Big Cats, Birds & Bubble Baths, Botswana

For me, there is nothing quite as relaxing as soundlessly gliding down one of the waterways of the Okavango on a mokoro. This is exactly what I got on my afternoon spent at Baines camp. We drifted past banks of reeds and papyrus, spotting a multitude of different birds from the small malachite kingfisher to the African fish eagle. I was even joined by a tilapia that decided to leap out of the river and straight into my lap, giving me quite a shock. Luckily, Rob, my mokoro guide, kept the boat steady as I tried to relocate the fish back into the river otherwise I think I would have ended up in the water with it!

Eventually we came to a hippo pool, where the big male decided to take some interest in us and made his way over to investigate. As he neared he decided perhaps we weren’t as interesting as first thought and made a u-turn back to the main pod but not without a couple of big yawns to show us who was boss. 

As we made our way back upstream we were joined by a herd of elephants who were making the most of the lush grass by the river. A fantastic experience to be looking up at these mighty animals from ground level. Finally we finished in a lovely spot for the obligatory gin & tonic sundowners. I thought that my afternoon couldn't get any more relaxing but on returning to the lodge I found the deck of my room lit up by candles and a huge bubble bath, larger than I’ve ever seen, all prepared for me. It was absolute bliss to lie there listening to the hippos and watching yet more elephants pass by.

Next morning due to an early departure by plane my guide suggested we do a short drive as we made our way to the airstrip and what an amazing short drive it turned out to be… We found a stunning female leopard relaxing in a tree, as we arrived she became a little unsettled but because we sat quietly watching her she relaxed again. Soon after finding her it started to rain lightly accompanied by distant thunder, the leopard took this opportunity to start a hunt on some nearby impala. It was absolutely fascinating to watch her as she used certain vantage points to work out her best approach.

She patiently made her way closer to them. Unfortunately, the game was given away by some birds who spotted her and made warning calls. Undeterred, the leopard found a shady spot and settled down to wait for a while before trying the hunt again. Unluckily for me it was time to get to the airstrip and my flight up to the Linyanti region and the border with Namibia.

Due to the rains in this region a lot of the game has already dispersed away from the river. Nevertheless, we set off on our morning drive to make our way over to what used to be a river many many years ago and where Carlos, my guide, thought there would be lots of animals. The drive there was quite long but when we reached our destination it was completely worth it as we saw large herds of animals with the highlight being a large herd of eland leaping over each other in their haste to get some distance between us and them.

Next morning due to an early departure by plane my guide suggested we do a short drive as we made our way to the airstrip and what an amazing short drive it turned out to be… We found a stunning female leopard relaxing in a tree, as we arrived she became a little unsettled but because we sat quietly watching her she relaxed again. Soon after finding her it started to rain lightly accompanied by distant thunder, the leopard took this opportunity to start a hunt on some nearby impala. It was absolutely fascinating to watch her as she used certain vantage points to work out her best approach.

She patiently made her way closer to them. Unfortunately, the game was given away by some birds who spotted her and made warning calls. Undeterred, the leopard found a shady spot and settled down to wait for a while before trying the hunt again. Unluckily for me it was time to get to the airstrip and my flight up to the Linyanti region and the border with Namibia.

Due to the rains in this region a lot of the game has already dispersed away from the river. Nevertheless, we set off on our morning drive to make our way over to what used to be a river many many years ago and where Carlos, my guide, thought there would be lots of animals. The drive there was quite long but when we reached our destination it was completely worth it as we saw large herds of animals with the highlight being a large herd of eland leaping over each other in their haste to get some distance between us and them.

My next camp, Little Vumbura, is situated on its own island in the delta and so can only be accessed by boat; giving a James Bond style arrival and a feeling of exclusivity. The afternoon’s activity was a motorboat trip down the waterways and into one of the main channels of the delta, the Manuchira. Here, my guide, Jacob, stopped and we had a really informative discussion about how the delta formed, its importance as a unique ecosystem and the factors which shape the delta in the present day. 

On the way back to camp there was a surprise floating sundowner waiting for us. A floating tyre topped with a tin bucket filled with ice, lemons, tonic and of course plenty of gin! All accompanied by a delicious platter of snacks. So absorbed with this floating delight we almost forgot the stunning sunset that we were there to see. Possibly one of the best endings to another fantastic afternoon in the delta.

Another day and another short flight up to the Linyanti marshes to my next camp, Duma Tau. My room here had a fantastic view out across the river. I was informed that unfortunately a young elephant had passed away only a few days ago across the river. Its death was believed to be due to dehydration as its herd had probably travelled a long distance without much water available to them due to the lack of rain so far. As I sat on my deck it was fascinating to watch the comings and goings of various scavengers including vultures, marabou storks, crocodiles and a couple of jackals who were all doing their best to not let the carcass go to waste. Luckily for me the wind was blowing in the opposite direction to my room! 

On that afternoon’s game drive I was lucky enough to have a brief encounter with three wild dogs. However, within five minutes they were off at speed through the mopane woodland which was a little too thick for us to follow them off road. 

Luckily, the next morning after some patience and a bit of luck we found another group of six dogs who were scent marking and happily moved all around the vehicle providing some great photo opportunities.

 My guide told me that these two are intruders and are not the dominant males of the area, hence the lookout. Apparently not too long ago they had had a run in with the resident pride males - of which there were four - and one of the two we were viewing had been quite badly injured due to his brother hightailing it out of the area before the fight started.

As the temperatures started to cool off we jumped onto the boat and made our way out into a small lagoon where we were to try our luck with some catch and release fishing. I am not the most patient of people and was imagining sitting there waiting for hours without even a nibble but I was completely wrong and within minutes we were all reeling in an array of fish, with some being bigger than others.