Lake2Cape - Botswana

Senyati waterhole in Botswana

The original plan was to cross to Namibia through Zambia via Katima Malimo but the intel we were picking up was the road on the Zambian side was a disaster. So we only crossed in to Botswana to cross in to Namibia through the Ngoma border which is a well maintained tarmac road. 

Our first view of the Botswana border across the Kazungula bridge

In fact there was even a discussion on driving straight to the Namibian border but it was decided that we could not drive past Chobe National park without having at least a quick look and thus the plan was to spend a day in Kasane and move on to the Caprivi.

Senyati means "Place of the buffalo", but it's really a home for elephants

Thanks to apps and everything digital, one can gather intel that was previously word of mouth or through Lonely Planet literature. While checking for potential camping spots, the old spots of Chobe Safari, Thebe Safari and Toro Safari (now called The Big Five Chobe Lodge) were still around but there was a host of new option of which Senyati caught our attention. 

Individual campsite with toilet, power and shade is perfect

It boasted a water hole with a shooting hide and individual campsites with amenities. We decided to check out Senyati for a day or two before heading to Chobe Safari and then on to Namibia. 

Senyati waterhole is a gem with 3 shooting levels - this is the ground level

What was planned to be a quick crossing through Botswana was now looking like a week's stay but this was a trip without a plan, research or bookings which meant we had the freedom to make up the plan as we went along. 

The rush of being at the elephants foot level is amazing

This also meant we only stumbled upon obstacles along the way at short notice and so there were a couple of matters we needed to take into account. The first was to ensure that we reached George in South Africa by end of April to ensure we met up with family coming from Australia. 

Look out for the troop of banded mongoose in the camp 

The next was to ensure we negotiated the school holidays and Easter break as we did not have bookings and holidays were bound to book out the popular attractions. 

The Red-Billed hornbill provides entertainment around the campsite

It was now decided that we needed to hit Etosha in Namibia for the Easter break as this was the one place that appeared to have plenty of camp sites and our best chance of not getting caught without a campsite. 

But the elephants stole the show

This now meant working backwards and some semblance of a plan was beginning to take shape to our trip to the Cape. We also had to get the car serviced at the 5,000 km interval but this was tricky as it all depended on how we moved but it was another part that needed to fall in to place. 

The evening sun is perfect for shooting the waterhole 

Senyati was nothing short of sensational with elephants providing a treat at the shooting hide. There were also signs of lions around, who has showed up after a two year absence due two being shot for taking stock, but we missed the lions by a day. 

They would come all night as well

We could not get enough of the elephants which saw us spending four  nights at Senyati. We heard lion at night but they showed up the day after we left setting a theme for our near misses with cats through this trip. 

Senyati provided hours of elephant entertainment

Kasane itself had moved on as expected from our time back in Botswana. There was even a Toyota agency in town along with new shopping malls and plenty of new accommodation options. We moved in to Chobe Safari lodge to check out Chobe National Park over the next two days. 

There are Lions in Chobe but hard to find

We have many good memories of Chobe where once we could not find a single elephant due to the rains and on another trip, had to start ignoring lions as they were all over the place. Both our sets of Parents had also visited Chobe national park and thus was a special place for us and it was great to be here after all these years. 

The most chilled of them all - the ellies of Chobe 

Time had stood still at the Chobe entrance gate! We were still filling out the same old book although there was a new booking office for the now privatized camp sites. 

There are few drives to beat the riverside drive at Chobe

There was also some complication with one way roads which was explained to us and with signs around the park too, but we didn't really get it and no one seemed to pay attention to it.

The sunset cruise is a must and get a seat on the left for best shooting

Some work had been done on the roads which was great but also took out some of the fun of driving on the sand. The river was swallowing some of the roads and grazing grounds for the animals but time had stood still in this wonderful corner of the world. 

Blue skies, big herds along the river, the Chobe essentials

Somehow despite the rise in numbers the park authorities have managed to preserve the park well which was great to see.  

A baboon tried to snatch a baby mongoose who was protected by the band 

The Ihaha campsite which is probably one of the best in Africa has sadly had a few incidents of tourist attacks and thus we reluctantly gave it a miss. This is a real shame as it is such an iconic location and the story that we were given was it is the Namibian villagers coming over the Chobe river on boats and attacking tourists at night in Ihaha. 

The magical Ihaha campsite, sadly with a security concern!

Blaming someone else is an easy cop out but it's a real shame that this awesome camp spot is now a problem for solo travelers like us.

Crested barbet kept us amused in our Chobe safari campsite

Now that we had figured out a rough timeline, it was decided to spend sometime in Northern Botswana and cross in to Namibia at a later date. So we decided to checkout Elephant Sands, a spot which we first visited almost 15 years ago when it only had a camp site. We had seen online that the place had grown beyond imagination and this is what we saw when we got there. 

