This area is on the edge of the Okavango Delta where the river floods the land before evaporating and disappearing into the sand which lies on top of bedrock, metres below. This sand makes for challenging tracks around the park. Deep ruts have developed and the Land cruisers plough though them like a boat. We feel like sailors with sea legs at the end of the drive. Today I’m with a lovely guide called Gee, who really knows his stuff.
The game is plentiful and we see herds of Impalla – graceful and delicate. The males have the most exquisite horns. There are Zebra to be seen here as well as Kudu and a semi-aquatic antelope called Lychwee. They all seem to graze together taking advantage of the Zebra’s ability to sense the presence of Lions.
Birds such as Egrets, Eagles (Snake and Fish) are spotted. Everyone is on the look out for whatever we can see.
There is a lot of water around and there is a particular bridge made with tanalised poles. The driver/guides have to cross it very carefully.
We encounter three Ostriches – two males and one female. The light beige female has the right camouflage to sit on her eggs during the day, whilst the males take the night shift. Their black feathers become invisible.
Suddenly we see Wilderbeasts for the first time. They are classed as one of Africa’s Ugly Five. Up close they seem more dramatic and eccentric. Apparently, they don’t see well and rely on other animals to signal danger. They are the lion’s favourite dinner.
On the banks of the ponds are crocodiles sunbathing with mouths open to regulate their temperature.
All the game keepers talk to each other via walkie Talkie with info on where the game is. Lions have been spotted. They have stolen their dinner from a pack of Wild Dogs. Our driver races slowly though the sandy tracks and we arrive to a small line-up of Land Cruisers parked as if for a drive-in cinema.
One young male is walking back and forth in a distracted way and in the bush is a female.
What appears to be another female is lying in the grass. This turns out to be a younger male who has not yet grown his mane. When he does get up we can see that he has been in a fight.
There are claw wounds on his flank and he limps badly when he walks. The other young male also has wounds and the rangers think they have been in a fight – maybe with another male trying to take their female from them.
We now hear rumours of Cheetahs and Wild Dogs. We take off to look but there is no sign of either. Instead we discover Jackals basking in the sun on open grassy ground by a pool.
We are now rewarded with Warthogs, who eat on their knees to crop the grass close to the ground. A lilac Collared Roller makes and appearance followed by a very large herd of Zebra.
Lunch is a surprise – the staff have set up a barbecue and camp tables and chairs by a shaded pond. An Elephant is grazing in the shallows on marginal grasses and reeds just around the corner – far enough away to be safe.
Hippos are in the water, coming to the surface to breath and look before submerging.
Sausages and chicken wings are sizzling and the drinks master has brought the whole bar in a fold-up mahogany cabinet. A few choose beer, but most go for sparkling water.
As we approach the entry to the Camp, Oscar, the resident Hippo is grazing just outside the electric fence which encircles the Lodge. It mainly keeps out Elephants, allowing shorter animals inside.
We now have time for an afternoon nap in the luxurious rooms/tents which surpass any concept of glamping.
Our late afternoon Game Drive begins with a full on Giraffe encounter with a magnificent male, but we are chasing a couple of Chetahs. We Criss cross over the game park to no avail, but on the way we see birds, Impala and Lychwee, ending up in the area known as Paradise.
Ancient trees, flooded in the past and now dead reach ghostly branches to the sky. Here all the herbivores take advantage of the small islands in the swamp to graze and sleep for the night. The Big Cats don’t like getting their feet wet and the herbivores can hear them splashing through the water.
This is a strange and beautiful place, becoming magical as the sun goes down and here we are again sipping beer or gin & tonic or sparkling water with nibbles.
