Game-viewing on land & water

Everybody seemed in good spirits as we assembled for a 5.30 am early morning drink and breakfast. By 5.45 we were on our 3 jeeps heading along the road to the Sedudu entrance gate to Chobe NP.

There followed 2 hours of searching, of scanning the surrounding river frontage and adjoining banks for any signs of wildlife.

There were no elephants like yesterday as the elephants do not like to spend the night by the water. But there were buffalo, hippo, baboons, and a fascinating variety of birds (spoonbills fishing, fish eagles, hammerkop, lilac-crested rollers, carmine bee- eaters, vultures, etc. We watched young impala males practicing their fighting and a troop of baboons going about their family business ( mothers fussing over babies, youngsters playing catch & seek).

We stopped for a break in one of the Stretch Sites before slowly making our way back to the park gates. It had been a morning when we just missed Painted Dog on one occasion and lions swimming across the river on another. But that is the luck of attempting to see game in the wild.

Back at Thebe River Lodge, we waited for brunch by using the wifi, doing some washing or generally relaxing. After our meal it was time for a swim.

We left the camp at 2.30 for our cruise on the Chobe River. We had the flat-bottomed, two storey game-viewing boat to ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon until sunset.

On the cruise we crept close to animals drinking in the river (kudu, impala, warthog, elephants) and those on the shoreline (buffalo, elephant, crocodile, lechwe, hippos). And there were spoonbills, herons, storks, spinners and fish eagles to watch.

Our cruise ended with the usual magical sunset, the sun’s red ball disappearing into the Chobe River, tinging the flowering reeds in yellow.

A good meal from Munya followed and we headed for bed, tired but happy. It has been a great day, enjoyed by everyone.Read more