Safari: More Camp Savute

The game lodges are privately run on land leased from the government. While the accommodations were luxurious, we chuckled at the signage at the air strip and at the lodge entrance. It does not suggest what lies ahead up the long rutted sandy drive.

As I showed in the first Camp Savute posting, we stepped into a bit of bush paradise. After being greeted by the management team and being introduced to our ranger, we met our butler and maid. From that point on we were treated to the most wonderful experience.

Just sitting on our private viewing porch was special. I captured two male impalas duking it out at the waterhole. I don't know if they were just being playful or if it was a manly challenge for superiority. Either way, it was a beautiful dance to watch.

We covered a lot of terrain in our time there. Sometimes we were wheel-deep in water from the recent rain. Other times we were in deep soft sand. Driving the safari vehicles definitely is a skill. We went up and down inclines, off the trails, through mud, under low branches, etc. One learned when and where to duck and protect your face from branches. However, it was worth the rough ride to get close to the animals.

This was a small puddle in the road!

While driving around looking for big game, we saw so many varieties of birds. I have never been a lover of birds, but I was impressed with the beautiful colors, flight and stature of these feathered friends. The largest, of course, was the ostrich. I loved the New Guinea Hen's shape and colors, but they scooted around so quickly that I could never get a good profile shot.

I love the color and shape of the New Guinea Hen

I have always liked the shapes of the savannah trees. They are umbrella-shaped because the elephants and giraffes eat them up to the highest level they can reach. This makes the underside flat and spreading. When the elephants are hungry, they will pull a tree right out of the ground and eat it. They require something like 600 pounds of food a day! The result is destruction to the ecosystem because they are altering the food and shade patterns of other animals.

A morning snack on the road!

Impalas are like the Michigan White Tail Deer:

They are everywhere and jumping all over the place.

The lone hippo!

I am looking forward to being at a table that isn't bobbing or listing to paint some of these trees. I brought my watercolors onboard, but it just isn't a practical place to paint. This will be a project back home in the summer. And I did get those beads in Cape Town so I will be making some jewelry as well.

One of the more unusual hunts we did was for the hippo that lives in this reserve. I am not sure if there are a few more or not. All we saw was his ears as it was hot and sunny and hippos have sun-sensitive skin so they stay underwater during the daylight hours.

Interesting birds.

Safari: Camp Savute

The Great Adventure Begins:

After a long day of travel, two game drives and a lovely late dinner, this bed was a welcome sight! Our lodging was very comfortable and private as it was tucked in the bush with its own private walkway. The shower could be open to the deck - if you so choose!

Our accommodations were beautiful. The staff turned on the lights and pulled the drapes while we were at dinner. I appreciated that as I preferred not to shower in front of the sliding glass door even though I was assured that it was very private! Closed drapes were perfect for me!

The mosquito netting was lowered around the bed and the room sprayed so it would be relatively bug-free when we came back to sleep. I did find it a little challenging at first when I tried to fight my way out of the netting in the dark to go to the bathroom! I soon figured out a technique that served me well for the rest of our safari adventure.

We quickly settled in and messed up the place with our stuff. Dennis was busy trying to figure out how to work the new SLR Canon camera I had given US for Christmas and had Barb and Joe bring it to Cape Town as a surprise. Not much time to learn how to use it, but I knew the iPad and small cameras would not get close up shots.

Here are a few facts about Botswana before we head out into the savannah to look for animals:

Our first view of the savannah in the morning was

blessed with this herd grazing at sunrise as we left the camp.

Botswana is a landlocked semi-arid country the size of Texas with a population of 1.5 million people. This makes it one of least densely populated countries in Africa. It is sandwiched between Namibia on the west, Zimbabwe on the east, South Africa on the south and by Angola, Zambia and a portion of Namibia on the northern side.

About 84% of the country is Kalahari Desert which is an immense area of thornbush and dry grasslands. Botswana has dedicated 20% of its land to wildlife parks and reserves. This is more than any other African country. And why we wanted to support it with our safari adventure.

An older elephant had been unable to defend itself and met

its fate at the jaws of a lion. After the bigger beasts finish

feeding, smaller ones like this hyena and the vultures move in.

Chobe National Park is the largest park in Botswana and is bounded by the Chobe River and the Linyanti and Moremi Rivers. The northern area has water year-round, but the southern regions, which include Savute, are bone-dry except for rain-filled pans. The large herds of elephants and buffalo are the most popular attraction along with most species of game.

