to Frankfurt by train was bumpy. Our planned train was canceled the day before departure. However, the travel company Kristin paid attention and informed us about an alternative with an earlier train. Due to construction work, we had to take a detour and change to the S-Bahn for the last part of the journey to the airport - quite inconvenient. But our big advantage was that Kristin and her husband accompanied us. We were able to trot along very relaxed. We were also prepared for a quick gate change in Johannesburg. That actually happened to us. A quick 2 km through the airport worked well with a little excitement. Having the courage to book a higher class on the plane was definitely the right decision. The small surcharge on the airfare compared to the travel price was well worth it. The economy premium class has significantly wider seats and much more legroom.
First impression
On the approach to Johannesburg, the brown clouds that I remember well from the smoke in winter from the GDR times became apparent. The bad habit of burning all sorts of things in the evening is also widespread here. The rest break after arriving at the hotel in Maun and the excellent dinner that followed were very positive. Freshly prepared dishes of your choice and a very friendly, competent and absolutely relaxed service were a pleasure after the long journey. The icing on the cake for me was the recipe for the salad dressing. The polite question about the recipe was gladly answered with a lovingly handwritten recipe.
Country and people
Education here is free up to the 7th grade. After that, education becomes chargeable.
Health care is free of charge and is financed through income tax. The amount of income tax is calculated using a fixed percentage.
There is an unconditional basic income that corresponds to around 20% of a worker's earnings. The pension, which is compulsory for everyone from the age of 60, is slightly higher.
Every citizen is entitled to a piece of land that he or she can lease from the state for a ridiculous price. In addition, each citizen receives the stones for a small house as a gift. The size of the house is usually around 40 m², the same size as a summerhouse. In addition, everyone can lease 25 hectares of land at a favorable price. Agriculture is mostly limited to livestock farming because it is far too dry here.
Water is pumped from wells. However, the groundwater is only a few meters away because the Okavango Delta carries a lot of water. But the water is very salty.
It is still the case that men can only marry if they bring their in-laws a dowry of 8 cows or 40 sheep. Alternatively, a not inconsiderable sum of money is also accepted. In addition, the man has to decorate a wedding reception attended by several hundred guests. As if that wasn't enough, he also has to cover the cost of clothing for his future wife's family. The men are given a shirt or jacket and the women a dress. That also depends on the region. However, it is a relief that you can apparently also "pay off" your wife. If you only have enough for one cow at first, you can deliver the rest later. What I have not been able to clarify is what happens to the paid dowry if someone dies before the dowry is paid in full and the wedding takes place. This also happens.
However, this tradition also means that many people live together without a marriage certificate. Several women are probably more the rule. Many children too. 10 to 12 children are not uncommon in rural areas. The children work in agriculture and thus help to feed the family. Many men also work abroad. Our helpers all had several children and several wives. Other countries - other customs.
The children learn two national languages from the first grade. English and Setswana. In addition, each region has its own language. These local languages differ considerably.
Economy
Botswana has become rich through diamonds. The mines belong to the state. The sanctions against Russia are improving the situation for Botswana. Tourism is an important economic factor. There are some national parks that are well protected from poachers by the military. The entrance fee is quite expensive. A day ticket in Chobe Park costs about 260 pula per person.
There is also a 3-hour ticket for 80 pula. But you can hardly see anything in this short time.
Chinese companies are currently building water and sewage pipes. However, the state will repay the costs to China. Thanks to its wealth of diamonds, Botswana is not dependent on China.
At the hotel
People in Botswana speak very good English. At the breakfast buffet I had to help once because German tourists could only answer the question about the room number in German. The nice local employee didn't understand and asked again in English. As the tourists don't speak English, they repeated the answer again. But this time clearer, louder and slower - but again in German! I then gave my support, but couldn't help but smile. The employees are extremely careful and hard-working. They obviously enjoy their work. The relaxed calm was striking. You work here without stress. I was disappointed by the way the local African guests treated the staff. Both a family with adolescent children (who were proudly showing off their cell phones) and a young couple treated the friendly hotel staff in an extremely unfriendly and condescending manner. Even the snooty children didn't look at the employees and gave orders. After breakfast, I spoke to the head of the team about it. She made it clear to me that the hotel staff are used to this and don't take anything to heart. They have to accept this and are not used to it any other way.
