Travel Lifestyle Golf: A Magical Migration

It may surprise you to learn that the migration of wild animals is across a lot of Africa, not just the known tourist ones of Kenya and Tanzania.

Travelling through the Central Kalahari we head East to re-join back into the North West side of Botswana.

A quick overnight at a pretty decent campsite, Symponia, set us up for our re-emergence back into Botswana as we head towards Maun.

On this trip, we have been to Botswana before but only the South and East of the country, we wanted to see the North and West, hence chose Maun as our base. And we’d heard good things about this fairly touristy area too.

Our accommodation in Maun was at Island Safari lodge, a really nice selection of self contained thatch roof buildings dotted along the dry river bed. There is also a couple of pools to relax in and a camping area too - but we were lucky to have
stayed in on of the lodges.

Using Island Safari Lodge as our base, we set off super early, before sunrise, destination Moremi Game Reserve. Slightly blurry eyed and the cold wind bashing us to pieces in the open air game viewing vehicle, it struck me how much more comfortable the Andi the Landy is!

As the day dawned and the park grew closer, we were on decent roads, and to our surprise a mother leopard popped up to cross the road right in front of us - with two incredibly cute cubs dashing like blurs behind her. Never keeping still, and like a flash they were gone. Mum however hung around for a little while so we could get some good photos. Im not sure if she just liked posing, or whether she took the opportunity to get a break from her demanding babies, but she gave us plenty of opportunity to see her in fine condition.

Back and forth the little family went, crossing near a dried up stream, with the babies being difficult to capture on a regular camera, but caught in action beautifully on our ‘big camera’

In truth the big camera is no bigger than any other - the lens however is a Sony 200-600 lens, heavy, unbalanced and perfect for this type of
photography.

We spent some time with the leopard and her cubs before moving on, and to our delight, next up we saw a pack of wild dog.

Looking dishevelled and on some kind of hunt, they were split into pairs as they circumnavigate around their intended target.

Wild Dog are on the endangered list, in fact they are one of the worlds most endangered mammals, so to see a pack in Botswana, is fantastic. Their breeding program and hopefully their ultimate removal from the endangered list is soon to come. We have also seen wild dong in the Kruger National park in South Africa.

But this sighting of them going about their hunt, was extra special.

Wild Dog are incredibly efficient hunters, splitting up into pairs or individuals but using all pack instincts to encircle and hunt down their quarry.

They did look a bit mangey, but you couldn’t get away form how very different each dog was, yet they all carried the striking colours known to their species of red, black, brown, yellow and white. Beautiful markings, despite the slight tufty appearance.

The wild dog didn’t worry about us being there, and eventually moved away looking less like they were hunting and more like they were off for an early morning constitutional.

We hadn’t even reached Moremi at this stage, so were delighted to have seen these two, very special wild animals without much effort.

Botswana is a great place to discover game, and once in Moremi we saw so many types of other animals that to list would just be boring, but rest assured, there is plenty to see.

A long day animal sight seeing and we head back to Island Safari Lodge, and would you believe, we saw the same Leopard, with a kill. Under the shade of a bush. Smelly and obviously nutritionally delicious, if you like day old cape buffalo that is! The cubs were no where is sight, having hidden them as she was distracted by making the most of her kill.

Devouring a kill can attract other wild animals, so to hide her cubs is perfectly normal, its not as if she was eating for herself and not allowing the cubs to have their share, she is being a Mom and protecting her young!

Back at Island Safari Lodge and a quick dip in the ever so welcome pool before dinner and an early night.

Next day we got to go on the owners caterpillar - now thats not a sentence I ever thought I’d write. A clever design of multiple carriages he used to track around their own mini-safari and to carry the staff up to and from the main gate.

Our mini-safari was lovely especially as we got to see a really large owl, the African Eagle Owl, who was a bit camera shy. You can wander around Island Safari Lodge yourself too, with plenty of walking and for the more energetic amongst us, running tracks. There is definitely a peace about being there and if you want a good night sleep, in comfortable beds, the works too.

Heading towards Makgadikgadi, we approach SKL camping, who with their knowledge point us to one of the lovely campsites. There is still a park entry fee to pay, but this fee covers Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan.

