Our first full day in Chobe started early—at 5:30. Without phones, our wake up call consisted of a member of the staff with a drum, drumming outside of each cabin until the occupant makes a response—whether "I'm up" or “Go Away” did not matter, just the fact that you answered the drum. Since our “light” breakfast was at 6 am and departure was at 6:30 and the outside temperature was about 40 degrees and not only was there NO HEAT, there was no glass in the windows. So getting dressed did not take long, and I dressed in multiple layers—long sleeve T, fleece jacket, travel vest, and nylon jacket. I also had winter gloves, a knit hat, and a wool scarf which felt good when we boarded our open vehicles. Our light breakfast was more than I eat normally—a porridge, toast, muffins, yogurt, cold cereal, fresh fruit, and coffee or tea. We ate quickly and soon boarded our safari vehicles. They are 4 wheel-drive, amphibious vehicles with a front seat and three more rows of stadium style seats, 3 across. The only doors were in front, so we had to board by using a series of running board style steps over the rear wheel. Getting in wasn’t too bad, but it took a little skill to get out, and backing out was easier than trying to climb down facing forward. However, I managed all entries and exits without falling or otherwise embarrassing myself.
Our camp is a short distance from the National Park, but we saw our first animals before we ever reached the highway
. There was a breeding herd of elephants having breakfast on the bushes. There are two types of elephant herds—breeding herds consist of adult females and young elephants; the herds composed of male elephants, known as bachelor herds. Next we saw a type of antelope known as Greater Kudu, and then a Bushbuck another antelope, related to the Impala.
Inside the park we didn’t see any of the cats, but we did see elephants, buffalo, a mongoose, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, Kudu, Bushbucks, Impalas, Sable antelopes, Red Lechwe (another antelope that lives in the wetlands), Monitor Lizards, Crocodiles, and lots of birds. The two most beautiful birds were the Lilac-breasted Roller, and the Little Bee-eater, but we saw many other unusual birds like the Red-beaked Hornbill, the Red-beaked Oxbiter, the Hammerkop, and theBlacksmith Lapwing, and the birds were as interesting and unusual as their names. About 9 am we stopped for a stretching and bush break, and then continued our search for wildlife until about 11, when we returned to camp for Brunch and a break until mid-afternoon.
Before we returned for our afternoon game drive three women from a nearby village visited the camp to demonstrate how they made baskets, and to let us try our hand at making one. Actually our task was merely to pull a strip of soft palm fiber around a based. Every OAT group since January has added to the basket weaving, and at this rate, it might be finished in two or three years, but it was fun to participate. It was even more fun to look at and buy baskets that the women had made.
On our afternoon drive we went to a different part of the park saw warthogs, giraffes, zebras, Greater Kudu,
Into the Bush
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Chobe National Park, Botswana
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2025-02-11