Botswana, Okavango Delta Safari Reserves

 

After three days we are departing for the Vumbura Airstrip. for the next three days, we are staying in the Vumbura Plains Thatched Suite.

When we arrived by plane it did not look like this area was much of a delta. The Okavango Delta is the second largest delta in the world behind the Ganges river delta in India and Bangladesh. 

As we got to the camp we realized that the airstrip was located quite far from the camp to ensure that it did not flood during the rainy season. The vehicle used is a Landrover which can go through water as this area can be extremely wet.

Our accommodation was spectacular. To get to the rooms we walked along a raised walkway as the area does flood.  We were located right beside a vast delta area. 

Raised walkway to the room

Room Interior

Deck Area

View from our room

We had three very different experiences at this lodge. The animals were more spread out because of the greater access to water and vegetation but our guide did an excellent job locating a great variety for us to see. The vegetation was also lush compared to where we had been.

Red Hartebeest

Beautiful mauve flowers on tree.

Amarillo Tree

Baby Baboon about three weeks.

Kudu

Boat trip on the delta.

Floating Papaus Plants

No Fish Today

Maybe we can find an Elephant in the water?

Eating lilypad risomes

Landrover

Another sundowner. After on the way back to the camp we saw a wildcat in the dark. It was the size of a house cat.

One day at Vumbura Plains Camp, we started tracking a Lion as he was walking through the water which is unusual. The guides thought he had a sent that they wanted to investigate. In the area where the lion took us the water level had been too high so they had not been in the area.

Lion splashing through the water.

As the lion left the water we saw a Leopard run up a tree. As we got closer the lions were circling the tree and the leopard was at the top. On closer investigation, you could see a dead warthog up in the tree. The lions had probably caught the scent of the warthog and had gone looking for a free meal.

Lions circling the tree.

Female Leopard

Leopards will take their kill up a tree to prevent
other predators from eating their kill.

We saw a lot of animals on our trip through Botswana. The only animal of the big five we did not see was a rhinoceros.

Waterbuffalo

Warthog resting

Hippopotamus out of the water.

Mokoro Boat Trip

Frog

Our last sundowner at Vumbura Camp.

Our last sundown on the Delta.

Example of afternoon tea.

Items that the staff makes to sell.

It is very interesting how the small planes flighting to the lodges are so efficient. We flew on three different airlines. Each company of lodges has there own airline or has contracted with a company like Mack air or  Majestic Blue Airplane Service. The size of the plane depends on which lodges have guests being flown in or transported to another lodge. When you take your first flight it can be unnerving because all you are told the night before is your pick-up time. You have no scheduled departure time, route, or flying time. We soon learned that schedules are created the day before and can change daily. Even with that, everything runs smoothly and everyone is very accommodating.  At the airstrip, your guide is responsible for clearing the airstrip of animals before the plane arrives and before departure.  When we arrived the wildebeest and zebra were on the airstrip and the plane was late so the Kudu decided to make their appearance so we made another trip down the length of the runway. The group of Kudu was not very worried about the truck on the side of the airstrip as our guide "Big O" banging on the side of the truck. They would not leave the airstrip. Big O had to get out of the vehicle and through rocks and the Kudu before they would leave.

Video of elephant parade.

Video of elephant eating water lilies risomes. They spit our the leaves and stems that they don't want. 

Botswana, Selinda Reserve - Zarafa Camp

Botswana - Selinda Reserve

We left Victoria Falls by car and were assisted in crossing the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana. You have to change cars and drivers as they are not allowed to drive across the border.  At the border we had to walk through a dip to prevent animale disease from transferring into Botswana.

The second driver took us to the Kasane Airport in Botswana to fly to the Selinda Airstrip in a small plane. This was an interesting experience as you are not sure what is actually happening and you have to put your trust in the people that are taking care of your arrangements. This was definitely a new experience for us as we are usually very independent travelers.

Our guide picked us up to drive to Zafara camp. We saw several birds and a lot of antelope that we would gradually be able to identify.

Lechwe Antelope

Zafara Camp was amazing and is a premium camp. The room was a permanent tent with two main rooms which included a bathtub, indoor and outdoor shower, and toilet. There was a sitting room in one area. Outside was a deck and a plunge pool. In the morning our guide would bring us coffee before breakfast. 

