Serwe Pan

Saturday 21st April – Khama Rhino Sanctuary (725 km)

Once again, we had a very early start to the day. This time our alarm was set for 5.15am in preparation for what was going to be the longest day of our entire safari – a bum numbing 725 km all the way to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana.

After a period of frenzied, but by now well practised, camp breaking we were actually underway by 6.50 am (10 mins ahead of our schedule). Our route took us back to Kasane and then south along the main national highway towards Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. We soon discovered that the roads in Botswana are “streets ahead’ of those in either Namibia or Zambia and we were able to make excellent time on wide paved roads all day.

Not long after leaving Kasane we encountered the undoubted highlight of the day when a group of young lions were moving just near the edge of the road. I made a grab for my camera but was not quick enough to catch them before they slinked back into the undergrowth.

The traffic was almost nonexistent, apart from when we passed through Francistown. With a population of 85,000 it is the second largest city of Botswana and is often referred to as the capital of the north. Gaborone, the capital, is about another 400km to the south. As we made our way through the afternoon peak traffic of Princetown, we could see it as a bustling, modern city. It had obviously come a long way in the 46 years since Botswana gained its independence.

At that time Botswana was one of the poorest countries in Africa however it can now boast one of the highest growth rates in the world and is now regarded as one of the greatest success stories in Africa. Unlike many other countries in this region, Botswana has a stable democracy with virtually no corruption. As far as the country itself is concerned, 70% of Botswana is made up of the Kalahari Desert and, with a population of only 2 million people, it is one of the most sparsely populated countries on earth. Agriculture is only possible in a narrow strip down its eastern side where the rainfall is higher, and irrigation can be used to boost production.

As we drove, we noticed that one of the most popular forms of transport for the locals were small donkey carts, pulled by between 1 to 4 donkeys. They were used for carrying a wide variety of goods and also as general people carriers as well. It was not uncommon to see numerous donkeys grazing by the sides of the road where they obviously serve a dual purpose as municipal lawn mowers.

We finally rolled into the Khama Rhino Sanctuary at 5.30 pm and we were keen to set up camp before the sun dropped below the horizon. Once the sun disappeared the temperature also dropped quickly and this was actually the first night that I slept inside my sleeping bag. Outside it was a crystal clear, moonless night and the stars were perhaps the brightest we had seen in the trip so far. Each time I gazed up I was reminded that we really “Under African Skies”. Although the constellations were the same southern constellations that I was familiar with in Australia, somehow the feeling was quite different.

Our campsite for the evening was the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. This was established in 1989 as a safe haven for protecting the highly endangered white rhinoceros. Over the next several years rhinos we relocated here from other locations and, according the latest figure the sanctuary is now home to 34 white rhinos and 2 black rhinos. (By the way the names “white” and “black” rhinos do NOT refer to the skin colour). The park is now protected by 28 km of electric fences, not only to keep the rhinos in but, more importantly, to help keep poachers out.

After so many years of dreaming and reading about Africa it was still hard to believe that we were here in the heart of the continent. At the same time, I knew that our adventure was now rapidly drawing to a close. We were now rapidly heading southwards towards Johannesburg where our African odyssey would officially end. Although we had only been here a few short weeks I good easily see how Africa really could get into your blood. Over the centuries many Europeans have visited this continent and found that it so captivated them that they spent the rest of their lives here. It truly is a huge, wild and unforgiving continent but the beauty is astounding. In particular I would have loved to have spent some more time in Namibia and Botswana but that was not to be, at least not on this trip.Read more