An African Safari Like No Other

November 17, 2024

Some years ago, my friend Peter showed me pictures of his family camping in a tent in the wilds of Kenya next to hippo pools. I thought he must be mad. Well, for 10 days I joined him in his insanity by renting a 4X4 and driving unbelievably dreadful sand roads deep into the African bush, sleeping in a canvas tent (albeit not on the ground), dozing to the sounds of hippos grunting, lions bellowing, and hyenas barking, and searching daily for the wild beasts which freely roam northern Botswana. Of all the adventures I've had, none compares to this African safari like no other.

We ventured from Gaborone to Kasane where we picked up our 4X4...

...from Kasane to the Chobe National Park Riverfront...

...from the Riverfront to the bone-dry parched savannah of Mwandi View where we watched hippos and elephants quench their thirst at the waterhole...

...from the savannah to the quickly shrinking water hole of Savuti, the only source of water for thousands of animals for miles around...

...from the waterhole to the arid dust of The Moremi Game Reserve...

...from the game reserve to the wee San village of Khwai and its spectacular waterways rife with wild beasts of all variety...

...and from Khwai to the wetlands of The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO site unparalleled in the world.

Our mode of transportation, this Toyota 4X4, was home for 9 days. It carried all the water, gas, food, firewood, and lodging we needed to survive in the wild.

I'm completely enamored with the unique and quintessentially African baobab tree.

Amazingly, we were blessed to see all of the Big Five of Africa, which are...

1- The elephant. Botswana boasts the highest number of African elephants on the continent with an astounding population somewhere around 44,000. The locals complain that they destroy crops; indeed, they are mightily destructive beasts, and they compete with the locals for precious water resources. If the seasonal rains don't come this year as they didn't last, there is talk of the need to cull numbers which would be heartbreaking.

2- The water buffalo.

3- The rhino. Sadly, poaching is still a major problem as horns fetch $60,000 per kilogram. Botswana has relocated its remaining black and white rhino to three reserves, and we have tracked them in two of these places. So we did not see any rhino on this particular safari. But we were hugely blessed to witness..

4- The lion. There is a pride of 8 siblings who reside in Savuti as well as this mating pair.

5- The leopard. This was a rare and special siting of this elusive animal. This pair was feasting on impala.

We were also informed by a local of the Ugly Five of Africa, some of which we contest the description of, they being...

1- The Marabou Stork. Africa boasts hundreds of gorgeous birds, but these bald unsightly guys don't possess any charm.

2- The baboon. These guys are just plain gross and gnarly.

3- The hyena. While we listened to these night-time hunters from atop our tent, the only siting we had was of an injured and dying hyena.

4- The wildebeest. These guys resemble an unfashionable and disturbing cross between a cow and a horse. For this reason, we agree with their place on the ugly list.

5- and the warthog. Warthogs are our hands-down favorite. They are absolutely hilarious! They wallow and grunt, they kneel-walk when browsing, and they fast trot in hysterical fashion with their mane upright and their tails erect. We are not appreciative of the warthogs placement on the ugly list. Sure, their warts and behaviors appear filthy and totally unseemly, but there's something quite endearing about their comical behaviors, and we laughed out loud at every encounter. So much so that I'm in the market for a warthog sticker for my car.

The bush is parched, wild, and unforgiving. And also totally worth the hours of planning, the expense, the effort, the awful roads, and the dysfunctional ablutions (bathrooms). I can't even imagine having missed out on this phenomenal adventure.