Okavango Delta, Botswana -- Kwara Camp

Wildebeest...

Where We Be

The close-up safari opportunities are
second to none in the Okavango Delta

Kwara Camp -- Okavango, Botswana

Our fifty-day safari trip of a lifetime begins with
nine days at three different luxury bush camps
in the heart of the Okavango Delta. It's flood
season here from June to August (the high
season). The only way to reach these camps is
by bush plane: they're impossibly remote in the
best possible sense. Everything is included
once you get here -- the guided safaris, the
luxury tents, the excellent meals, the always
open bar, even the transport between camps.
It's like staying at an all-inclusive beach resort
minus the beach but plus a whole lot of wildlife.

Our first camp is called Kwara Camp, and the
"tents" here are nothing short of palatial (see
below). The camp is unfenced, so the animals
are free to come and go as they please. On our
first night, an elephant grazes just outside our
screened window, and hippos "chuckle" from
the nearby river. Meanwhile, the days are
jam-packed with safariing -- five hours in the
morning, lunch and siesta at midday, then three
more hours from late afternoon until dusk, with
a night safari thrown in for good measure on
the way home. We enjoy sundowners (cocktails)
out in the bush at sunset, then return home to a
delicious meal, where we trade stories with new
friends about all we've seen and experienced.

Home

Botswana
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Or not quite! During our night drive back to camp, we spot this juvenile hyena
who seems to want to play. He brings his bone right up to me in the Land Rover!

A solitary bull elephant walks along the far side of the river

Hippos keep a wary eye on us

Later that afternoon, we embark on a boat cruise
along the river, past waving fronds of papyrus

A liliac breasted roller in flight is a sight to behold

Then two of our favorite East African birds of all time --
a little bee eater (left) and a lilac breasted roller (right)

Next we spy a black-backed jackal, clearly pregnant, along with her mate

After drinking her fill, the leader of the pride
sits atop a knoll, keeping an eye out for prey

As soon as we get back in the Land Rover, we find plenty to get excited about

The mokoro ride is peaceful more than exciting --
we only see a few animals like this saddle-billed stork

Day 3 begins with a ride on a mokoro (traditional canoe). Our guide brings a rifle just in case --
the hippos can be dangerous, but we keep our distance from them and they from us

Meals are served in the elegant lodge. Lunch is at noon and dinner
at 8 pm -- so we aren't home to our own tent until well after 9 pm.

Zebra...

Our first full safari day also includes giraffe...

Lions steal the show on Day 1-- including this lioness lazing around in the sun

Seeing other vehicles is rare -- at most you may share a
sighting with one other Land Rover from your camp

Two of the red lechwe battle for dominance in the shallow waters

Okay, so where is Botswana exactly, and how does one get there? It's a landlocked country
just north of South Africa -- and the Okavango Delta lies in its northern reaches.

From Maun it's a 45-minute bush flight to camp. Our female pilot stops at a different camp first to drop
off three other passengers before continuing on to Kwara Camp, our home for our first three nights.

It takes some doing to get to Maun -- Botswana's gateway to the Okavango. In our
case, it's Boston to Newark, Newark to Joburg (14+ hours), and Joburg to Maun.

A lioness stalks right past us through the tall grasses -- hidden in plain sight

We're greeted by our guide at the packed dirt airstrip, and straight off we begin our safari experience.
Our tracker sits in the jump seat. The Land Rover is open-air so there's nothing to block your view.

Okay, that's close enough!

Day 2 highlights include the lion cubs (above) plus our first-ever wild dog sighting. The one pictured above is part of a pack
of about twenty, most of them out hunting at the time. Wild dogs are rarely seen but more common in Botswana than elsewhere.

This lioness stays put with her cubs even though we're only a few yards away --
but she and other predators have a disconcerting way of looking straight at you!

The word "tent" hardly applies to lodgings as luxurious as these

Of course "open-air" also means you're exposed to predators, with nothing between you and them other than faith
in your guide's assurances they won't attack. (You'll notice the jump seat is empty when predators are this close!)