Shinde shimmy to Footsteps Camp

A quick 10 minute scenic flight over the swirling delta channels took us to Shinde private reserve where we enjoyed a late brunch and then a nice boat ride on the water.  One of the key activities in the delta is boat rides on either pontoon or traditional motorized craft.  It is great fun to speed through the channels with the refreshing breeze cooling us in the late afternoon sun.  As we slowed we witnessed profusion of water lilies - white day lilies, yellow and purple night lilies starting to blossom.  The birdlife was especially good with sightings of jacana, malachite kingfisher, fish eagles, and more.  Hippos snorted in the near distance as we explored the inner logins near Uptree Island.  A small croc slithered into the water.

The next morning we were onto leopard tracks but soon were distracted by two lions, a young adult male and an older (much wiser) female.  The female was hungry and on the hunt but the male was inexperienced and conspicuous as he raised his head several times to have a look at the wildebeest and zebra on alert nearby.  Soon he just plopped down in the grass and started to snooze and the female realized it was futile with this male by her side.

After brunch we head off towards Footsteps camp which is a real classic wilderness camp set in a very remote game rich area across the channel. We had to transfer to mokoro canoes and pick up new vehicles on the other side.  Upon arrival at Footsteps we dropped our bags in the tents and went on a wonderful walking safari.  The area was full of animals and we were soon approaching zebra to within 50 feet or so.  The highlight of the walk was coming upon a mother and baby giraffe as the sun set like a huge ball of red fire in the background.  How fortunate we were that the mother allowed us to come within 100 feet or so.  The perspective of being on the ground on foot makes one really appreciate how tall these creatures really are.  Even the baby of 3 months was much taller than me.

Back at camp we came to appreciate just how wild this area was.  The simple camp is set on the edge of a hippo lagoon and literally steps away from the water.  You could see hippo only 30 feet away and they snorted loudly all through the night.  A special treat was the night safari that evening where we quickly encountered a hyena, lechwe antelope, a small leopard like animal called a serval, another small cat called a civet, a hippo out of the water grazing, and bush hare which looked like little kangaroos. 

Night drives are absolute magic as you travel in the darkness under the enormous starry sky with a spotlight that illuminates strange glowing eyes in the bush.  It is mind blowing how many animals are out at night hunting and so close to camp.  We were very fortunate to experience this drive - you can only take activities like night drives and walks in private reserves or concessions. What a treat!