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Notes on Trip

Summary
Four of us travelled to Botswana for most of September 2016. Andy at http://www.drivebotswana.com booked all of the trip for us, which made it very wasy for us. From our initial enquiry, they were able to facilitate us for the correct number of days at each location. They also answered any queries we had in a very timely manner. Found them good. Also they gave us very good information and instructions.
For instance how much food was required (days) was also given, as on two seperate occasions we needed food for 5 and 7 days, when you start adding up drinking water for 4 people, that becomes quite a bit , initialy we where going through 15L between us a day so for one strecth we brought 20 5L containers of water !! Only had 3 of them left at the end of the trip. If we where told to get X days of food , you needed to as most town/villages did not have supplies, so its worth getting and maybe a bit more incase.
We used a GPS with Tracks for Africa, supplied with the 4*4, with locations (longitude and latitude) on route for each day. This made it easy for navigation, hard the 1st time to drive off tarmac, onto a narrrow dirt road, well was it a road!
We also had a satalite phone in case of emergancies, (never used :-) )

We flew from Dublin to London, London to Joberg, Joberg to Maun, which took aprox 24 hours. The time difference in Botswana to Ireland is 1 hour.
Our mode of transport while we were in Botswana was a 4*4 ( again supplied by drive botswana ( busholore was who they used). The 4*4 came equipped with a double cab and a large covered in cab at the back together with a small fridge, very good thick sleeping mats, two ground tents, which a 6' 4" could stand up in, table and chairs, cooking and dinning equipment. It also had plenty of space for storeage.

Our accommdation was the two ground tents except for 5 nights in lodges. All sites had a toliet.  There was no water available at campsites till we got to Guma Lagoon, from then on there was water for washing. Most sites from then on also had solared heated showers.
Cooking was done on 2 single gas burners and a wood fire.
We used solar powered lights for general lighting, but also used litium batteries for charging Cameras, AA batteries & phones.

Note it was important to keep documenation handy, as you needed to check into each site and also each park, where you needed the booking forms provided by drive botswanna.
The start had a few long drives, and wildlife viewing was less in those areas so less time spent stopped viewing animals. It also got you use to the driving and living in tents etc. Once we got to areas of more game, the trips between campsites where not that long and you treated the trip as a game drive. Mind you you probably could not drive much faster on alot of the roads anyway. I reckon we did about 3500 Kms over the 3 weeks. Roughly the whole trip cost E3,600 each, this includes everything, flights, food , visas, park entrance fees etc.
Passport control/security in JoBerg was slow (African time) !

Great trip overall, do it again.

03rd Sept. - Thamalakane River Lodge
Picked up 4*4 from bushlore (http://bushlore.com/) , just outside the airport, and got to the lodge after shopping around 5. Great location by the river, even a geko in the room :-). Point to note, across the main road from the supermarket is a butcher (close to the petrol station) , who would vaccum pack meat. (we got some meat from him at the end of the trip, which was really good).

04th Sept. - Lekhubu Island
Woke up 1 hour late, Phone had not changed time automatically :-(.
Had to fill up with Fuel as 4*4 was only half filled !
Long drive to Kudu Island, Speed trap in the park (Makgadikgadi Pans) , Saw wildlife beside the road, Tarmac most of the way , then sand track (which took alot longer as driving so much slower), hardly see it into the bush, followed GPS , Got stuck in softsand and managed to get out, used 4*4 mode, Kubu island was remote and spectacular views across the salt pans, for miles !

05th Sept. - Kori, Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Crossed salt pans to the south top get out, then back to tarred road . We needed to detour slightly to get to another town for food supplies for 5 days, then off again into the Kalahari and soft sand, we have started to get use to the sand driving. On route to the site saw bat earred foxes and a griaffe. Another couple had camped in our site, after checking documentation , they moved on to another site. Then we saw the lion prints in the sand around the site. There was hundreds of noisy birds in the bush by the site, not sure what they where, black and white type (around a starling size).

06th Sept. - Passarge, Central Kalahari Game Reserve
1st real game drive, started seeing wildlife (bustard, bat eated fox,jackel, Ostrich, griffae, wildebeest, springbok, guinea fowel......)
Stopped at a watering hole, mainly gemsbok and springbok coming and going and small birds. Continued on towards the site and where told about a lion beside the road under a tree, and there in a few miles a male lion getting some shade close to the track. No one else for kms at this site, remote has a different meaning here ! around 30km to the next possible campsite and people. Milkyway was good.