Adventure traveler
We were told how the handover of a rental car to vacationers in Africa works. Guests are shown the technical details and equipment of the vehicle. This works well on paved roads. But here in the Kalahari, the rules are different. There are many paths in the parks with deep desert sand or loamy paths with deep gullies. If you don't drastically reduce your tire pressure in the sand, don't have a rope with you and are travelling alone, it can be very dangerous. Our guide rescued a young couple who were stuck deep in the sand. Less than 500 meters away, we had observed a pride of 10 hungry lions looking for food. Ignorance can really be fatal here. Outside the car, humans are on the menu for these graceful animals. We had observed these packs a few minutes earlier at a waterhole from a distance of less than 5 meters, our hearts pounding with fear. Our guide slowly introduced us to this world. It was to become much more intense.
Animals and plants
We were entertained with interesting facts on the game drives. The waterbuck has a mechanism that pumps a substance into the body via the blood in dangerous situations, making the meat inedible for predators and humans. Almost all trees use chemical substances to defend themselves against animals that nibble on them. The leaves taste bitter after just 5 minutes and the neighboring trees are also warned by these substances. The wind carries the messenger substance further. If the giraffes or elephants, for example, continue to walk, the production of bitter substances stops within a few minutes. The animals therefore also eat against the wind.
Elephants are very clever animals and are sometimes bad-tempered. A bull initially told us loudly and with wildly gesticulating ears that he was displeased with our presence. Our guide wanted to hold out at first, but then decided to give up. The elephant successfully chased us away and we were glad to have escaped unscathed. Yet elephants are sensitive animals. They are able to communicate over very long distances via sensors in their feet. From our point of view, they walk on their fingertips and have a special organ in their head that transmits seismic vibrations to the brain via the front feet. These signals work over 30 km. Elephants also mourn their dead comrades and return to the bones later. Their memory and orientation are far superior to ours.
Impalas and baboons live in a symbiotic relationship and complement each other with their senses. Impalas can hear and smell well, the monkeys can see well. This way they warn each other and survive better. Impalas live in herds of usually 20-25 animals. A buck leads the herd and constantly checks whether a female is currently fertile during the breeding period. The females control the birth so that the offspring are all born in a short time. This increases the chances of survival because the predators always look for the weak victims and the peers in the group do not stand out. The buck is constantly busy with his girls and can only keep up this performance for a few days. Then he is exhausted and is replaced by a well-rested competitor. These weak animals are also popular prey for big cats.
Termites are of particular importance. They change the landscape. They construct their burrow in such a way that the queen's chamber is protected from flooding. The externally visible mountain makes up around 20% of the entire building. Below the surface, the termites use the plant matter from outside to grow fungi. The most valuable product of the mushrooms is fed exclusively to the queen. This gives them the power to produce between 1,000 and one million eggs per day during their life cycle. When seeds from fruits fall into the burrow, a new tree or shrub grows from them. When it dies at some point, it is also processed by the termites.
Even the grass is interesting. There is a kind of stalk on the grass seed. When the seed has fallen out, it lies on the almost always dry ground. So it lasts a very long time. However, when it rains and the seed gets wet, the stalk starts to turn in a clockwise direction. It burrows into the rain-soaked soil and grows. Our guide moistened one of these seeds in his mouth. This is enough to set the process in motion and the handle turns almost as fast as the second hand of a clock.
Happy lucky group
It is an advantage to travel without expectations. Which animals you can photograph and how well is purely a matter of luck. There is no shortage of elephants and giraffes here. Large groups are rare. Catching a cheetah or a leopard is a matter of chance. For birds, you need special technology - or luck. We were very lucky! Our driver had learned that a cheetah had preyed on us and would therefore stay in the same place for perhaps another 2 days. It was thanks to his network that he was able to find the cheetah and her son and that we were able to photograph these noble animals in peace and quiet and from a very short distance. We also had encounters with lions, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, ostriches, elephants and many other animals.
