Xakanaxa Camp - Okavango Delta

Today we left Meno a Kwena camp and travelled to Maun to catch our flight out to the Okavango Delta. We had to wait in Maun while Stephan got new tyres for our Commuter van. The tyres on the van were basically had it and he was not too happy with the company he hired it off. While we waited we looked about the town. I really like checking out supermarkets in foreign destinations. It's always fascinating what sorts of foods different cultures eat. There was a huge row of big bags of rice and the meat department was interesting. It was quite small, so perhaps people get their meat elsewhere? Basically chicken and beef were for sale there but I do know Batswanan people also eat a lot of goat meat. Goat used to be very cheap but the government has fixed a minimum price for a goat and it is not so cheap now. In the refrigerated part there was a lot of cultured maize in cardboard milk type containers. It is a staple here. I have been eating it for breakfast and it is a bit like porridge.
Maun is the 'safari capital' of Botswana as it is the gateway to the Okavango and the Makgadikgadi Pans. Consequently most of the shops are geared toward this - safari clothing, tyre and 4WD, camping gear, etc.

We made our way to the Maun airport. It is a busy little airport with planes lined up parked ready to go, many of them Cessna Caravans like the one we took to get to the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. It was only a 20 minute flight and as we got closer to the delta I could see giraffes, elephants and zebras dotted here and there in groups. I noticed as we were landing a large pile of Elephant poo on the runway. Dennis who picked us up said they need to get there 15 minutes before a flight comes in to check there are no animals on it. They regularly need to clear elephants off it.
Dennis is our guide from Camp Xakanaxa where we are staying for 2 nights. He took us on a game drive on our way to camp. We came across a couple of male lions lying under a bush. Lions are like most cats...mostly sleeping. It is a tough life for a male lion because his big mane makes camouflage so much harder for hunting. As a consequence these 2 fellows would be relying on a pride of females sharing with them or doing their best to kill things themselves. Apparently people have heard them roaring at night but I haven't.
We also came across a female leopard walking along the track. She turned off into the bushes when she saw us...so I don't have very good photos of her. She was very sleek and had the lithe walk of an athlete. Dennis got very excited when he saw the leopard and was quickly on the radio telling other safari vehicles about it. We 'went bush' in our vehicle in an attempt to find her but she disappeared.
The terrain consists of many low Mopani trees with the odd larger tree. The elephants prune and eat the Mopani trees to keep them low, so the young elephants can reach the leaves.
We arrived at our camp at about 5pm. The staff came out to greet us; waving with big friendly smiles. They are very hospitable. Our tents here are lovely too. There is only one computer for guests and no wifi. This is good and bad. Good because it is nice to really get away from your everyday life and not so good when I want to update this blog.Read more