Elephant Sands - What was a small mud wallow is now a full size waterhole

The waterhole looks much larger than what I recall and the elephants appeared to be using this as a permanent waterhole. We have seen elephant drink out of the swimming pool at Elephant Sands but all that apparently changed when a baby elephant fell in and the panic stricken herd ran through some of the walls of the old bar!

Best seat in the house is at the bar!

We touched on Nata Bird Sanctuary but being off season and dry, there weren't any birds in the park but only water birds on the shoreline which has also receded. 

The camp ground is well positioned, but no shade

Our next stop was Gweta and the road from Nata was in a worrying state in sections. Planet Baobab was our destination and this place too had expanded as expected over the years. It was now part of a larger franchise and able to offer a higher level of service. 

Nata sanctuary and its salt pans

We decided to take up the Planet Baobab activity of exploring the Makgadikgadi pans including checking out the meerkat colony. Despite living in Botswana in the past, we never got down to checking out the pans or the meerkat colonies on the pans edge. 

The amazing Baobab

We would also advise the use of a local lodge for the meerkats as they have access to habituated colonies which are monitored to enable easy access. 

Cheryl trying to blend in with the meerkats

It would be a serious challenge to work this out on your own and the key issue is the early morning timing. You need to reach the colony before they go out foraging to get the good shots when they warm themselves in the first light. 

Need to catch the meerkats at this moment, first thing as they sun. 

Planet Baobab also marked the first time we had an issue with the car, but luckily an easily solvable one.  While stopped for fuel, we noticed some cuts in one of the tyres.  We weren't sure what caused it but decided to be rather safe than sorry and change the tyre with a plan to get a new one once we were in a bigger town.

Ntwetwe pan, Makgadikgadi pan system

Next stop was one of our favorite spots in Botswana, Nxai Pan National Park. Besides probably the best maintained toilets we have come across in Africa thanks to privatizing, nothing much including the dog of a sand track to the pan has changed here too. 

Quick tyre change in Gweta before heading to Nxai Pan

The camp site had expanded and with two new toilet blocks which were immaculately maintained and could not be further opposite than the previous ablution plan here. 

Back to Nxai Pan after a 15 year absence

We had a horrifying experience once in the past where a leaking tap attracted elephants who would line up to suck water from the leaking tap all night long right next to us.

The magic of the Nxai Pan waterhole 

The other surprise was that no one had seen a cat here in 3 months which was almost unbelievable given the presence of all 3 big cats in the past and was easily one of the best places for cheetah. 

Big bulls in Nxai Pan

The massive elephant bulls seemed to have got larger and older and dominated the waterholes. The large herds of zebra were here for the season and there were a few new roads thanks to a high end lodge that has now taken over Nxai Pan.

Hiding in the camp site

Only the campers ventured to Nxai pan in the past but like all great places, access is now open to all provided you're able to fork out the fancy prices. 

An Elephant arrives at our camp site

Next up was Maun and we had a few car matters to deal with. First up was a routine 5,000 km service after working out that there is a bit of a drama with servicing a Japanese spec Toyota in Southern Africa which was not a problem in Malawi. 

The Nxai Pan bulls will test your nerve but are largely tolerant

Regardless, parts remain a challenge everywhere with a 4 day wait time for delivery in Maun. Also needed two new tyres after noting one of the tyres having an unhealthy looking marks on the side wall. 

The 30km road into Nxai Pan is still a sand trap

Rather oddly, it was pointed out that the radiator cap was missing which was a mystery but thankful for the guys sourcing a new cap as we had a long way to drive with the whole of Namibia still ahead. 

Our first night not camping on this trip

In all our time in Botswana, we never visited Shakawe which was really a destination for the fisherman and the really keen birders. We were now keen enough to catch some birds, particularly the Pel's fishing owl which was known to be sighted around Shakawe. 

Drotskys cabins - a landmark in Northern Botswana

We settled for Drotsky's cabins which has been around for ever it seemed and they have a great campsite with shade, power and water. We did a lot of chasing the Pels fishing owl and had two sightings including one in the campsite and got a clear shot albeit from a the moving boat. 

Finally caught the Pel's fishing owl

We also caught the Lesser jacana and White backed night heron which were both lifers and we ended up lazing around for 3 nights in Shakawe.

Pygmy goose - on Chery's list of birds she wanted to see

Spending time in places that we'd never seen or wouldn't reallyhave considered is what this trip is all about ant time in Shakawe but now it was time to head across the border and into the next leg of our trip - Namibia.

River cruise on the Okavango pan handle.