Day 13 – The Okavango Delta – Small Holiday Big Dream

Experiencing wildlife in the most incredible destinations in Africa. The Okavango Delta

Sadly today we had to tear ourselves away from Magotho campsite on the banks of the Khwai river.

Waking up just before first light, we heard the sound of lions calling each other, fairly close, but not too close, to where we were camped.

We descended from the tent to examine whether we’d been visited by any other animals in the night. Tracks in the dust revealed that, disappointingly, the only visitors were the two honey badgers from the night before.

The facilities at Magotho are basic, but perhaps a bit better than expected. Showers were warm and toilets clean.

We dropped off some unused food with at the camp office, where it was gratefully received by the camp staff. Today we were to catch a plane from Maun to Kwara camp, and so we’d be unable to take much of it with us.

We had packed up quickly in anticipation of a bit of a game drive before setting off for Maun (Sounds like mound without the d).

Still pre-sunrise, we set off northwards up the river to see what we could find. We had decided the lions were the other side of the river and were not worth chasing.

A couple of kilometres upriver we spotted a dead elephant surrounded by what seemed like thousands of vultures. All of them vying for a piece alongside the marabou storks and the odd eagle. As we drew closer we began to smell it, and wow does a dead elephant smell. I can still smell it today, many weeks later.

Predators were being elusive this morning, as was much of the wildlife, but at least the hippos put on a show, menacingly wading through their channels. We stopped for breakfast overlooking the rive before making tracks for Maun.

The route to Maun takes around four hours. The main transit road from Khwai to Mababe is wide but in bad condition. Just south of Mababe we had a massive detour around a permanently flooded section of the transit road. The sand in the detour got rather deep in places.

After crossing the buffalo fence, we shortly reached the start of the paved road at the village of Shorobe. From there it was plain sailing back into civilisation.

The Duck is a nice cafe opposite the airport in Maun. They do great coffee and hearty lunches. But it’s an even better spot for people watching. You see, everyone heading off on safari comes here, Maun is the staging point for every small flight off into the Okavango delta. So you have some clearly fabulously wealthy families acting completely clueless. Since the Duck is pretty much the only location within sight of the airport, it attracts all sorts.

We were in Maun to catch our flight to Kwara, a luxury lodge on the northern fringe of the Okavango Delta. Such a lodge wouldn’t be our first choice, and by now we have got such a taste for camping that splurging on expensive lodges feels absurd. However, the main reason for doing so is the fact that Northern Botswana is the most exceptional safari destination on the planet, and huge tracts of land are private concessions. So the only way to access it is to cough up some serious cash.

Our top-tip here is to book very last minute. Within 30 days of arrival, Kwando safaris will give you 50% off, which makes things a bit less eye-watering.

We had carefully selected Kwara for it’s reputation for being activities focused, and having a great ratio of guides to guests. Plus they recently had denning wild dogs nearby, and offered the full gamut of water-based activities you must expect on a trip to the Okavango Delta. We felt this would maximise our experience, and so raided our savings accordingly.

Flights to Kwara take 20 minutes or so from Maun, and you fly off in a little 10-seater aeroplane. It operates a bit more like a bus, picking up and setting down passengers in a few locations before circling back to Maun. Joining us on the airport tarmac were a couple of groups we’d spotted earlier in the Duck. We crossed our fingers that they wouldn’t be joining us at Kwara.

The facilities at Kwara were beautiful.

Incredibly, we had a vehicle, guide, and tracker all to ourselves. On our first evening game drive we saw a leopard in a tree. A little tree-squirrel spent the best part of an hour screaming his lungs out to warn other creatures of the leopard’s presence, but not a single soul took any notice of him. Shortly before sunset the squirrel darted away, and as it began to get dark we watched on as the leopard gracefully made its way down, and within seconds had slinked off into the bush.