BOTSWANA DAY 1
Botswana is known to have the best safari experiences on the planet. With its vast number of private reserves and strict rules and policies it is also a big player in the sustainable market!
WHERE IS THE OKAVANGO DELTA?
After a long enough travel day, we arrived into the not so local, local airport. My mum and more so my sister aren’t the best flyers so unless it’s a PJ you can forget about getting them into an 8 seater plane.
THE DRIVE
Instead of what would be a 30minute flight we opted for a 4hour drive and me and dad wondering why we just didn’t get on the flight andleave the girls to fend for themselves!
We are booked into Okuti lodge which is our first experience of staying within a park and my god, what a place it was! When you try and describe to someone that you are staying in tents in the middle of a game reserve they tend to look at you as if something is wrong. But it takes to actually see the accommodation, they are a far cry from the tarpaulin, wooden pegs and those frustrating tent poles you can never fix without nipping yourself!
SUN DOWNERS
Due to the drive we had no time for site-seeing and instead were welcomed with a gin in time for yet another amazing African sunset! These sun downers will become part and partial to a normal day in Botswana.
RUDE AWAKENING
In the middle of the night I woke and ventured to the toilet, which is also within the tent. In no time at all I could hear shuffling and something moving very closely! Infact so closely I was not sure it was in the tent and this was by no means a small animal.
Lets be honest, I was exposed and sitting on the toilet very vulnerable to an attack. I decided to close the door until I looked up and noticed there was no ceiling to the bathroom into the rest of the tent. Do I stay here for however long it takes or do I head back to bed and risk getting ambushed?
INTENSE
Slowly the noise came around to my right side and it was then I became aware it was outside, literally 2 feet from my face. I still couldn’t make out what it was but knew it was no poodle! I made the dash back to bed and slowly the noise came around the side again. I remember it all vividly, the noise became so clear again that you would have sworn it was trying to get in.
THE DARKNESS
My sister thought it was me making the noise, I was in the bed beside her, so let that give you an idea of how close it felt. As the night went on it slowly moved away and I decided to get up and open the door to check, not the smartest thing I have done. Pure darkness and if I hadn’t have just went to the toilet I swear I would have shit myself on the spot!
DESTRUCTION
The following morning we opened the blinds and you could immediately see the destruction that was caused by the elephant. Believe it or not, Lions and Hyenas have been known to walk around the camp but the main threat is elephants due to their size and potential for carnage!
FINAL THOUGHTS
How can I complain when I was promised the most authentic safari experience!
NEXT UP
Watching some endangered animals make a kill!! Click to read
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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This post is part of the Southern Africa Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