In the tent camp we noticed that our camp site was on an elephant trail. This was then made clear by visits from elephants at a threatening distance for us guests.
These experiences were to be surpassed the next day. After elephants, hippos, ostriches, birds and giraffes, we got a hint of leopards. We were then able to photograph these shy and very rare animals extensively from a distance of 4-5 meters. They had made prey and were fully occupied with eating. What a day with so much happiness.
After sunset on the drive to the campsite, 3 large and extremely powerful hyenas crossed our path. You could also hear the peculiar calls of the pack nearby. Fortunately, the shouting was not directed at us.
But that's not all. There were three dominant lions in the area. At the end of our drive, one of these impressive animals stood in front of the open safari car in the light of our headlights. What a moment to see such an animal. The lion remained completely relaxed and walked past our car at a leisurely pace. This day will remain unforgettable.
Our guide
It is a complete mystery to me how our local driver and guide finds his way around this wilderness. There are very few signs. He reports with an enormous knowledge of nature in a very interesting and calm, clear voice. He knows the behavior of the animals very well and sometimes frightened us. A large elephant stood unexpectedly behind a bush and ate peacefully - less than 2 meters away from us. He assessed the situation as non-critical and drove on very slowly. He is really good at assessing the animals' behavior. As an experienced guide in Botswana, he knows many of his professional colleagues and exchanges ideas with them at every opportunity. Almost every driver is greeted and information is exchanged about where wild animals have been spotted. Only one arrogant white driver did not take part in this ritual.
Big cats
We learned that lions and leopards usually live in a fixed area. This makes it somewhat easier to encounter such animals in the wild. This is much more difficult with cheetahs because they are constantly on the move, like nomads. The animals' footprints were also interesting. Dominant males spread their paws outwards, females inwards. With hyenas it is exactly the opposite, because in their groups the dominant female leads. Lions lie around lazily all day. Hunting is always dangerous for them. We saw animals marked by the fight and also seriously injured. An animal that can no longer hunt dies. Nobody is fed here. The rough cats are among the most popular photo subjects.
The way to experience Africa
Of course, we saw a lot of tourists on our trip. Some fly from one park to another and go on game drives there. Others are picked up at the airport in Maun or Victoria Falls and driven from lodge to lodge. There is usually a morning tour, then free time and then an evening tour. The more adventurous rent a car that is more or less suitable for off-road driving and try it on their own. But they should be very well prepared, because not all problems can be solved with a cell phone in the wilderness. Radio reception is extremely rare here. In an emergency, you can only wait for support from passing tourists. This can sometimes take days. Outside the vehicle, however, you are food for the predators. Encounters with lions, hyenas or leopards are no longer fun.
The internet in the lodges is sometimes extremely slow. I was able to take advantage of this when we were stranded in a lodge like this for a short time after a technical defect. We were approached here by a couple from Canada. It was an interesting conversation for everyone. We were asked if we were also guests of the lodge (the two were looking for some entertainment). Of course we weren't and told them about our way of traveling and the accommodation in the tent. They could hardly believe it. They thought that people from the tent camp must be unshaven, have disheveled hair and look pretty dirty and run-down - just like Robinson Crusoe. We did not fulfill any of these clinches. Then we were allowed to look at pictures of the couple's room on their cell phone. They explained to us what glamping means. A luxurious room and a bathroom with a huge bathtub in a permanent tent. Hmm - we couldn't keep up with that. Our shower was a rubber tub with hot water in a separate part of the tent. There was also a toilet and a small washbasin. Very spartan, but functional. But then we were able to strike back! When asked for pictures of wild animals, almost nothing came up. Dreams of lions, leopards or even cheetahs at close range certainly did not come true for the Canadians. I had my laptop with me and the pictures were already sorted. We then showed the people our trophies in no time at all, full of hunting pride. But one after the other and in peace so as not to overwhelm them. We spent an hour each time looking at the noble and very rare animals from a distance of less than 5 meters without any disturbing bushes or grasses. The astonished and almost horrified faces of the Canadians were sheer joy for us.
