I Want to Go to Botswana

When Gayle and I decided we would travel to South Africa together we each wanted to do research before we made any decisions. We made our individual lists of what we wanted to see and then we talked. Gayle said that as long as we were going to South Africa she would like to go to Zambia/Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls. I said that as long as we were going to Victoria Falls I would like to go to Botswana and ride on a boat on the Chobe River near Namibia. Our travel agent tried to talk us out of it, which just made us more determined.

So once again we were up before the sun. We ate a quick continental breakfast and met our van to the border before 7:30 am. It is an hour drive to the border and then you have to go through the two-step process of customs. This time, however, we also had to walk through a muddy pan of water to clean our shoes.  Beef is a major export of Botswana and they want to make sure no one brings in any diseases.

We rode in two different vehicles before we got to Chobe. Our base for the day was aha Chobe Marina Lodge in Kasane. We were loaded onto a two story pontoon boat for a three hour tour down the Chobe. During the dry season there is a grassy island in the middle of the river. Animals that can swim head over there to avoid the lion and leopard that cannot swim. We didn't need a tracker because the animals all come down to the water in droves. It was almost overwhelming. 

We saw crocodiles. There was this large male.

A mother crocodile guarding a nest of eggs

This baby crocodile

There were hippos swimming across the river

Hippos giving us full body looks

And hippos with their mouths open

We saw a monitor lizard

There were more elephants and buffalo then I had time to count.

After three hours we headed back to the aha Chobe Marina Lodge for a buffet lunch.  There were dozens of tourists there from many, many countries having lunch after their excursions. 

In the afternoon we were loaded up on the back of 10 passenger Jeep with every seat filled. We headed out for a three hour game drive in Chobe National Park. It was 100 degrees and miserable. We saw some of the same animals we saw in the morning. We also saw a lion hiding under a bush.  We stopped to look at a dead elephant with a vulture sitting on top of it.

I loved this baboon in an odd pose.

I watched a giraffe for awhile trying to see its long tongue.

But the heat was intense and the roads were all sand.  It was a bumpy ride and when the wind blew we got sand in our faces.  I think our travel agent was right. We didn't need to tack on this excursion. Lesson learned.

Back to the border and the whole painful process again, then an hour drive home. We got a few souvenirs and headed back to our room.  We ordered room service and talked to our loved ones. Tomorrow we get up before the sun so we are ready to meet our transfer to the Victoria Falls airport. Our next stop is Cape Town.