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A brilliant budget adventure in the Okavango Delta of Botswana!
A brilliant budget adventure in the Okavango Delta of Botswana!
I’ve just taken off from O.R. Tambo Airport in Johannesburg and am finally on my way to Maun, which is the entry point to the Okavango Delta. I’ve never been to the Delta before. I’m eager to start my Okavango Delta journey, but I’m also apprehensive about what to anticipate.
The plains of Botswana are earthy brown in color, with multitudes of bushes and shrubs that are divided by long, straight dusty lines that form an infinite network of roadways.
I’ve felt the cold of a winter morning in Johannesburg, and I look forward to the warmth of the “Real African Sun” as we begin our journey down to Maun.
The people of Botswana are incredibly courteous and welcoming, which makes for a heartwarming first impression of this stunning nation. ‘Old’ friends greet me with a warm welcome right away, and their delight in the nation’s abundant wilderness resources is evident.
I always enjoy landing at the airports of our neighboring countries, where the runways are encircled by lush shrubbery. This serves as just another reminder that this is Africa.
I depart for Maun, which was formerly a sleepy town but is now a thriving center that supports the travel and tourist sector with its modest hotels, lodges, campsites, and shops. The ideal place to get ready for a journey into the untainted wilderness of the Okavango Delta, one of Southern Africa’s most renowned landmarks.
Botswana’s first surprise adventure
I explore Maun for the day before moving to Sitatunga Camp, where the new proprietors greet me with open arms and give me a surprise boat ride on the Thamalakane River, which flows through the camp site.
Unaware of what to anticipate, I find a wilderness right outside Maun!
The boat passed a group of hippos and a variety of birds, including the majestic Fish Eagle and the tiny Jacana, a bird I had never seen before that thrived in the lily ponds and reeds.
Overall, I had my first prize sunset in this warm and enchanted land, along with an actual bush experience.
Taking a plane to the Okavango Delta and seeing nature
The next day, feeling rejuvenated, I returned to Maun, where a friendly pilot in a four-seater Cessna took me over the Delta.
As I flew low over the verdant plains, I spotted something that could only be described as an emerald gem: a jigsaw puzzle of water systems, brimming with fauna. I got a preview of what was to come as I was flying several hundred meters above the ground.
On a little, dusty airport in the middle of nowhere, my safari guide and his reliable Land Cruiser were waiting for me. We had our first game viewing safari when we ventured into the bush and saw elephants, antelopes, warthogs, and a variety of colorful birds.
As we reached the Fallen Baobab Camp, we were met with unforgettable singing! It was a pleasant relief to be greeted with the kind words “we welcome you, we welcome you our guests” and to be handed a cold facecloth to wash the dust off our cheeks.
The splendor of my cozy, tranquil bush retreat, which was surrounded by trumpeting elephants, astounded me. I sang and danced under the stars with my fellow travelers that evening.
A guest called outside my tent throughout the night. The sound of a big animal searching and eating through the jungle woke me up. It stopped to graze on the trees directly outside my tent flap before continuing on to more fertile pastures. What a joy!
New Okavango Delta Adventures: bush walk and mokoro excursion
An African gondolier led our mokoro through the long reed grasses and enormous lily ponds as the new day began, meandering through the Delta’s tortuous channels.
This was undoubtedly my favorite safari of the trip since we witnessed an incredible sighting while taking in the early morning sun, the small reed frogs, the calls of the brilliant birds, and the remarkably clear water of the channels. Unaware of us, a family of elephants arrived marching in a line from tallest to shortest, with a baby in the middle, determined to take a morning dip.
They went into the water a few meters ahead of us and splashed around until we were observed. The three of them then trumpeted loudly, turned around, and vanished into the bush in silent retreat in a matter of seconds, as if they were horrified and embarrassed.
There are other ways to explore the Delta besides cruising the rivers.
Although I saw several amazing deer species, baboons, elephants, and birds while traveling in a safari vehicle, hiking is a truly amazing way to enjoy the bush.
Although going on a bush walk might be pretty frightening, particularly when there are lions in the area, I felt safe because my head guide was carrying a rifle. An excellent way to learn about the little things in nature, like the spoor of animals, is to go on a bush walk.
This provides a wealth of information, including the animals’ walking paths, their age, and the distinctions between the excrement of elephants, hippopotamus, and buffalo, all of which were thoroughly examined. I discovered how to create a trap that the indigenous tribes usually employ to capture squirrels or small game birds. When I get home, the foraging starts.
On my last night, I didn’t want to leave the campfire because it would mean bedtime, which would come too soon. The sound of lions howling in the nearby bush soothed me to sleep; it was both frightful and lovely!
Morning eventually arrived, and it was time to depart from this lovely paradise.
The final journey, departing from the Okavango Delta
Flying across a larger marsh in a high-speed boat was the ultimate delight of this amazing adventure, but regrettably, it was the first leg of my return home.
Since my clients are about to go out on an inspiring African tour, I am eager to show them the amazing sights, the sounds of Botswana’s verdant Okavango Delta, and the scents of wild sage.