Pete Ryland's Web Log

Botswana [] (18:27)

From our camp at Palapye, just inside the border of Botswana, we set off on another long day on the road. Another several hundred clicks behind us and we had made it to Maun, where we did some shopping before setting up at at our camp just outside town. It was another beautiful camping spot with plenty of creature comforts, including a bar with an enviable shot list.

The next day, we set off for the Okavango Delta which is a river delta in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. We get there from Maun firstly by truck, and then by Mokoro. These are a type of dug-out canoe, powered by a "poler" in a method similar to punting. We spent two nights and almost three days at our campsite there, going for guided walks in the "Big 5"-filled environment, riding the Mokoros and swimming in the water which has been purified by a journey through sand and reeds of thousands of kilometres. The term "Big 5" refers to the five large dangerous animals which inhabit Africa. Of these, we saw track evidence and even the occasional roar of lions, a couple of elephants and a metric shit-load of their dung and footprints. There were countless birds to see, including many varieties of hornbill -- even a trio of the endangered ground hornbill. We also saw a very fast warthog, some giraffes, a family or two of monkeys and a treeful of baboons. There were plenty of other tracks, dung, termite mounds, other hideaways and a few animals to behold, from different types of antelope, cudu to stinbo to springbok to daika, hyenas, and others.

Today we left the delta after another dawn guided walk. After lunch we left via the two-hour Mokoro ride and half hour drive back to Maun Airport where we set off in some six-seater Cessna prop planes for a flight over the delta. It was absolutely amazing. On this flight we saw hundreds upon hundreds of animals all over the beautiful delta, mostly elephants and giraffes, but also a number of hippos and antelopes. I could go on for hours about this flight, but dinner is almost ready, so I'll leave it to the many photos to tell the rest of the story. A long drive is ahead tomorrow, almost one thousand kilometres, to Victoria Falls, on the border of Botswana, Zim and Zam.

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