Fun things to do in Botswana

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Mboma island is situated in the north west corner of Moremi, as we had stayed the night before in Xakanaxa, it took us about 3 hours, including a bit of game viewing time, to drive there the next day, which was a bit hurried.

The ride in the mokoro was a peaceful one, it was pleasant but we were a little disappointed at it's tameness. Having built it up in our minds to be watching elephants on the bank (we did see the tops of their heads on one ocassion) and hippo, who are not in the vacinity due to motor boats that use the area and crocs too are not to be seen.

Having said that, it was an enjoyable trip, the polers delivered little bits of information and found us the tiniest of frogs. You even get a chance to swim in the canal and you do see the hippo channels too which are generally used at night apparently.

So tame but enjoyable, if you have not built up an idea of what it will be like before hand.

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An amazing evening spent on the Chobe River, being centre stage of all that was happening on the shores and in the river. Elephants, elephants and then even more of them, fish eagles, baboons, impala, water buffalo, then there were the hippo, I have seen many over the years but not as many as this all grazing on the land.

Do NOT forget your cameras and plenty of room on your cards too.

This is a wonderful experience, cruising down the river in a small raft like boat, feeling very little and fragile amongst the giants surrounding it.

You will have your sundowners on board and feel really alive, truly disbelieving that the rest of life is real after this sensational event you just don't want to end.

Drifting in the boat whilst huge herds of elephant cross the water with the sunset acting as stage background, baby elephants playing by the shore, trying to make their uncontrollable trunks do as they are told.
Sitting in no mans land between Botswana and Namibia, two exotic countries, watching what the conservationists of the world have retained for us, something that is worth far more than any amount of money, nature at its purest.

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During our stay at Tuli Game Reserve we took a trip to Mothlabeneng School.
The Game Reserve is run as part of a community project , therefore benefitting the local people and it's facilities, the school being part of that.

We expected to just look around and meet some of the children during our visit but oh so much more than that was to await us. As we arrived, small children ran and greeted us with their beaming smiles and joyous hearts, as we walked further into the grounds older children were lining up chairs for us to be seated on and then appeared a group of traditionally clad youngsters with musical anklets in place and before our unsuspecting eyes, they began to sing and dance. Such an emotional and moving performance and out of the blue, I managed to pick up my camera to snap some memories but a tug at the heart meant I could not contain the emotion that began to spring from my eyes and soon the humour of the children touched my mouth and I could not contain then my laughter. Looking to my right I noted that big man next to me was going through exactly the same mix of pure delight and humbleness these people brought to our chests. Still Michael raised the video to capture this moment forever.

After the entertainment the children were fascinated to interact with us all and we found we did not want to be leaving so soon either.

This was not only a highlight of our holiday but an insight to how tourism, in a controlled way and with the organisation of the people, can in fact benefit the communities, as opposed to us visitors turning the place into a commercial circus. Long may this type of tourism reign.

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October in Botswana is very hot temperatures goes upto 40 degrees, the air is still and the heat seems to have a physical force.
Take a game drive in Chobe national park. , the great thing about october is animals feel the heat too- so like like school kids they are in abundance at the river. In chobe alone there are 45000 elephants- said to be the highest concentration in the world,
Along the river there will be elephants abound , the younger ones often playful, there will be hippos grazing with th cattle and buffalo on sedudu. deep in the bush there will be girrafes.

dont afford to miss this crucial month.

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BOB’s your uncle! OK, maybe he is not. The saying “Bob’s your uncle” is an English expression meaning life is great. The First National Bank (Bank Of Botswana) has an extensive network of ATM’s across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Their helpful website, listed below, has a Branch and/or ATM finder so you can get your money for your adventures. They have a huge network and they often have ATM’s at petrol garages near border areas and in shopping areas. Just where you need your cash to be. So don’t worry about carrying large amounts of cash in Southern Africa. BOB’s your uncle!

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We come to the harbour from which we are to be taken on the mokoro ride. The polers are already there. After a few minutes of confusion because we don't know what to do, a young boy grabs our bags and leads us to his mokoro. His boat looks a bit older than others and has some puddles of water at the bottom - but it's too late to withdraw. We sit on the mattresses folded in such a way as to make seats with a back. He pushes the boat onto the water and the 'cruise' begins. We notice anxiously that the boat is in water almost up to the edge. Seeing our apprehension, the poler calms us down and explains that his mokoro is made from the sausage tree while others are of fibre glass. So we are lucky to travel in the traditional version of the boat. We look around - the view is beautiful and serene. The river looks like a water meadow full of reeds and papyrus and dotted with beautiful pink and white lilies.
It seems unreal - so far away from noise and stressful life that it's beyond comprehension. We immerse in the tranquility and silence broken only by splashing water. Suddenly we hear a cry from one of the boats - it's our guide swearing because an enormous spider crawled onto his face. Yes, there are some drawbacks to this idyllic ride - spiders and tiny flies are omnipresent. So after three hour journey we are happy to set foot on shore.

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In the afternoon we are divided into small groups and each group is to follow their guide (one of the polers) for the bush walk. We are told to behave quietly and follow the guide in line. Not far from our camp the guide suddenly stops - he senses something that we are not aware of yet - but after a moment we see an elephant behind the bushes, just a couple of metres from us. Oh, it feels so different from the Etosha Park - there we could observe the animals from the confinement of a vehicle or the safety of the camp - here we are almost face to face with them. To my horror I realise how stupidly I and my sister-in-law behaved an hour before. We left the camp and went for a short walk without notifying our guide. What would we have done if the elephant had crossed our way? From now on we are going to take all precautions and obey all the rules.
The walk is very interesting. We see another couple of elephants, lots of zebras and antelopes.

In the night I suddenly wake up. There is a loud splash of water as if some enormous body emerged from it. Then I hear the rumbling sound of the steps - quite near the tent! I feel the ground shaking. Is it a dream? Halina is asleep. How can she be sleeping in such a moment? I don't know what to do. Why isn't there any action? Why don't they chase the "monster" away? Then the steps fade in the distance ...
In the morning they find the traces of an elephant next to our camp.

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The Kalahri Desert is a huge semi-desert actually. It has sand alright. I know. I got my car stuck in it twice! The Kalahri is a massive 362,500 sq. miles (900,000 sq. km) covering much of Botswana and parts of South Africa and Namibia. The area does get some rainfall so there are plants and a variety of animals. It supports ostriches, lions and cheetas. It also has a few too many donkeys, horses, dogs and vultures. In addition to a wealth of animals, there is also mineral wealth – diamonds. There is a great paved road to help you get across Botswana – the Trans-Kalahari Highway.

Please see my Transport Tips for information about the Trans-Kalahari.