The travel company
At the end of the trip, with so many impressions and so much information, I can assess the work of our travel company very well. The effort involved in traveling to and in Africa is great and the journey is sometimes arduous. We saw lots of different vehicles. It was cold in our open vehicle in the mornings and late evenings, but warm clothes and a hot water bottle helped! The air was very pleasant during the day. The accommodation in the tent gave us a lot of time with the wild animals. Others arrive from the hotel in the morning, are only in the park for a few hours and have to leave the park early in the evening. However, our company has a license to stay overnight directly in the park. This advantage, together with a very experienced and well-connected driver and guide, was the key to our good fortune. And we were lucky very often.
On a longer tour between two campsites, our team of helpers got stuck in deep sand with their vehicles. It was not until nightfall that the tents could be erected. However, this unexpected difficulty turned into a wonderful evening. The team set up the tents without stress and very professionally and I was allowed to help our cook with the cooking. Nobody complained and the quick time was excellent. Everyone had fun and the seemingly unsuccessful end to the day's tour turned into an unforgettable evening.
At night we had visits from hyenas in our camp. Someone had forgotten to include the scraps from our sumptuous evening meal. The imposing animals could not resist the smell of meat scraps and bones. In the middle of the night, they searched noisily for treats in the garbage bags between empty cans. No one dared to open their tent. The calls of the animals were terrifyingly loud.
We were very lucky to be able to experience Botswana together with the people who came up with this concept. They showed us the world they are so enthusiastic about. We visited the places that had given them magical moments. And we had a team of local helpers who spoiled us every day with their wonderful African joie de vivre. Such warmth and gratitude is hard to find in the western world.
The border officials
We experienced a small episode when we entered Zimbabwe. You had to hand in your passport and a completed questionnaire. The first colleague took a quick look and gave the passport to his colleague. He accepted the fee of 30$ and issued a receipt. Only when the finances had been clarified did we continue. A third officer got the passport and the receipt. He stuck a sticker on the passport that fills an entire page. Now the passport went back to the first colleague, who entered the data on the sticker by hand and stamped it. The whole thing took just under half an hour for five people. It's hard to imagine the waiting times that have to be endured when the place is busy. When we arrived, the counter was empty.
The last stage
A motto accompanied us on our safari: You see what you should see!
It really is up to chance and luck what you get to see. Nobody can plan that. An adventure trip like this has so many imponderables that you can never plan for every situation. However, the surprises often turn into very special experiences. We had this luck.
We were close enough to touch the wild animals. A female elephant with a newborn less than 2 meters from the car. But the small bushes between us were enough for her. She remained completely relaxed. Such situations are always critical and require a great deal of experience on the part of the driver. He has to decide whether he can stand still or has to flee quickly.
And I would never have dreamed that lions would relax in the shade of the car. They simply ignored us and didn't see us as prey.
Even at Victoria Falls we met some very special people and experienced an unplanned evening of live music. Of course, in the bitterly poor Zimbabwe, the tourist niche rules. But our tour guide took good care of us!
The flight home
The positive impressions would not end on the flight home. I had a couple from Italy next to me. The two of them had traveled from Angola to Namibia by car and also went on safari. They were thrilled to see elephants, giraffes and zebras. Even a cheetah - albeit in the animal sanctuary for injured animals. Well - we had experienced much more than that. This time I just marveled politely. The laptop remained in the rucksack.
Conclusion
After fighting tooth and nail against a luxury trip to Africa for a long time, I now understand what my travel agent Kristin means by luxury. It's not the bathtub in the hotel room, it's not the champagne or the cocktail at the truly impressive sunset - nor is it the swimming pool or the same old food at the hotel buffet. None of this meant anything to any of the travelers. They really were magical moments in the middle of the impressive African nature with lots of wild animals and very special, very lovely people. We were allowed to be part of this family and in the end we were full of great impressions and deeply grateful to the team. This trip was worth every effort and every hardship.
I ask for your indulgence. My text has become a bit more this time. But you certainly only have such experiences and so much luck once in a lifetime. A tour guide that I really can't fault, a warm family of helpers and very friendly tour participants. That's hard to beat. On my trip to Japan at the turn of the year, I experienced the complete opposite in every respect.
I can only thank Kristin and Dirk from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for this great time with so much joie de vivre.