Camp Sitatunga & Poling on a Mokoro at Okavango

We stopped briefly for a bite of lunch in Maun…the first city since Victoria Falls and the only place anywhere around where basic supplies & services are available. Maun even boasts its own airport!

Our itinerary called for an overnight at the Camp Sitatunga (‘antelope’) , which offers both tent-camping & private rooms in “chalets”, as they’re called. The chef- in- residence” knew his way around the kitchen and served a delicious veggie curry for dinner ..which was especially appreciated knowing that the next meals at our Okavango campsite would be quite simple.

The driver of the 4 x4 vehicle taking us to the Okavango Delta gateway picked us up early the next morning…advising that it would be a bumpy ride there. So, what’s new? And sure enough, from the time we left the paved highway, we were rockin’ & rollin’ on a cratered sandy path all the way to the Delta shore. At one point en route, we had to ford a shallow river covering the road… which added a little extra excitement to the trip!

When we finally arrived at the ” boat dock”, we were surprised to see about a hundred other tourists waiting there to board a mokoro…which is an African-style rustic dug-out canoe. Each boat holds 2 passengers along with a small amount of cargo, plus the “poler”… a strong, young man who uses a long (~20 ft.) pole to move the vessel forward by pushing off the delta bottom. The entire Okavango Delta area is a natural wetland and covers about 3.5 million acres of northern Botswana. The waters there are generally shallow, so the flat-bottomed mokoros are the perfect mode of transport.

Our destination was a one of several camps located on the islands that dot the interior of the Delta. Without the benefit of a GPS or any signage, the poler guided our canoe effortlessly through the hippo grass and lilies until we reached the unmarked landing spot where we carefully disembarked. It’s all too easy to flip a mokoro! After gingerly unloading our gear and greeting the small camp staff, we all had a try at “poling” ourselves…which proved to be a lot harder than it had looked!!

Our camp was primitive in most respects…no running water or electricity, with the accommodations being canvas tents- each with its own outside pit toilet & gravity-fed shower. We were warned to keep our tents totally zipped-up at all times, owing to the presence of poisonous snakes and other unwelcomed denizens. I wondered whether that zipper would keep out big animals..and was pretty sure I knew the answer!

The 2 camp cooks did their best to provide tasty meals and were somehow able to bake bread on their propane burner-stove! The highlight of the evening at least for the 2 youngest members of our tour group, was roasting marshmallows over the blazing campfire. As for me, just gazing-up at the awesome star-spangled sky was the more memorable experience that night by far!

After having our fill of gooey marshmallows, we zipped ourselves into our tents… anticipating an early wake-up call for the sunrise walk on our morning agenda.

my chalet at Sitatunga — my “chalet” at Camp Sitatunga

Sitatunga camp site near Maun — campground at Sitatunga

our camp at Ok.Delta — our campsite in the Okavango Delta

launch depot at Okavango Delta — the mokoro depot

hippo grass & lilies — hippo grass & water lilies in the Delta waters

Sunrise nature walk at Okavango camp

We left the campsite on foot at the first hint of the coming dawn. I would have enjoyed the ambience more had I not kept thinking about the early morning hunting habits of the big cats in the area. The two ‘poler’ brothers doubled as our camp guides…but their instructions about how to handle large animal encounters was not exactly reassuring; and I quote: “If you come across a rhino or a buffalo- run zigzag and hide behind a bush; if a lion comes, don’t run & try to make yourself look big …or climb a tree.”. As I took a look around, climbable trees were few & far between. Well, there was that one tall palm we had passed a while ago. Hmmmm!

But once the colorful rays of rosy dawn spread across the horizon, all our qualms settled and we stood there, once again, in shared appreciation of the awesome beauty of Nature! With the sun up, we soon spotted some the animals – all herbivores that kept a respectable distance- mostly wildebeest, zebra and some scuffling warthogs. In between wildlife sightings, our guides entertained us in other ways…posing atop a large termite mound and hoisting a big buffalo skull over-head !

After two hours of trekking, our empty stomachs prompted us to return to camp for a last meal on the island …for we had a plane to catch that afternoon!

guide on top termite mound — guide atop a termite mound

guide with buffalo skull — another guide holding up a heavy buffalo skull

zebras in the bush.JPG — zebra in the bush

waiting for breakfast — waiting for our meal

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On Cloud 9 over the Delta

Meanwhile, back at the mokoro station…our 4 x 4 was waiting to take us back to Camp Sitatunga near Maun where we freshened-up & grabbed a quick bite before heading to the airport for a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta. We had seen only a sliver of the delta lands by boat & on foot, but now we’d have a bird’s-eye view of its entirety! And what’s more, our pilot guaranteed that there would be plenty of animals visible from 900 ft. in the air… especially elephants & giraffes…and we were not disappointed! Taking still photos of them while airborne was another matter entirely…and after a few unsuccessful attempts, I put down my camera and just soaked–up the shimmering views of the mosaic-like scene of the Delta islands below. Who needs virtual reality with a real experience like that ?!