We were booked at two different areas: one dry and one wet. This was a nice way to see the different climates, topography, animals, flora, etc. Our first stop was at the Savute Safari Lodge in the dry area.

During breakfast, Gwist enlightened us with the daily schedule:

1)    Early morning wakeup call – at in 5:30 AM followed by light snack

2)    Into the vehicles and on the trails by 7 AM to see the animals before they hide from the sun and heat of the day
3)    Breakfast back at the camp around 9:30 AM then rest time
4)    Lunch at the camp around 1-2 PM
5)    Afternoon walk or other activity
6)    Tea time at 3 PM followed by an early evening game drive
7)    Cocktails in the Lodge followed by a fabulous dinner
8)    Night game drive
9)    Bedtime and ready for another early wakeup call

Huge vultures sit in dead trees waiting to feast on

whatever carcasses are available in the area.

So, our first day in camp was long and busy, but so exciting! The next two days were the same as we traversed different areas of the park to see the habitats and spot the residents.

We found it interesting that you cannot leave the gates of your camp until 7 AM and you must be back within the gates by 7 PM. The reason: the park rangers patrol from 7 PM to 7 Am and they will shoot humans wandering in the bush as they could be a poacher! Botswana is serious about protecting its wild animals and their environment. 

A giant Baobab tree.

We saw so many different animals including elephants, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, rhinoceroses, wart hogs, kudu, buffalo, hippopotamuses, roan and sable antelope, giraffes, lions, a leopard, spotted hyenas, jackals and wild dogs. Gwist was so knowledgeable and had a sharp eye. He could see and or hear the animals long before we did. He also pointed out the birds and plants we saw.

We had a visitor one afternoon during our "naptime." Dennis had gone off exploring the camp and I was changing clothes when I was startled by the presence of a tree squirrel! He was happily nibbling on our bag of trail mix on the writing desk!

Then I discover that he had been there awhile or before when I found another bag of it that had been pulled out of my backpack and was full of chew marks on the plastic bag. So much for those snacks. As for the squirrel, my scream sent him scampering up the wall, across the rafters and out a hole in the thatched roof. Maintenance would be right over to fix it!

He may be one of the "losers" which means he had been

exiled from the herd as younger male has taken charge!

Even though we were only there for two nights, it seemed much longer because we did so much. And when we weren’t looking for animals, we were cocktailing and dining or resting. We discovered early on the need for a midday rest so we had the stamina for the early morning and late evening game drives. The animals have it figured out: hunt when it is cool and sleep when it is hot! A good plan! And one that may become a habit.

The highlights were seeing the vultures and hyenas devouring the carcass of a dead elephant, spotting and tracking a leopard which are usually difficult to see up close and being so close to elephants.

Truly, the King of the Savannah!

The best experience of all was a morning drive where we spent three hours with a pride of 13 lions. We could have reached out and touched the male lion. Apparently, they are not afraid of the vehicles so as long as you keep all limbs inside the space of the open air jeep, you can be very close to them without being in danger.

He was an arms-length away from me!

We spent the morning following the pride across the savannah while they stalked a dazzle of zebras. The females lead the hunt, while the males stayed back. In this pride, there are two males, brothers, with the older one being the alpha male.

The ladies were very stealth in they movements, while

the males sort of sauntered along slowing at the rear.

When the zebras caught on, they moved away and the hunt was over for a while. Then the females and the young ones just laid in the sun and played like children. After a while, they started moving across the open area toward shade for the heat of the day was building. We continued to follow them and watched them play in a water hole part way across the savannah. What an amazing experience!

Whenever one of the rangers would spot animals, they radioed the other rangers so everyone could have the opportunity to see as many as possible. We traveled through grass, brush, water, mud, sand while going up and down hills and valleys to get into a viewing position.

Moms' day out? The young are rolling and tumbling behind.

On night drives, one vehicle would stay in position shining a spotlight on the animal(s) until the next ranger could park and get a light on them. Then the first group would move away so each small group of visitors could have the experience without a lot of distraction and risking disturbing the animals. I was amazed at how the rangers could spot them in the dark.

A stop at a small watering hole. They are few and far

between in the savannah at this time of year.

The cats are the hardest to find. We finally found a leopard sleeping in a tree one night. Unfortunately, the lighting was too dim to get at good photo. During one afternoon drive, a ranger spotted a leopard sleeping under a tree in the grass. Soon several vehicles showed up and began jockeying for position. Some of them were independent drivers and didn't respect the practice of taking turns getting close to the animals. At least, we got to see it!

