Misty River - Zambezi National Park

As the day awakens birds call a happy song and wisps of clouds rise off the fast flowing Zambezi as it pushes its way to Mozambique and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.  Today I will cross the border into Botswana and fly into the norther part of the Okavango Delta, the largest freshwater body of water in the world.  Each year as the rains fall in the highlands of Angola the rivers swell and feed down into the great sands of the Kalahari where they are blocked by the escarpment of the rift valley creating this eden for wildlife.  As the waters rise new life blossoms from the earth.  Dormant frogs come racing back to life.  Catfish awaken from their hibernation and wriggle free of their muddy beds. The water then pushes up higher creating islands which concentrate wildlife creating the ideal situation for one to observe nature in all its glory.  Predatory cats swing into action with easy prey now within reach.  This cycle gives Botswana its fame as one of the top safari destinations in the world.  It also allows for diverse activities like traveling the waterways by local “mokoro” wooden canoes.  We follow channels created by hippos through the thick grass reeds to hidden lagoons and islands where we can beach our boat and walk among the giant trees in search of lion, leopard, and more.

After a one hour journey up the paved road to the border at Kasane I enter Botswana and take a small plane into the delta.  Typically we fly 12 seat “Caravans” to our delta camps.  These planes are piloted by some of the best bush pilots in the world and it is nice to see we have a local woman, Immaculate,  flying our plane today.  After a 55 minute scenic flight over the swirling turquoise waterways we land at our first dirt airstrip.  Immaculate guides the plane down to an expert landing and soon we are back in the air heading to the next strip.  These small planes fly a circuit amongst the remote camps in the delta and often one finds it takes a few stops to reach one’s destination.  Upon touch down at Kizora strip I am met by my guide, Diesel, and his tracker, Lango from Bushman’s Plain camp.  I am here to check out this new camp which is a model of community tourism.  The owners are local bushman who are veteran safari guides that have now taken the leap to create their own camp.  Aside from the usual safari activities they are offering cultural walks that take guests on a journey through the history and life of the delta bushman.  I love bush walks and I am excited to experience this unique activity of walking with the bushman.  

After settling into the rustic camp we set off on a sunset game drive.  We pick up tracks of 2 female lions and follow them across the grasslands past impala, zebra, wildebeest (gnu), giraffe, and a host of other grazers.

We lose the track as the terrain enters into thick mopping forests so we set up the classic sundowner and watch the giant fireball of red descend into the horizon illuminating the tops of the tall acacia trees.  My gin and tonic is ice cold and refreshing after a long day’s travel.  The sky glows pink and orange then darkness descends quickly and we head back towards camp on a night safari.  Lana sets up the hand held torchlight as the nocturnal creatures emerge from the bush.  An African wild cat darts across the road.  Night jars fly in front of the land rover.  A giant owl perches high on a dead limb silhouetted against the pale sky.  Its calls ring out across the silent plains.  Just as we are approaching camp, Langa spots a female leopard just a few feet off the track. Having local tracker like Langa can make all the difference when in the bush.  His eagle eyes instantly picked up the shape of the cat perfectly camouflaged in the grass.  We are treated to a perfect view of the female as she stalks a small prey in the bush.  Her distinctive black spots contour across her sleek muscled body.  Her green and gold eyes stare back at us before she turns and lunges into bush after her quarry.  We try to follow but she is lost in the darkness.  What a treat.  Whilst guest will get to see lion several times and perhaps a cheetah once or twice it is a rare occurrence to see the elusive leopard and I count my luck stars to have witnessed this beauty in action.  Back at camp we celebrate the day with a wonderful home cooked meal and then sit by the fire under the stars and reminisce about our day.  I am happy and at ease here in the bush.  Life is slow, rich, and meaningful.  One feels a sense of place among the animals and the stars.  It is humbling in the best way possible.  As one friend puts it  “this is the best cure for Nature Deficit Disorder!”