From Bears back to Botswana

A small cactus-like succulent from the Kalahari Desert
 Suspected to be Hoodia sp.

My recent trip to Churchill reminded me that I still have a plethora of photographs from my trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe last fall. Its hard to believe that it has already been a year since I got back from Africa. I booked my flights to and from Johannesburg way back in February 2013, and I was scheduled to fly into South Africa on April 29th and to fly out on November 14th 2013. Once I sorted my visa out, I realized that the type of visa I was applying for only lasted for 6 months, and that I had to be out of the country on the 29th of October.

Rather then rebook my flights, I decided to rent a Land Cruiser and drive from Johannesburg, across the border to Botswana, through the Kalahari desert, along the edge the Okavango Delta, and along the Chobe river to Kasane. From there I was taxied to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to spend my last few days in Africa before flying back to Johannesberg to catch my return flight home. I plan to write about this trip in a series of blog posts over the next few weeks.

I started planning the trip while I was still in SA Lombard, which was incredibly frustrating since I was relying on the unreliable web browser on my blackberry. I knew that I wanted to tour either Namibia or Botswana before heading home and I basically had two options; A cheap group safari tour, or a self drive tour. The group tours are much cheaper, but have very specific schedules and strict baggage restrictions. I had everything with me from the previous 6 months of field work, including an action packer full of research equipment so my only option was to rent a vehicle and drive myself. I ended up contacting Bushlore, which is a company that rents fully equipped 4x4s and plans and books custom trips. This was perfect for me, since I really didn't have the time or resources to plan a two week trip while I was still on the reserve. Despite the cost, I would highly recommend Bushlore if you are planning a trip like this. They were knowledgeable about the accommodations, and responded very quickly to dozens of emails back and forth about changes to my schedule. I was very picky when it came down to where I stayed and for how long. For my trip I wanted to maximize the time I spent camping in national parks, and minimize the time spent in fancy lodges. Looking back, I dont think I would have changed a thing as far as scheduling goes.

The house I was living in at SA Lombard for my field season

Route from SA Lombard, through Joburg to my first stop in
Waterberg, and my second stop in Serowe

The 29th of October (2013) marked the end of my field season, and the beginning of my vacation. I packed the research truck, locked up the house and hit the road. My first stop was the University of Pretoria to drop off the vehicle (it stays there for the fall-spring). From there I arranged with Bushlore to be picked up and driven to their base of operations just outside of Johannesburg. There we had an hour long orientation going over my route, and the vehicle. The 4x4 I rented was a Land Cruiser, which was outfitted with a rooftop tent. The back was converted to have a roll out compartment that contained six containers full of camping gear. It had pots and pans, utensils, a stove, a lantern, two propane tanks, blankets, pillows, and emergency supplies. On top of that compartment was a fridge that was wired into a second car battery. The truck also came with two spare tires (apparently most people go through at least one if they go off the main highway. Other than food, I was all set. 

At this point, it was about 5pm and getting dark. I got in the truck, grabbed a quick bite at McDonalds and tried to get onto the highway before the sun had set. It felt that the moment I got onto the highway, it started to pour down with rain. After about 30 minutes, it was raining so hard that I had to slow down to avoid hydroplaning. It poured for the entire 4 hour drive to the first game park, and the lightning strikes were so frequent that I almost felt like I didn't need my headlights on. 

I got to the front gate, and got out of the truck to find the gatekey. The bushlore folks told me that the key was under a rock near the bottom right corner of the gate. There were only about four rocks to chose, and the key was nowhere to be found. I looked at the other corner of the gate thinking I may have misheard what side of the fence the key was on, but I still couldn't find anything.  There was an intercom on the side of the gate so I tried calling, but nobody answered. I noticed that there was a phone number to call after hours, but there was no cell reception at the gate. So I hopped back into my truck, and drove up the highway a few km to make the call. Luckily, they were able to unlock the gate remotely without having to come and unlock it by hand.

Crimson Breasted Shrike
(The red looks even better in person)

At this point I was already completely soaked to the bone, and I still had a 15 minute drive or so to my campsite. This gate was not only the entrance to the game park, but also to several cattle farms and private estates in the area. Every once and a while I would come across a run down sign that said "Waterberg game reserve" with an arrow pointing to another gate. The gates weren't locked, but each time I would have to get out of the truck in the lightning storm, open the gate, get back in the car and drive ahead, and get back out a second time to close the gate. I honestly felt like I was in a scene from Jurassic Park or something. Finally I could tell that I was in through the last fence because when there was a lightning flash, I could see wildebeest around the car rather then cows and sheep. I got to an area with what appeared to be a camp-fire pit, and decided that was where I was going to sleep for the night. I was so cold, wet and tired that I didn't really care if it was a proper site. I opened the rooftop tent, quickly threw in my sleeping bag, pillow and towel, and stripped off. My clothes felt like they weighed about 10 pounds from all the water that they soaked up, so I just through them in the back of the truck and crawled into the tent.

By the next morning, the sky had cleared and it was nice and sunny. I unfortunately didn't have much time to spend in the reserve, because I had another long drive ahead of me and a border to cross. The terrain was incredibly rocky and the roads were quite rough, so it was a great opportunity to get used to the truck. I had a chance to practice a river crossing, which was great since I still had cell service for if I got stuck. Some of the "roads" were on rock faces, so I had ample opportunity practicing with the 4WD. The game viewing was mediocre, but I did get a good view of a klipspringer. Other than that, there were a few wildebeest, giraffe, and zebra. I also finally managed to get a decent shot of a crimson breasted shrike!

The Land Cruiser on my campground at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary

In the late afternoon, I set off for the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana. I was a little bit nervous for the border, since my Visa was set to expire the day I was leaving South Africa, but I managed to get through with no trouble. I noticed a change as soon as I crossed the border into Bostwana because there was livestock everywhere. Every few km you would see a herd of cattle on the side of the road, or a group of goats crossing the highway. Once I reached Serowe, I noticed a difference in the people as well. I felt that they just seemed more relaxed and laid back then in South Africa (presumably because of the lower crime rate). I went to a bank to take out some pula (currency in Botswana), and there was a man who left his car running and unlocked while he ran in to use the ATM. I dont see that in Winnipeg, let alone in South Africa! I did a small shop in the grocery store, grabbed a steak and kidney pie for lunch, and headed down the road to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. 

This sanctuary was established in the early 90's to maintain a population of wild rhinos in Botswana. Unlike South Africa, Botswana's parks are not fenced in and so they have had a difficult time defending their rhinos against poaching. Once I got to the sanctuary, I had enough time for a short drive before heading the campground for bed.

A mother go-away bird and her fledgling

I spent the next morning driving around looking for wildlife. I did manage to find one white rhino with her calf, but they quickly ran off into the bush. Most of my sightings were your typical game species, but I had a blast nonetheless. In the afternoon, I headed off towards my next destination; the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Stay tuned to read about the next leg of my trip.....

Feed me!