Once the leopard woke up and began to move, everyone scattered in different directions trying to figure out which way she would go. Sometimes the rides were rather exciting as we raced across rugged terrain to catch up with a sighting.

A leopard was spotted sleeping under the tree on the left.

Learning about the social structure in the various animal groups was most interesting. Generally, one male, who has fought for the alpha position and won, has a harem of many females who all produce young to increase his pride, dazzle, herd, flock, etc. - whatever happens to be the correct term for that particular species.


Since it is "survival of the fittest" out there, a number of them won't last long. Everyone needs to eat. And if you are too slow, too old, too young, too ill, etc., you will be someone's meal. That is just the way it is!

There she is waking up. She will move soon and we

will all go looking for her.

Speaking of eating! The meals at the lodge were wonderful as was the total environment. The cocktail hour in the bar before dinner was a good place to mingle with other guests. It is also the place where I discovered my new favorite red wine! We tried local appetizers - some great, some, well ... Wine, alcohol and all other drinks were available any time upon request and included in the package, unless you ordered premium or something special. 

We caught up with her about 20 minutes later on the other

side of the hill. She was stalking impalas: dinner!

I found it interesting  and pleasant that the rangers and management team joined different tables each meal and were interested in getting to know the guests. The attentiveness of the staff was continuous, but not obtrusive. It was hard to say goodbye as we had become very close to them in such a short time.

The Desert & Delta Safaris group has a great customer service model! Apparently, the land used for the camps is leased from the government for a period of 15 years. After that time, the lease, facilities, operations and staff are reviewed. The lease can be renewed or denied.

It was a beautiful 5-star experience. The only question was: can the next camp possible measure up to or top this one?

Additional photos below will tell the rest of the story at Camp Savute.

Safari: A World Away!

Our view of Cape Town's Waterfront at night

From Cape Town to the Savanna:

We had been looking forward to a safari experience for several years. Our plan was to land on the east coast of Africa with the World ARC and take the first weather window(s) available to sail around the Cape to Cape Town. This is not an easy sail to plan as the weather demands that you go on Mother Nature's schedule. After a long wait for a chance to head west, we took it.

Barb and Joe enjoying a taste of South Africa vino

We then spent two weeks making the passage and having work done on the boat in Cape Town so S/V Trillium would be ready for crossing the South Atlantic Ocean to Brazil. We had heard that their summer and Christmas break starts around December 15^th, so we wanted to get things taken care of before everyone shut down. And they did stop working from about December 16 through January 7!

One of the biggest challenges we have had on this adventure has been the number of holidays the rest of the world celebrates! Somehow, we seem to have hit every official holiday in every country we have visited. There are holidays for everything and they are usually 2-4 days in length. Frustrating when you are trying to get people to work on the boat or you need to do some banking, etc.

Our "chariot" awaits! OMG!

The plan was to head to Botswana first and Dennis' brother, Joe and sister-in-law, Barb, were joining us on the safari. They were coming to Cape Town for a couple of days before flying to Botswana with us. We gave them a quick look-see around the Waterfront area and had dinner out under a view of Table Mountain. We would have a very early start the following day.

Botswana was our country of choice because they do not allow hunting of the animals. The only “animal” that is legally hunted is the human poacher! And they will shoot them on site. They are very serious about stopping the maiming and killing of wild animals for their tusks, horns, etc.

Our pilot was a young gal.

The first day of our adventure into the wild animal kingdom started with an early morning plane ride to Maun, Botswana. Once we landed in Maun with its small airport we were greeted by the Desert & Delta Safari representative.

Since we had to wait for Barb and Joe to arrive, the Meet & Greet gal suggested that we go to the local craft shops and "Peek and Pay!" I wasn’t ready to drop my dollars so early in the trip, but we looked at things. That was a mistake as there was a cute tee shirt I wanted, but thought I would see it again later. NOT! I should have paid! Delta, Alpha, Mike, November.

Once we were finally all together, it was time to board our first bush plane. OMG! I don't like the idea of these little 4-6 passenger planes. But it is the only way to get to the safari camps in a reasonable amount of time. So, I had to gather up my nerves and climb aboard. We were only allowed to have one soft-sided 20” duffle bag and a small backpack due to the size of the plane.

