Day 18 - Take me to the River

18:50
Been meaning to write all day, but I’ve been busy, busy, busy - no time for underpants. I’m up early for a game drive, having slept well. I’m out of the lodge’s gate by 06:15, and at Sedudu Gate, the main entrance to the Chobe Riverfront by 06:30. I LOVE this time of day in parks. There’s a cacophonous tranquility to being into the park before many/any others. I head down to the lower part of the riverside, where I saw so much incredible wildlife yesterday, and find - well, not much actually. There are some impala, and many helmeted guineafowl - the ubiquitous blue headed ground birds that so seem to enjoy elephant shit. I see some elephant as well, down at the water’s edge and from a height, which is pretty cool. It’s definitely not my most successful game drive though. I return to my lodge via a little café that is well reviewed, and who serve me an excellent ham and cheese omelette, and possible the best cup of coffee I’ve had in 3 weeks.

I’m back at my lodge by 10:00, and have nothing to do until my river safari at 15:00. I slept well, so don’t particularly feel the need to nap, and it’s a wee bit early to crack open a cider. I make do with laying out on my sofa, in the cool breeze of the A/C, and reading my book. Somewhere around 11:00, my eyes start to get a little tired, and before I know it, I’m waking up at 13:00. Super self-indulgent sleep. My room has a corner bath, and despite the high 30s heat, I’ve missed my bath. I’ve always enjoyed them, but so much moreso as a means of pain-relief in my knees. I run myself a pretty hot, and pretty deep bath, and slide in. Deluxe. I’m also enjoying the chance to give my feet a good soak. On this trip, they’ve been perhaps the muckiest they’ve ever been. A combination of mud, red sand, and flip-flops. A good soak brings them some of the way back towards acceptability.

At 15:00, I head out on my river safari. It’s a small-ish boat - maybe 12 of us onboard. Real mixture of nationalities. Where Namibia was c. 80% German tourists, there is no dominant culture here. There are 4 Italians, who sit surrounding me, 2 Swedes, a German, a Korean, a Japanese woman, A Brit couple towards the back of the boat, and a man of indeterminate origin. The sun is still super-hot, so I’ve picked a seat that I think will remain in the shade for the longest time possible. I’ve seen this stretch of river from the riverbank a couple of times now, but there’s something markedly different seeing it from the water - calmer somehow, and more peaceful. At one point, we see a warthog family, and I’m *pretty* sure one of the Italians mentions that they make great eating, and he has a recipe. A while later, I think he says something similar about crocodiles, but non parlo molto Italiano. Seeing hippos up close, both in the water and grazing on land is very special. We see several crocs of various sizes, a herd of buffalo, tons of birds. It’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

Back at the lodge, I’m conscious I’ve not eaten anything since breakfast. I drain an ice cold Savanna in zero seconds flat, and ask to have a look at the dinner menu…..

21:30
Dinner is, well - let’s say the glass of wine I had was nice. I’m still not convinced I know what the food of Botswana really is, despite several attempts to find out. This evening, I eat at the hotel, where the menu is somewhat limited. I opt for a steak, a T-bone. It’s reasonably tasty, but very tough - as a result of poor husbandry, poor butchery, or poor cookery - I’m unsure. Chips are good though. I meander back to my room via the reception desk to check what time my game drive departs in the morning, and am told a fairly brusque 05:30. Yikes. I push a little harder, and am told, yeah - it’s more like 06:00, but we don’t like people to be late. Righto.

Back at my room, I briefly consider a glass of wine, but decide against. Tomorrow is my last day of safari on this trip, and I want to be in tip-top shape for it. I mooch for a while, cooling down as much as anything. Even at 20:00, at the hotel’s restaurant, the temperature is still in the mid 30s. Reports from back home of consistent cold and soggy weather, and that sounds pretty damn good. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such intense heat for such a long period of time before. Thailand, maybe - back in 2025. Even there, there were cooling breezes on the islands, and a bit of a temperature range. Across my trip, the coolest day has topped out at 35C, and the hottest at 42C, which was about as hot as I can ever remember feeling. Brutal.

Thankfully, my room is serenely cool. An early night for me, and a correspondingly early alarm call.Read more