Victoria's Voyage

Last night I slept in a tent again, this time across another land border in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. This game drive into camp was a little more back to nature than the much tamer Kruger. The ride was an incredibly bumpy one, loose sand flying as we barrelled along what vaguely resembled a track due only to the existing build-up of previous tyre prints. Some of the bumps were so severe and repetitive that they literally had me jumping from my seat as a gripped the seat back in front of me as tightly as I could. Props to our driver Mr. O, who handled such challenging terrain. At the end of the day, despite my tendency for motion sickness and my inadequately contained breasts, this one felt like a real rural bush experience.

Compared with Kruger, Chobe has a lot more sand, is less developed for tourists, and also sits right on a huge river where all the animals of the park gather to water. Though not all these gatherings were entirely pleasant. We watched, silent and transfixed, as a pride of lions weaved their way through the parked safari vehicles and closer to the riverside. One stalked ahead; the others gradually followed, pausing to sit down and stake out the situation instead of charging right in towards the young elephant standing – oblivous – in front of them. The ambush was slow, calculated, but unfortunately for the lions, the elephant mother was also on alert. As the pride drew closer, she finally intervened, charging with such ferocity it caused them to scatter and flee. The mum then promptly ushered her child away and across the road to relative safety. The heavy tension was finally lifted. Everyone had come out of it alive. Seeing all the wildlife at the water was stunning, especially against the setting sun. Another truly special drive.

Our camp was set up in such a remote part of the Chobe park I’m a little surprised the drivers knew exactly where to find it again. Unlike the secure fencing that surrounded us in Kruger, with its shops and restaurants and cabins, we really were in the thick of it, our only protection this time round the roaring fire and a crude perimeter of scattered lamps that would deter potential threats. The sounds we heard out there were plentiful – and close, a lion’s calls especially striking against accompanying birdsong. I cannot even really recall how many different sounds I heard that night as we dined under a small gazebo before moving to sit by the campfire. One of the most memorable sounds though was what I assumed was some type of bird that resembled an old man’s laughter.

The following morning I rose early again and braced myself for another bumpy ride ahead back towards the entrance of the park. It was on this journey we had our second chance at leopard spotting. By encountering the leopard we missed out on male lions, but honestly, out of the two I think my car got the better deal. To see her so close was absolutely incredible. She was perfect for my last game drive of the tour.

All that was left before waving everyone a sad farewell today was a river cruise through Chobe led by a super fun man called Kenneth who had been with us at camp, followed by a final group dinner back at the Kwalape Safari Lodge. On the river cruise I has the opportunity for more hippo and elephant spotting, as well as crocodiles and a multitude of different birds. As the sun set once again we gathered, embracing life on the water while we still could.

Looking back over the last 10 days, it’s hard to believe how much I’ve actually managed to fit in to such a short space of time. This trip has been phenomenal, the group has been great, and I feel so lucky to have been able to share in all this part of the world has to offer.