07th Sept. - Motopi, Central Kalahari Game Reserve
By now we had got the morning down to a routine , up around 5:45 and gone by 7 (pack bedding, take down tents, breakfeast, pack 4*4).
Drove onto a watering hole and stayed for 3 hours, nothing much when we arrived, but after a while there was a continus stream of gemsbok, springbok, wildbeest, kudu , ostrich, guniea fowel, blackbacked jackel . Then on route to the next site, we turned a corner and came across another watering hole, and elephants, they settled back quickly, then a gemsbook spooked them and they took off across the plains at about 30km. You then realized that on these roads you would not out drive a elephant running at full pace ! Yet another remote campsite, procupine quills in the road! Should have picked them up.

08th Sept. - Guma Lagoon Camp
Up and gone quickly today as long drive upto Guma lagoon, left at 7 and arrived around 14:40. There was very soft sand into the campsite and we needed to reduce the tire pressure, there were many tracks in the direction we where going, tried to stay on the westarly ones, there was also the odd signpost for the campsite. We did a sunset boat trip into the marsh (Mox and Sandy where the polers). There was fruit bats on the site and a tame brown owl beside the path.

09th Sept. - Guma Lagoon Camp
Sunrise at 6:35 coming across the marsh. We then did a morko trip from around 7 till 2,and saw quite alot, even elephant hidden in the tall grasses(Just a grey lump if you did not know any better). Also a short walk on one of the islands with more details and stories about animals and the people of the marsh. Wild birds coming and going through the site. The Botswanna people love to laugh and joke. When I saw mox had left his shoes on the trail, I told him that the croc had eatten the previous person, had a good laugh :-)

10th Sept. - Tsodilo Hills
Sort enough trip up to the site. Needed to use the trye pump to get the tryes back up to pressure. Got the campsite and no running water. Then when to the centre for the hills, did the Rhino trail with a guide and saw lots of cave paintings (UNSECO site).
Then 5 children visted the campsite trying to sell trinkets, they got food in-stead, no english language, but happy hungrey kids. Enjoying laughing at Ann trying to light the gas and the match not working.

11th Sept. - Ngepi Camp
Crossing into Namibia, needed to get there currency, but the banks are closed (Sunday), where able to pay at an exchange rate of 1 to 1 in any other currency. Arrived at Ngepi and the signs on the way in had humor, and then signs on the site aswell, also had the same humor, poopa falls ! Did Croc and hippo cage dive, (no hippos or crocs beside us, they where just up the river !). Did a bird/wildlife walk with a local guide, which was great, as he was spotting things we would have missed esaily, it also got our eyes in more for the different birds, it was well worth doing.

12th Sept. - Nambwa Camp
Arrived at the site and setup and went for a game drive. Stopped at a viewing tower by a watering hole. Then elephants, kudu, baboons arrived.
That evening you could hear elephants eating on the far bank of the river, amazing how the noise travelled. That night we woke to branches breaking, farts and grumling sounds from elephants eating, was that a leg going by the door of the tent ?

13th Sept. - Bakwena Lodge
Woke and realized there was a elephant mother and 3 year old in the site beside us, so we got into the 4*4, then found that the local staff just carried on and gave them a wide enough birth, so we went back to breakfeast etc. With them still there and even the young one came to the edge of the site by the river eating away without a care of us! Some experience between the night time and the morning. Normally elephants are not this happy around people. They had walked druing the night within 2 feet of the tent, did not touch the tents, table or chairs, amazing how they did not knock anything.
Then got to Bakwena Lodge (What a difference in accomdation ) and got a quick lunch, then off to Pangolin boat safaris (http://www.pangolinphoto.com ), 3 hours, they provided the big SLR's and we where on a shallow boat with chairs the swivilled 360 and a arm that held the SLR, which moved in all directions. so no wieght, learnt as much as you wanted or not,  the guide (Sabena) set the camera for ISO and light levels at regular intervals dependant on the conditions, camera was on Auto Focus and a small depth of field to high light the birds/animals. It was a very good trip, between getting to use the very good cameras and the different wildlife that you saw.

