June 21st. We move our campsite deep into the Chobe Reserve and set up our tents right next to the Chobe River. We are stunned by the density of wildlife roaming around in this part of the country. It feels like we’re in the Garden of Eden with such an abundance of animals everywhere we look.

As soon as we get near the river, we see a stream of wildlife traffic heading to and from the river.

 

While driving around marveling at all the wildlife, a tracker/guide from another group lets us know that he found a den of hyenas with a mother and her cubs. We head in that direction to see for ourselves.

One morning, Ellen Kemper let David, our tracker/guide, know that she heard a big animal munching on grass outside her tent. David felt certain that it was a hippo. It’s good that Ellen didn’t open her tent and go check what was making the munching sounds. Hippos can be very aggressive and dangerous. They have tusks that can gouge their opponent. At night we heard the hippos making their strange medley of sounds including grunts, groans, and wheezy-sounding roars.

Now it’s time to focus on the elephants. The Chobe Reserve has the largest concentration of elephants in the world. They mostly ignored us, but sometimes we had close encounters, Most of the next series of elephant photos were taken by Jim Quick, photographer extraordinaire with a very large telephoto lens.

Before our stay in the region ends, Dave wants to have more contact with the leopards. These leopard photos were also taken by Jim Quick.

The next morning we gather at the mahogany tree to have a group photo. What an amazing experience. The staff were really wonderful. I’ve liked every single Botswana person I’ve met so far. I’ve fallen in love with this country.

Now it’s time for the last chapter of this trip. We drive to the border of Botswana, say goodbye to Peace Shamuka and David Carson, and enter into Zimbabwe.

We are headed to Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River to rest and recuperate.

We stayed at the ultra posh Victoria Falls Hotel, built in 1905. I wonder if Ernest Hemingway stayed here. Deborah wanted us to have a big treat after camping out for 10 days. We took full advantage of her plan. Some of us soaked in the bath tub in hot water and got massages. I could say we also ate scrumptious food, but the food that we ate in the bush was delicious and elegant as well.

Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the world. It is over a mile wide, the widest continuous curtain of water in the world. I have been to some of the most impressive falls in the world, but they can’t match Victoria Falls.

David Livingstone, the Scottish explorer and missionary, stumbled across this area in 1855. When he heard the roar of the falls, he asked the native people what he was hearing, They said is was “The Smoke That Thunders,” their name for what is now called Victoria Falls, named after Queen Victoria.

Well, my friends, the African camping safari in Botswana has come to an end. Some of us, myself included will continue on to Cape Town, South Africa, to spend another week exploring this part of the world. This is the final post in this series.

Thank you for having traveled with me virtually. It would have been a shame if I had had this experience without sharing it.

Thank you to Deborah Stephens, Ken Hughes, and Jim Quick for permitting me to post some of your exquisite photos. Next time I will bring a camera with a telephoto lens for better close up shots—although many of the animals on our safari were so close we could almost touch them.

With warmest of wishes from your intrepid friend,

Erica