After yesterday´s river cruise, today we did two game drives. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Waking up time was 5:00, so that 5:30 we could go for breakfast and at 6:00 we were in the cars ready to go. Game drives started in Sedudu Gate of the Chobe National Park so we had to make our way to the gates. We drove on a normal road but the driver could not go faster than 60km/h because we are all sitting pretty high up in the car with no wind protection. As in the mornings it is quite cold any faster speed and we would freeze.
Would like to write a bit about the game drive vehicles. They are usually Toyota Land Cruisers with 4 wheel drive, pretty high diameter wheels and they have a cage fitted on them with 4, 6 or 9 places with 2 or 3 rows of seats. The driver usually sits at a lower level and the various rows are at different heights so that the back people can see over the front people. The cars are pretty sturdy and they take a big beating on these drives as the roads are very uneven and quite sandy. I was pretty impressed.
Every time you go into the park you have to register the names of the people going in. The guides handle all that for us and we just sit down and speak to each other discussing what we have seen and what we expect to see. Leopards and Lions are always quite high in the list of wants, but in Chobe the king of the sightings is the elephant and all of us were quite looking forward to see more elephants in their natural habitat. And Chobe did not disappoint, specially in the afternoon drive close to the river we saw hundreds of elephants some of them very close by and others far in the distance. We also saw lions in their most typical stance, sleeping, which it seems they do for 20/24 hours of the day. We had our first sighting of spotted hyenas and also of a sable antelope which is not usually easy to see. The ever present impalas always impress me by their elegance. We saw a giraffe drinking which is an interesting sight as she has to go down on its legs and because she becomes totally vulnerable to attackers in that position, before she does it she needs to feel totally sure there are no enemies around.
We also spent some time watching a baboon tribe doing its thing. The moms taking care of the babies, the youngsters fighting and the females grooming the males and all the frolics baboons do.
At the end of each drive we always have a time to get off the vehicles, stretch our legs and enjoy a beverage which can be as mild as tea or as potent as a whisky (usually in the afternoons).
In this specific occasion we took a picture of both of us to remind us of this beautiful place.
I have had the privilege of visiting many game reserves and I can say that without a doubt that for animal viewing Chobe is one of the best. Only saw more animals in Kenya but it was a much smaller reserve.
For the evening the staff at the lodge had a special dance and singing program all organized for us. We were able to learn a bit more about the Botswana culture and folklore.
Botswana has impressed us both by the way they are trying to grow up as a young nation who has been independent for 51 years. Paula spends a lot of the time in the car and she listens to the radio station and she mentions the programs are very informative and they try to instill in the people who listen strong values. Everywhere we went we found the people super well educated, friendly and always in a good mood. Whenever they encounter a problem they come together and try to solve it always with a positive attitude. We also enjoyed a lot the people in Namibia, Found them to also be very humble and eager to help, however if you listen on the radio the discussions are much more about respect, less racism and reconciliation showing that they are even younger in terms of building their nation.
Make Life A Ride !
Waking up time was 5:00, so that 5:30 we could go for breakfast and at 6:00 we were in the cars ready to go. Game drives started in Sedudu Gate of the Chobe National Park so we had to make our way to the gates. We drove on a normal road but the driver could not go faster than 60km/h because we are all sitting pretty high up in the car with no wind protection. As in the mornings it is quite cold any faster speed and we would freeze.
Would like to write a bit about the game drive vehicles. They are usually Toyota Land Cruisers with 4 wheel drive, pretty high diameter wheels and they have a cage fitted on them with 4, 6 or 9 places with 2 or 3 rows of seats. The driver usually sits at a lower level and the various rows are at different heights so that the back people can see over the front people. The cars are pretty sturdy and they take a big beating on these drives as the roads are very uneven and quite sandy. I was pretty impressed.
Every time you go into the park you have to register the names of the people going in. The guides handle all that for us and we just sit down and speak to each other discussing what we have seen and what we expect to see. Leopards and Lions are always quite high in the list of wants, but in Chobe the king of the sightings is the elephant and all of us were quite looking forward to see more elephants in their natural habitat. And Chobe did not disappoint, specially in the afternoon drive close to the river we saw hundreds of elephants some of them very close by and others far in the distance. We also saw lions in their most typical stance, sleeping, which it seems they do for 20/24 hours of the day. We had our first sighting of spotted hyenas and also of a sable antelope which is not usually easy to see. The ever present impalas always impress me by their elegance. We saw a giraffe drinking which is an interesting sight as she has to go down on its legs and because she becomes totally vulnerable to attackers in that position, before she does it she needs to feel totally sure there are no enemies around.
We also spent some time watching a baboon tribe doing its thing. The moms taking care of the babies, the youngsters fighting and the females grooming the males and all the frolics baboons do.
At the end of each drive we always have a time to get off the vehicles, stretch our legs and enjoy a beverage which can be as mild as tea or as potent as a whisky (usually in the afternoons).
In this specific occasion we took a picture of both of us to remind us of this beautiful place.
I have had the privilege of visiting many game reserves and I can say that without a doubt that for animal viewing Chobe is one of the best. Only saw more animals in Kenya but it was a much smaller reserve.
For the evening the staff at the lodge had a special dance and singing program all organized for us. We were able to learn a bit more about the Botswana culture and folklore.
Botswana has impressed us both by the way they are trying to grow up as a young nation who has been independent for 51 years. Paula spends a lot of the time in the car and she listens to the radio station and she mentions the programs are very informative and they try to instill in the people who listen strong values. Everywhere we went we found the people super well educated, friendly and always in a good mood. Whenever they encounter a problem they come together and try to solve it always with a positive attitude. We also enjoyed a lot the people in Namibia, Found them to also be very humble and eager to help, however if you listen on the radio the discussions are much more about respect, less racism and reconciliation showing that they are even younger in terms of building their nation.
Make Life A Ride !
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