Shortly after entering the game reserve, we stumble upon thousands of Zebra and wildebeest. Moving ever so slowly out of our way the zebra wide bums looking more like a bar code overload with the off wildebeest popping up in the middle.

It seems zebra and wildebeest are best buddies as they often hang out together, safely in numbers??

Slowing and purposely moving aside, the zebra didn’t seem at all concerned that Andi the Landy was chugging behind gradually being enveloped by a carpet of wild animals. In biblical proportions, it was a bit like the parting of the sea as they swung back in behind us as we made slow progress along the sandy road.

Well we thought we were on the road, we couldn’t really tell as the animals had turned it up so much, we actually couldn’t see the road.

Finding our campsite, we were the only ones there so had the pick of where to pitch our camp. But before we set up our camp and settled in for the night, we went on a late afternoon self driven game drive.

Sitting high on a bank in Andi the Landy overlooking what would have normally been a gushing river, we watched the elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, cape buffalo, ostrich and so many other animals tracking from the left heading right. So many animals in one relatively small area was as sight to behold. We were later told that the animals had headed north but there was so little water they can back to this now drying up river - and whilst sad in some ways - how lucky are we to see this!

In the sparse water, with hippo wallowing, it seemed to satisfy the animals before they moved on in packs or as individuals, it was quite difficult to tell as there were so many animals per square foot. Not fighting for water or causing any upset, they lived in harmony, sharing and going about their own business with purpose - what that purpose was, we don’t know, and why they were all heading the same way, we don’t know either. But we do know this sighting is one of the best we’ve had of a mass of animals in any one area.

Back at the camp, and an early night after dinner as we planned an early morning game drive to catch the wake-up animals. Listening to lion at night, some sounded very close indeed, we had a relatively fitful sleep.

Next morning we woke to big lion paw prints on the earth by our camp site. Glad of not needing a wee at night, we quickly packed away as the sun rose once again and set off to the same high ridge.

To our amazement, there just as many animals, but this time heading left. Mother nature and the all knowing direction of wild animals will continue to amaze us. We stopped and watched for a while, then drove slowly through Makgadikgadi toward Nxai Pan.

Splitting the large herds of animals as we went, we entered Nxai Pans and decided to take the long drive round to the back of Baines Baobabs. So named after the famous painter and explorer Baines. This clump of excessively large trees are known as the sleeping sisters. Seeing them in the flesh really does show the sheer size, in girth and in height, as they hang onto a little island of green in amongst the vast expanse of the white salt pans.

In the far distance you can see the bush, you can even see elephant looking bemused at our attempt to do circles on the pans, and failing in the lumpy old landrover.

Back to Maun after a long couple of days getting up early, self driving around it was so to be back for a restful night at Island Safari Lodge.

Travelling north, keeping the stunning Okavango Delta on our right. Catching glimpses of the reflective calm waters we arrive at our next camp site. Under the shade of trees, the site wasn’t the best, as the mosquitoes took a liking to the ever present cooler and darker areas under the huge tree canopy.

Next day we moved on and found a nice campsite by the water itself. We even managed to get some hand washing done to replenish our dwindling wardrobe, which in truth is limited to start with!

Camping next to the water brings its own noises as hippo grunt at night and the continuous background of the crickets as the sun sets. As campers, we often
refer to ourselves as the great unwashed, and with the campsites being along way form the main building, (20 minutes walk away), they thought so too. Mind you the walk through woodland teeming with the pretty spotted bushbuck, who were obviously used to people wandering by was lovey to see.

Not quite tame, but certainly not worried by our ambling presence.

Night time is not a good time to be wandering around with so many hippo about, so we made sure we were back to our campsite before dusk, drinking a gin and tonic - for medicinal purposes of course then clamber into bed to listen to the hippo and other far distant but welcoming night noises as we drift off to sleep, safe and comfforbtale in our Bush Company roof top tent.

After a couple of days we were ready to get going again, so cross back into Namibia, and travelled along the Caprivi Strip. Something’ve always wanted to do hearing stories of wild life roadside - we didn’t see a thing except one kudu, but it was nice to route ourselves along this iconic, long tarmac strip of land and stay for one night next to Poppa Falls in Shametu Lodge - I even took the opportunity to have a back, neck and shoulder massage so felt pretty nimble by the time we left and headed towards Zambia.

Ready to take on a whole new country.