They creep closer, but birds and other animals give them away
Where We Be
It's hard to ask for a better daytime sighting of a
leopard than this (leopards are typically nocturnal)
Pom Pom Camp -- Okavango, Botswana
If we had to pick just three days from our entire
trip to Southern Africa, it would be these three
days at Pom Pom Camp. The wildlife encounters
were spectacular -- playful lion cubs only yards
away, three distinct up-close leopard sightings,
and wild dogs actively on the hunt. Recent
grass fires meant the grasses were lower here,
so quality wildlife sightings were abundant.

Day 1 highlight: Two wild dogs chasing an
impala at high speeds across the plains. It felt
like they must have been going fifty miles per
hour in an outright life-and-death chase.

Day 2 highlight: Our favorite day of the whole
trip, so it's hard to pick just one.  Do we go with
the fantastic leopard sighting at dawn, the two
lions wandering right through camp (and right
past our tent!) at mid-morning, or the encounter
with seven cubs, two lionesses, and one pride
male near dusk? So many amazing encounters!

Day 3 highlight: Yet another up-close leopard
sighting as we waited for our plane to arrive at
the airstrip. Leopards are usually tough to find,
but not at Pom Pom Camp on this particular trip.
A family of warthogs runs away at our approach, tails straight up in the air
They pause to look back, making for a cute family portrait
Ah well, there's always next time
They pad along the very same path we use  to walk to and from meals each day
(always with an accompanying guide when it's dark -- but not in full daylight)
One of them poses majestically just for us (or so it seems)
Eventually they cross a bridge near camp --
and decide to have a little rest there
They've spied a herd of zebra in the distance
Imagine coming across this fearsome lioness on your way to lunch! (You might just BE lunch!)
They say you're supposed to stand your ground and not flee -- but easier said than done!
We follow the lionesses -- who end up leading us straight back
to our own camp! That's our tent and patio in the background!
Annual floodwaters originate in the Angolan highlands (over 1000 km away!), generally
flooding the Okavango Delta from June thru September before soaking back into the earth
We're immediately greeted by this
bull elephant as we arrive at camp
Glamping for sure! The tent offers lagoon views from both the bedroom and porch.
The indoor sinks are beautifully decorated
Loving every minute of our time here
We see warthogs and baby elephants right off the bat during our afternoon game drive
Then a spotted hyena walks right towards and past us
Cape buffalo kick up clouds of dust
When we pause to observe them, they become leery and turn to face us
As dusk approaches, we spy a "dazzle" of zebra half-hidden in the grasses
We sip sundowners, watching our fellow guests enjoy mokoro rides
Day 1 ends with lovely views of the sunset over the Okavango Delta
Bundled up with blankets and hot water bottles (aka "bush babies"),
we make our way to Kwara Camp's airstrip in the morning
The tongue-in-cheek sign says
Kwara International VIP Lounge
I get to sit in the co-pilot's seat during the flight, with
good views of the dirt airstrip as we arrive at Pom Pom
Pom Pom Camp is beautifully situated on a permanent lagoon
And the outdoor shower is perfect for hot afternoons (but not cold mornings)
Next we see two wild dogs -- and their eight pups! These are the same wild dogs we see later on chasing an impala
at high speeds. (Unfortunately our Land Rover was jouncing around so much we have no pictures worth sharing.)
Our afternoon safari brings smaller rewards, like this juvenile woodland kingfisher
What are they running from?
They start running and leaping right past our Land Rover
Suddenly they snort a warning and scatter!
Finally, reluctantly, we part company with the leopard -- and immediately
come across these impala on high alert, all looking in the same direction
Eventually she climbs a tree, where she's safer from the lionesses
(who might kill her to lessen the competition for the same game)
Our guide tells us she's a five-year-old female --
and clearly a master of camouflage!
This photo captures the moment when she spies two lionesses.
She keeps a wary eye on them from behind a termite mound.
The same two lionesses!
Then they begin actively hunting
Zebra and giraffe both make appearances, ready for their close-ups
Then comes the final highlight of an already amazing day: lion cubs!
Seven cubs, to be specific, plus two lionesses and one pride male.
The cubs are about two months old and too cute for words.
More pics of their playful antics are featured on the next page.
The pride male's scars suggest he's seen his fair share of battles
Our "tent" as seen from the water
Next morning we spot our first leopard (the same one pictured
at the top of this page). Can you spot her in the above pic?
Before long she's walking along the dirt
road itself, adjacent to our Land Rover
Luckily we're not on the menu!
Day 2 at Pom Pom finishes with a spotted hyena sighting and another beautiful Botswana sunset
Amazingly, we see a second leopard later that same afternoon...
As floodwaters continue to rise, our water crossings become more challenging
On the morning of Day 3 we try unsuccessfully to find a white rhino -- rare in the area --
but we do see warthog, zebra, elephant, jackal, reed buck, kudu, vulture, and more
Back at Pom Pom Camp, we watch a hippo grazing
out of the water during the day -- an unusual sight
A highlight of the afternoon safari is following these two adult wild dogs as they hunt zebra --
only to have the zebra charge the wild dogs! Who knew zebra could be so badass?
Red lechwe love the wet conditions
We also spy this adorable bushbuck
fawn hiding beneath our tent's patio
We've posted more leopard pics on a "bonus page"
And a third the next morning while waiting for our plane!