Shortly before landing at the airport, we flew over Maun’s residential district …but these man-made structures seemed out of place amid the magnificent landscapes surrounding them. Mother Nature has no worthy rivals.

It had been a very full day, so I slipped into bed at my cozy chalet early that night… drifting off to sleep, savoring the special times I was so fortunate to have had in the Okavango.

Sitatunga camp sign — returning to Sitatunga

Delta 4 x 4 vehicle — overland transport truck

before our flight over the Okavango Delta

Co-pilot Kirsty — Kirsty in co-pilot’s seat

another view of the Delta — view of the delta from the plane

Delta landscape — flying at a little lower altitude

flying over the Delta — trying to spot wildlife from the air

Maun town-houses — view of Maun’s residential area

Khama Rhino Sanctuary- Our last adventure together

It was “rise & shine!” at 5 a.m. the next morning for our pre-dawn departure. Not wanting to awaken the slumbering tent-campers, Simon switched- off the van’s headlights & slowly inched toward the exit gate in darkness. Our itinerary called for a long drive along the edge of the desolate Kalahari desert to reach our mid-afternoon destination, so an extra early start was necessary. The kitchen staff had thoughtfully packed us a simple box- breakfast which we were thankful to have, as several hours on the road passed before coming to a restaurant.

We eventually reached the ‘Serowe pan’, an area that had been used for trophy hunting until a group of visionary conservationists raised enough funds about 20 years ago to re-purpose it into a sanctuary for white rhinos. The Khama sanctuary is not only good habitat for rhinos but for many other animals as well, including zebra, wildebeest , giraffe, ostrich and the ubiquitous antelopes. Not coincidentally, this reserve is situated quite near to the Botswana Defence Force which provides around- the- clock protection against poachers…which probably accounts for the abundance of animals still thriving in this harsh environment.

Upon arrival to Khama, we transferred into an open-air vehicle and made a 2 hour loop on the dirt pathways within the sanctuary…stopping often to observe animals going about their business- grazing, resting or just sauntering along. The water hole, or what was left of it, offered the best observation point , as the sanctuary residents must frequent this indispensable oasis to survive in this desert. When a large flock of white-faced vultures descended near-by, we took it as a sign to “keep moving” and tried our luck elsewhere!

Not surprisingly, rhinos were not hard to find in the reserve and a few of these behemoths ambled fairly close to our vehicle, including one mother & her calf. We were relieved to see that the rhinos’ horns had been left intact at Khama and not filed down, as is done in many other places to discourage poaching. At least for few precious hours there, we didn’t have to worry about their safety!

The tank-like rhinos are impressive for sure and are an important species by virtue of their rarity, but the dazzling patterns “of every stripe” adorning the zebras captured my attention just as much. An honorable mention must also go to the formidable-looking ostriches as well. It’s not hard to believe that these big birds evolved from the dinosaurs! And do I dare admit that I think the much “dissed” warthogs are kinda cute in their own way? As for the wildebeest…perhaps their own mothers think they are pretty adorable, too!

It was nearly dusk when we checked into the Kwa Nokeng Lodge located adjacent to the Botswana-South Africa border. Sadly, this would be the last night of our tour…but any expression of sentimental thoughts was eclipsed by the presence of an unexpected guest at the dinner table. James Brackenbury , a young, free-lance writer from England, was at the lodge awaiting the dubious arrival of his hiking partner. It seems that the two of them had set-off from England together with the intent to back-pack across Botswana– quite an ambitious (foolhardy?) idea! They soon discovered that they were looking for thrills in all the wrong places. During their first night out, they were kept awake by lions ‘huffing’ near to their sleeping hammocks …which was unnerving to say the least! To finance this quixotic plan, they had agreed to carry several pounds of coffee in their packs to distribute (to?) as a promotion of sorts. The bulky coffee not only displaced needed gear, but the extra weight caused James to fracture a bone in his foot early on , forcing him to abandon the trek….leaving his buddy alone to fend off the mosquitoes (or worse) . James hoped that there was a publishable story in this misadventure somewhere- he just didn’t have a clue how it would end! We had to leave him there at the lodge after breakfast the next day to figure it out.

On the other hand, I know how this story ended- with a long ride back to the Safari Club Hotel in Johannesburg and then a longer plane ride back home to Portland.

THANK YOU for joining me on this truly special safari . You’ve been great company…so let’s do it again sometime!

Happy Travels to All!!

-D.

entrance to Khama Rhino Sanctuary