You could not walk to your room without your guide at night as the hippos frequently visited the area. It was safe to walk during daylight hours. We frequently saw signs where a hippo had spent time during the night.

Sunset Elephant Encounter

With our guide 'Name', we had unbelievable animal encounters. The first sunset we watched a herd of Elephants confront a Lion. They wanted to walk through an area that he was protecting because a female lioness that was laying in the grass.  The elephants approached twice and each time the Lion roared at the lead elephant. The heard decided that the confrontation was not worth it and they walked around the area. 

When you are on a private reserve there are no restrictions on where the guides can drive. The animals are habituated to the vehicles so you can get very close to the wildlife. You just can't get out of the vehicles.

Just Watching

We saw numerous sightings of the following mammals; Lechwe, Elephant, Lion, Common Warthog, and Impala.  In addition to Fish Eagle, Pearl-Spotted Owlet, and Hornbills we encountered a Leopard with her cub.

African Plains Elephant

Giraffe

Spotted Hyena

Lioness

Two Brothers

Yellow Hornbill

Fish Eagle

Leopard and Cub

After three days we were off to our next camp.

Sundowner

Camp at Night

Video of Lions searching for a kill. They did finally find the dead hippopotamus in the water.

Victoria Falls Zimbabwe

Map of our flight on the plane.

 After three years of waiting to go on this trip, it finally happened in August 2022.  Our first location is Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. We spent three days here enjoying the falls and all that is offered. We did not do extreme sports as we are playing it safe for the rest of the trip.

To get to Victoria Falls we flew to Toronto Canada, and then to Ethiopia on Ethiopian Air. Business class on the airline was excellent and we were able to sleep for part of the trip. From Ethiopia, we took a plane to Victoria Falls. From Toronto, the flight took nearly 20 hours. We were met at the airport and escorted to our hotel.

Our accommodation at Ilala Hotel.

Our accommodation was at the Ilala Hotel a short distance from the airport. Our first night included a complimentary meal at the Cassia restaurant located at the hotel. This was perfect as we needed to relax so we could get an early start to see the falls. The food was excellent and Bill tried the Springbok.

Victoria Falls is so loud that it was locally known as the 'Smoke That Thunders' when David Livingstone first discovered the falls. The park has an entrance fee and does not allow multiple entrances so you need to pick the time you wish to explore the falls. 

We could see a rainbow from our room as the mist from the falls rose over the trees.  This was our first view of what was in store for us when we went to see Victoria Falls. The falls were called Mosi-Oa-Tunya Falls by the indigenous people in the area. 

Rainbow from the mist

Ilala Lodge is located close to the Victoria Falls National Park so it was a short walk along a walkway. You do need to be careful along this pathway as the elephants in the area roam freely. There are also a lot of men trying to sell items along the way.

The falls are spectacular even when the water level is lower. We took the trail leading to the left which brought us to Livingston Statue. Livingston was the explorer who discovered the falls.

Zambezi River coming over the gorge.

To enjoy the sunset we had dinner at the Wild Horizons Outlook Cafe. The food is not spectacular but the views of watching people bungee jump and zipline made up for the food.

On our second day, we took a Ra-Ikane Cruise on the Zambezi River to see the birds. We were served breakfast and saw an elephant, hippos, and a variety of birds.

Relaxing Cruise

Hippopotamus 

Vulture 

While we decided to do the 'Flight of Angles' over the falls. The gorge that the river flows over is 120 kilometers wide this is considered to be the biggest curtain of falling water in the world which makes it quite spectacular even in the dry season.

Zambezi River approaching gorge.

Rainbow over Victoria Falls.

Two Km long river has created the gorge.

On our way to dinner, we had the taxi driver go by the big tree. This is a Baobab tree and it is between 1000 and 1600 years old. 

Dinner on the last night at The Eatery which was outside of town. Most people went on the sunset cruise and then left so there were only a few people who stayed to have dinner. We had hoped to have the Potties dinner but the staff from the hotel did not let the restaurant know to prepare for this experience. Instead, we had an excellent dinner of Bream a local fish that we had wanted to try.

Sitting area by the river.

The next day we were picked up by our driver and driven to the border between Zimbabwe and Botswana where we transferred to another vehicle to be taken to the Kasane Airport in Botswana for our flight to Zarafa Camp in Botswana. We had picked three lodges that could only be accessed by planes. Soon the safaris would begin. 

The sound of Victoria Falls.