Botswana

africa is calling again! and so it happened that almost one year after our return to Flora and the resumption of our journey, we could travel to africa and continue our adventure again. after a magical flight over stunning victoria falls, we happily landed in livingstone. the long journey was immediately forgotten as we stepped outside of the airport into dry and hot air. we had already realized from above that it has not been rained since a long time ago: the powerful waterfalls on the zambian side of the victoria falls had changed to a gentle water drizzle. we had arrived in the end of the dry season, and thus we crossed our fingers that first harsh rainfalls would not disrupt our plans for our route through botswana. with Flora well in shape and our extensive travel experiences, we were able to organize paperwork and setting up our car within a record time and so we hit the road already on the next day in direction to botswana. the formerly rather cumbersome river crossing by ferry has given way to a comfortable and modern bridge, which was only completed a month earlier. lucky us! border crossing was so smooth that it is not even worth mentioning and so it happened that we quickly found ourselves in a relaxing surrounding near to kasane on the banks of the chobe river. to explore the rich variety of animals of chobe national park it is worth to do a boat safari where you not only can spot crocodiles, hippos, elephants, buffalos, and other animals living in or near by the water, but also sea eagles and other beautiful birds. it is like a dream when you glide over the calm and glittering water, watching grassing animals on the banks and islands of the river, and facing one of these magical sunsets in botswana.

the tracks through chobe national park were most often very sandy. as we approached a steep sand hill that had to be passed, we met another travel couple from barcelona who were a bit apprehensive about passing this hill without getting stuck. we passed on to them all the knowledge we had learned about sand riding on our trip without letting them show our respect for this sand ride. but deflating the tires and driving with a reduction gear brought us both safely over the obstacle. the relief was great for both of us. at this point we did not yet know that we would see our catalan friends again a few days later and that another adventure would be waiting for us.

at thobolo’s eco lodge we found a beautiful and peaceful place where we set up our camp for two days. at the pool, we were able to escape the heat of the day for a little while planning our route through botswana. in the evenings, when the sky turned purple and the first balmy breezes brushed through the acacia trees, we eagerly awaited the arrival of the first elephants at the waterhole, who came running in large groups in anticipation of the water that would save them. for hours and mostly until dark we watched these beautiful animals drinking, splashing, and playing. the elephant bath usually lasted the whole night and still today we have these joyful sounds of them in our ears.

getting up at dawn in africa always has something magical for us and there is nothing more beautiful than being part of this peaceful moment of the awakening of the day, in the middle of nature. our journey continued towards savuti, where we passed enigmatic stone mounds with ancient rock paintings, drove through fabulous forests and the endless expanse of the marsh pan. at a river near the okavango delta, where the scenery seemed to come from a monet painting, we stopped and shared our campsite mbudi with elephants, which came very close to us not only once. an early morning trip in a traditional dugout canoe (mokoro) immersed us in a dreamlike world of water lilies until the moment when a hippo emerged from the water in front of us and drove us ashore with aggressive behavior. our mokoro driver did everything he could to chase the hippo away. Katharina meanwhile searched the shore for stable and tall trees to take refuge on in case of an emergency. but fortunately, this was not necessary, as we were able to successfully chase the hippo away to the other side of the shore. but this encounter was not to remain the only one on this day. on the challenging sandy road over khwai, via north and south gate into moremi national park, a huge bull elephant suddenly blocked our way. it cost us some power of persuasion to trick the bull and to escape out of his way. after an adventurous drive over gnarled wooden bridges and a dried-out landscape, we finally arrived at third bridge campsite. although Katharina’s memories on a lush and a game rich vegetation did not match with the rather barren and lonely landscape we were facing, we enjoyed fantastic game drives and spotted even a wild dog pack, which is a seldom occasion. the joy was great when the next day our catalan friends appeared on the campsite and together, we decided to go on a guided boat safari. and what started peacefully with the observation of beautiful, rare birds, such as kingfishers, ended in a huge disaster: just as we were about to set off on our way back, the rudder broke apart. at first, we thought it was a bad joke. but soon we realized that we were really in a predicament, and we tried with all possible means and macgyver tricks to steer the boat back. when night fell, we had to suppress our panic very much and we hoped that all the hippos had gone ashore to graze at night and that none of them would capsize our boat. the radio to the campsite did not work and so we had no choice but to keep calm and row back with some creative means. after several hours and already close to the camp, our distress signals were heard, and we could be rescued by another boat. the shock was deep and back at the camp we overcame it with a big portion of pasta and red wine.

on the following day, we made our way to maun, the capital town of the okawango delta where we spent some days at the lovely waterfront guesthouse of patrick. we not only used the time there to prepare our trip to the kalahari desert, but we also took the occasion to explore the delta on the back of horses and as well from up in the sky by a helicopter ride. seeing the delta and all the elephants from above was incredible amazing and an unforgettable experience! the encounter with the swiss couple and founders of okavango air rescue (http://www.okavangorescue.com), an adopted patronage system of the swiss rega, was a highlight of our trip too.

fully fledged with gallons of diesel and water, we started our adventure to central kalahari. one must know that a trip through central kalahari is a real expedition and nothing for an offroad and adventure lay. the kalahari desert is immense, ruthless, harsh and at the same time of a beautiful loveliness. nowhere else one does encounter nature with such reverence. we lived for several days in this breathtaking solitude, with no contact possibility to civilization, and the saying to Katharina of a south african we met in maun kept coming back to us: "you are a though lady!”. spotting wild animals is often not possible by just watching out of the window. but rather by reading their tracks by using all your senses. and so it happened on an early morning, when we met a family pack of twelve lions playing nearby a dried-out waterhole. an encounter that would have made the heart of any wildlife filmmaker beat faster. the wilderness of the kalahari was unbelievably good for us, and still we often think back to this adventurous part of the journey, where we had experienced unspeakable heat, several thunderstorms, and bush fires.

at the boteti river, another elephants’ and zebras’ paradise, we rested for the next night and enjoyed having a proper shower again. as we continued our journey to the world-famous baines baobabs in the nxai pan, we got greeted by the first rain drops of the starting rain season. a wonderful experience was the meerkat walk in the ntwetwe pan. if you spend some time in the pack of these lively little creatures, they accept you as a member of the pack and behave without shyness towards humans. unfortunately, we had to cancel another highlight due to the heavy rains, as the way to kubu island became too dangerous and impassable because of the water. therefore, we made a change of plans and drove directly to the border town of kazungula, where we had to do a pcr-test at the weight bridge to cross the border to zambia the next day. before we got Flora ready for another year of shelter, we decided to spend a weekend in victoria falls, zimbabwe and visit the victoria falls from the other side. it was very nice to get a taste of zimbabwe and to enjoy the amenities of the historic victoria falls hotel.