Best Game Drive
A phenomenal Morning's Game Drive in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
The most exciting thing about a safari experience is that you never know what awaits you when you set off just before dawn each day..... We have taken our boys with us to Africa, it is the most fantastic family experience, however it is inevitably on the day when one of them is feeling a bit tired and decides to have a lie in that the animal they most wanted to see appears. A good example of this was during our stay in Chobe National Park, Botswana in 2016. Earlier in the summer our eldest son had been working in a hospital in Tanzania, he had spent time in the bush and had even run with Massai tribesmen to help collect an impala kill, but during his time there he had not seen a hyena. Sure enough the one time he stayed in bed to have a lie in, we saw a hyena! The message here is to always make the most of every minute, however tired you may be as otherwise you may miss out on the game drive of a lifetime. We would also recommend having your own private guide rather than sharing with others unless you all have the same priorities. Safaris drives are very expensive and it is so important to be able to spend as much time as you wish watching your favourite animals, it is not the time for compromise!
Thankfully on this particular morning everyone was ready to set off at dawn, wrapped up warm in fleeces, hats and gloves as it is very cold before the sun comes up. I noted down the times of our sitings from my camera, as they emphasise how much we saw in such a short space of time. All the pictures are our own and they tell the story far better than words are able to....
Buffalo 6:00 am
We set off at dawn and came across a lone buffalo not long after leaving the camp. The sunrise was spectacular creating a fantastic light for this photo of the Kudu.
Reed Buck 6:19 am
Kudu 6:15 am
Brown Snake Eater Eagle 6:26 am
Great White Pelicans 6:28 am
Fish Eagle 6:32 am
There had been a massive drought in the Okavango Delta in 2019, the rains had not fallen in Angola earlier in the year so the Okavango floods had not come. The waterways and reeds had been replaced by dry barren bush creating a massive fire risk. Life can be exceptionally tough in the bush and many animals were really struggling to find food during the drought. We watched Great White Pelicans and huge numbers of Fish Eagles feasting on the fish that had become stranded in this small evaporating pool. Normally this area would have been completely flooded at this time of year, full of hippos and fish and a siting of a single fish eagle would have been considered exciting!
Large numbers of Fish Eagles waiting to take the opportunity to feast on the stranded fish.
At 7.00 am we witnessed a wild dog pack kill a poor unsuspecting reed buck that sadly stood and watched the dogs approach rather than fleeing. Nature is cruel and a wild dog hunt is not for the feint hearted, but in the bush only the strongest and smartest survive. Wild dogs are not my favourite animals but they are impressive and effective hunters when they need to be working together as pack to track down their prey.
It is worth mentioning here that wild dog packs have a fascinating hierarchical structure with only the dominant pair having pups. The female pups will disperse when they are old enough, with the young males remaining to form the hunting pack. After having gorged themselves after a successful kill the pack will return to the den to provide food for the matriarch and her cubs by regurgitating it for them
Following the drama of seeing the kill, we continued our drive in a more relaxed fashion which included stopping for a coffee and delicious cake!
A herd of Wildebeast
A pair of Ostriches 7:25
A Crane 7:35
A herd of Tsessebe
A female Elephant and her calf
At 10:00 we came across this fabulous female white Rhinoceros and her calf. We had never seen white rhino before so it was so exciting. White rhino can be differentiated from black rhino by their square lip which can be clearly seen here.
And just when it couldn't get any better, we were heading down towards the river at about 11:45, and we found these three beautiful lionesses resting on the river bank. They were very relaxed and had found a cooler shady spot under the trees.
However, after a while Otsile our guide said we needed to go, which surprised us as he was usually so relaxed......
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....and then we drove a little further along the river to be greeted with the most spectacular lunch that had been set up on the river bank for all of the guests at the camp. It was the perfect end to the most brilliant morning and we celebrated in style with the other guests and a lone crocodile resting on the far river bank, before heading back to camp for a much needed early afternoon siesta!
A stunning spot on the river bank for lunch......
.... with a crocodile on the river bank for company and during lunch a red lechwe wandered past....