What a pleasant surprise when a gal hoped into the pilot seat! She was very young, too. I was fascinated just watching her as she checked out everything and began our approach to the small runway. Although a bit noisy, the flight was comfortable and interesting as we flew close to the ground (relative to larger planes) and around rain squalls. We can see squalls coming toward us on the ocean and can do some maneuvering to avoid the heaviest areas, but this time we were at eye level with the black clouds and could see clear spaces between the rain showers. It was interesting.

Look who is crossing the runway in front of our bush plane!

We had to stop at one of the closer camps to drop off some workers and pick up two guests who were moving to their next camp. I had been sitting next to a young lady who was in an administrative program to work at the camps while finishing her college degree in management. She would then spend three-month rotations at a camp with a two week break to go back home. This was to be her job after she graduated. This is how they staff the camps year-round.

Yah, right! International? Terminal? Passport Control? FUN!

Landing on a dirt runway and then taxiing over grass was a new experience. I was impressed with our gal pilot. When the new passengers boarded the plane, I was asked to move forward into the co-pilot seat! Yikes, now I could really see the ground and everything! At first, I was a little uncomfortable, but finally relaxed and settled in for the flight. The pilot reminded me not to touch anything with my hands or feet. I enjoyed watching her during the flight. And I had the best seat in the plane for taking photographs!

We finally reached the landing strip of our first camp. I was really excited that we were finally going to see the African Big Five: elephants, leopards, rhinoceroses, buffalos and lions. And I was looking forward to seeing the various camps our travel agent had booked for us.

This beautiful creature was the welcoming committee!

But first we had to land! I noticed there was a safari vehicle sitting along the runway. I later learned that anytime a plane is coming in or going out, they drive the length of the runway to chase off any wild animals that may be ready to cross in front of a plane.

Our first wild animal sighting was on the runway! After we had landed and were taxiing back to the waiting vehicle, a huge elephant sauntered across the runway! There is a good reason they check the runway before the planes arrive or take off! So, then we were off the first bush plane and into our first safari vehicle! We had arrived to begin an adventure of a lifetime!

A reality of life: the weak, old or ill do not survive.

Everyone is someone's meal!

The first two nights of the safari were at the Desert & Delta Savute Safari Lodge. What a lovely setting in the bush along the watering hole. We would spend our time here in very nice open vehicle with only six passengers, although most of the time it was just the four of us.

Our ranger, Qwist, maneuvered the vehicle in the most ideal position for us to see and photograph the animals. We were up close and personal with the most amazing creatures! Why do people want to kill these beautiful beasts?

The al fresco dining area and swimming pool

overlooking the watering hole of the Stolen River.

We stopped to see several animals on our way to the lodge! Our safari had begun and we hadn’t even arrived at the camp! This first camp was located in the Savute region of the Chobe National Park, which covers 4500 square miles and encompasses floodplains, swamps and woodland. It is a dynamic wilderness of sweeping savannah dotted with rocky outcrops surrounded by marshes and the Savute Channel. The Savute Channel is one of the greatest natural mysteries in Botswana as it alternates between flowing freely and lying dormant.

White linen dining in the bush!

Along with Big Game, Savute boasts the second-largest Zebra migration in Africa. The zebras move from the north to the south when the rains in November and December make the grasslands most inviting. We were lucky to be there in December and we saw hundreds of zebras. Of course, when the zebras move south, their predators follow so that increased our chances of seeing other animals such as lions.

The view from our private deck. Animals in the watering hole.

When we finally arrived at the lodge, I was amazed at the setting. We had our own private chalet with a viewing deck overlooking The Stolen River, which was mostly a watering hole at the time we were there. With only twelve chalets, the camp felt very personal. We were escorted by our ranger to and from our chalet when it was dark, as a safety measure for guests. You just don't know who or what you might come up against in the wild - especially in the dark!

The accommodations were beautiful. Each day the housekeeping staff made little designs on the bed as an extra touch. We had our own individual butler and maid. This was going to be very special!

There was cozy lounge with a cocktail bar, library and large fireplace in the main building. The dining building glowed with candlelight during later dinners.

And this was waiting for us after a very long day!

We were in good hands with Gwist.

At the river’s edge, there was a viewing deck where meals were served on nice days and there was a swimming pool. Unfortunately, we were there during the rainy season so most of our meals with in the dining building which was lovely as well. There are pluses and minuses to each season, so the rain was a plus as it brought the animals to the watering holes which had been very dry.

And this was our vehicle.

And this was just our first day! And we still have an afternoon game drive before dinner, and a night game drive before bed. More to come…