We are a couple in our mid-fifties and have taken part in a very special trip.
We started in Zimbabwe in the small town of Victoria Falls. The Zambezi, as it plunges into the depths on the Zambian side, was a unique natural spectacle. All inclusive, we had both a rainbow and a small thunderstorm, fantastic. Two nights in a great guest lodge rounded off the contrasting program. By now, our group had formed a close bond and we were looking forward to what the coming time in the bush of Botswana had in store for us.
Southern Africa had already cast a spell over my wife and I and so this was now our sixth trip. But unlike before, we wouldn't be sleeping in the roof tent of a camper, but in a tent where you could stand upright with your own sanitary facilities at the back. In other words, real luxury in the midst of wonderful, untouched nature. The rainy season was coming to an end, it was summer and the temperatures were around 35°C during the day and 20°C at night.
Our campsites "migrated": in the Chobe National Park, first from the Riverfront to the Savute region, then to a private reserve in the Mababe/Khwai region and ending in the Moremi Game Reserve. Each region was unique in its own way. Although we had already traveled through them as self-drivers, the experiences on the Gameviewer were completely new. The close encounters with the animals were of a very special intensity, our senses were heightened and our trust in our experienced guide Moronga was boundless. Thanks to our German-speaking tour guide, we also received all his explanations about the fauna and flora in translation.
Two highlights of our trip: the mokoro tour on the Khwai and the boat trip on the Okavango (where my wife involuntarily baptized her sun hat...).
Listing the animals we saw would be too long here, so I'll limit myself to our five highlights: Herds of elephants as far as the eye can see along the Chobe River, which separates Namibia from Botswana, moving from one side to the other. The kings among the animals: the proud lions in the Savute region, walking along the Gameviewer and making you hold your breath for a few seconds, you are so incredibly close. At one point we even spotted a pack of wild dogs! We had never seen them in such numbers before.
Chance, coupled with luck... Also a very special moment: a leopard lying on the branch of a tree. And just as we were about to leave the Moremi Game Reserve, we came across the big cats with the black tear lines: two cheetahs. I will probably never forget the direct eye contact with one of the animals.
Even on the gravel road towards Maun: still elephants, giraffes, zebras...
That's what makes Botswana so unique for me: no fences behind which the animals have to live, they are simply allowed to wander...
Also, or probably because the government controls tourism through high prices, this sustainable approach to biodiversity and safaris (far away from mass tourism) will hopefully remain in this quality for a long time to come.
A few words about our food. Although our focus is not on the food: it was gigantic. Our chef partner and his crew conjured up new dishes on our plates every day in his kitchen tent. My wife (who doesn't like red meat) was always given a modified version to choose from. Respect for what was possible under the given circumstances (remarkable: preparation and washing up was done with drinking water).
Not forgetting the logistics team around Pako, who mastered every situation perfectly. A total of 9 crew members ensured that this trip was unforgettable. And of course there are Kristin and Dirk, our lovely tour guides, who are living their dream by making these safaris possible in the first place.
What made the vacation even better: the great group, we will miss you all very much... Let us save these unforgettable pictures and moments in our hearts, to put it in the words of my wife... THANK YOU!!!
Christian