14th Sept. - Bakwena Lodge
Started at 8 for a trip with driver over to Victoria Falls, He had forms ready for us for leaving Botswana, everthing going in was fine and took about 1 hour to get to the falls, where you pay in dollars to get in. Spent around 3 hours or so doing the falls at each spot, the driver orginally had only given us 1 hour, which we decided was not long enough. There is a market by the parking lot, which is good for getting gifts (figure this out after, as very few places after this for the whole trip !). We also went over to the Hotel for a look, grand and expensive !
On the way back we got pulled over of a issue on how the car was insured, just an excuse to extract money from the driver !
Otherwise the trip was worth while.

15th Sept. - Muchenje Campsite
We check into the Chobe front gate and paid for the days in the parks , till the end of the trip, we forgot today, as we thought we where just traveling through and did not need to pay. After getting to the camp, having lunch and having a bag of crips raided by a vervet monkey, we went back to the park for a drive, (having to pay for the missing day). Plenty of game , even elephants taking shade under a road sign , just at the entrance to the park.

16th Sept. - Savuti, Chobe National Park
Took long enough to get into the park, with softsand, setup camp and had lunch, went out on a game drive and where back around 5:45, decide to go out another road for a while and where lucky with wild dogs, brief glimpses. We found that the site had been double booked, another group also had the site, but there was a free site , which they used,as they where using roof tents, it was not such an issue. The toliet block was set up to stop elephants getting in, it was a brick work on the outside, with backup of sand on the inside to stop them getting in to the Water supply during the drought. Around the site there was regular visits from horned bills and drawf moongoose. Speaking to a another group later there had been lions in the area, while they where there and they had to stay in there tents from around 7 for the night.

17th Sept. - Savuti, Chobe National Park
The drive out on the old marsh road (as advised by someone who had come in that way). Where lucky to see a Leopard and then a fmaily of lions and then again 3 lions that had just finished eating (blood still around the mouths). Arrived at Dijara and noticed elephants on a few sites. It turned out that one was ours, so we waited at the viewing platform (check-in). Then while setting up camp, more elephants started coming towards us (by the river) , but once they noticed we where there, they went around us. Spent the afternoon at the viewing platform , mainly watching elephants. There had been leopard and lions seen lately in the area, but no luck for us.

18th Sept. - Dijara
On the drive into Moremi on a graded gravel road, we saw Sable off in the bush, waited and they crossed just in front of us.
Crossing the wooden bridge into the park, there was a group of about 40 baboons.
Then at hippo pools, there was hippos ! and 3 male lions sleeping, also noticed a Roan antelope in the distance.
Went for a drive around the area in the afternoon, Saw Tseebee for the 1st time and came across a pool that was nearly dried out , with lots of catfish slowly dying, the Marabou Storks and Fish eagles where having a feast. During the evening a groupd of eyes appeared close to the site, it was a small group of antelope grazing on the grass close to the loo block.

19th Sept. - Xakanaxa, Moremi Game Reserve
Went back to the pool of catfish to watch the antics for a while, continued on a random route and came across Saddle backed Stork in the marsh, and Wattled Cranes . We crossed a shallow river, no issues, Then on route to 3rd Bridge, we came round a corner and there was the 3rd bridge, goes half way across and then drops into the water, deep enough and rocks under the water. A Bit different driving experience to the normal sandy roads :-)
We then went up around to Mboma Boat station from 3rd Bridge , saw a mother elephant and baby , which when the saw us, was put between her and another sub adult elephant, excorted away from us. Also a group of around 7 griaffe, with a bull, which was quite a bit bigger. The rest of the area had just been burnt so not that much wildlife.

20th Sept. - Third Bride, Moremi Game Reserve
Drove past watering holes, spotted a night heron and some tessebe.
Then into the Xini LAgoon Circuit area, found a pride of lions 6 mums and 8 cubs, went of map using tracks for a while and ended up on blackpools area.
Did the blackpools area in the afternoon, had to back off from an elelphant.
This campsite is very much a transit campsite and was not that well maintained.

21st Sept. - South Gate, Moremi Game Reserve
Rough graded road till tarmac
Dropped food into locals, who when they realized what was be given where very thankful.
Went into town to try and get presents, not much to be had.
Bought food and meat (excellent bucthers) for our evening meal.

22nd Sept. - Queness Inn
Went on group morko trip, not that good as there was to many people in the group and you did not get the remoteness/isolation feeling we had in Guma Lagoon, also the small walk was not great (again to many people), but there again midday is not the time to go wildlife watching/tracking, better in Guma Lagoon for this type of trip. Final evening having a swim in the pool

23rd Sept. - Thamalakane River Lodge
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