Our Botswana Camping Safaris

Cape Buffalo, Moremi Game Res

For this blog post we’re excited to present a brief introduction to the mobile camping safaris we offer.  Our adventure safaris are a high value, affordable experience and will give you the best of Botswana: from nature walks with San Bushmen, mokoro camping trips, and great wildlife sightings.   The safaris range in length from 7-17 days and provide an excellent overview of all the major wilderness areas of Botswana. 

Full details, prices, and maps can be found on our website:  www.grasstracksafaris.com

Buffalo Safari
This 8 day trip is a great value.  You’ll start in Maun and spend 3 days exploring the Moremi Game Reserve and 3 days in the Chobe National Park.  These are some of the best game areas in Africa.  You’ll finish the trip in Livingstone, Zambia and can take an optional visit to the Victoria Falls.  The Buffalo Safari is a great introductory safari and it’s easy to add extra days to either end.


Fish Eagle Safari
This 11 day safari includes a few days in the Okavango Delta.  From Maun you’ll drive up to the panhandle of the delta and spend two nights on a mokoro camping trip (see our previous blog entry for a mokoro description).  Here you’ll camp on an island, explore the delta by mokoro and take guided walks of the island and floodplains.  You can take an optional scenic flight back to Maun where you’ll head north for three days in Moremi and three days in Chobe.  You’ll finish the trip in Livingstone, Zambia and can take an optional visit to the Victoria Falls.


Elephant Safari
This 15 day trip starts in Kasane, Botswana and makes a circuit around the Okavango Delta.  Highlights of this safari include a visit to Namibia/Caprivi Strip National Parks; exploring the Tsodilo Hills (a World Heritage Site with thousands of Bushmen paintings), a mokoro camping excursion into the Okavango Delta, and the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park.  The safari ends in Livingstone, Zambia where you’ll have the option of visiting Victoria Falls.


Leopard Safari
On this 17 day adventure safari you’ll visit the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta and the great game areas of Moremi and Chobe.  Highlights include an a nature walk with San Bushmen guides where you can learn about their unique culture and how they survive in their desert home; a visit to the remote Central Kalahari Game Reserve; a mokoro camping excursion in the Okavango Delta; and the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park.  The safari ends in Livingstone, Zambia where you’ll have the option of visiting Victoria Falls.

Leopard, Chobe National Park

Lion Safari
On this 15 day adventure safari you’ll experience some of the greatest wilderness areas in Botswana.  Highlights include: a visit to the vast Nxai Pan National Park; a mokoro camping excursion in the Okavango Delta; and the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park.  The safari ends in Livingstone, Zambia where you’ll have the option of visiting Victoria Falls.


Kalahari Safari
This 7 day safari concentrates on the wild and beautiful Kalahari Desert.  On this safari you’ll experience the traditional culture of the San Bushmen.  As they guide you on a nature walk, you’ll learn about their unique lifestyle as the share their intimate knowledge of the bush.  Then on to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve where you’ll experience the remote and breathtaking scenery of the vast Kalahari Desert.  This is adventure camping at it’s best.  The Kalahari Safari starts and ends in Maun, Botswana.


Hyena Safari
This 14 day safari takes you to remote north western Zambia to witness the greatest wildebeest migration in southern Africa.  This safari covers some remote areas and is truly adventurous!  From Kasane you’ll journey up to the Liuwa Plains in Zambia where wildebeest can be expected to be migrating from Angola.  This area also has high concentrations of hyenas.  Then onto Sioma Falls along the Zambezi and back to Livingstone and Victoria Falls.  Our only safari that requires a minimum of 6 clients.

Mokoro on The Okavango Delta

Mokoro poler

I have always had a certain attraction for the Okavango Delta.  I've always wanted to float across the water, its surface carpeted in water lilies and see the delta as a hippo may see it: at eye level.  I have always been fascinated by the marshy landscape dotted with palms, the clear water, tall papyrus and the possibility of coming across a hippo or an elephant.  I also find the contrast the delta presents intriguing: water and life surrounded by the hot, dry, thirsty bush.  The Okavango Delta is a land of water and sky and is the life-blood of the animals and people who inhabit this area.

The Okavango Delta is a vast swampland covering over 9,000 square miles of northern Botswana.  Abundant populations of bird (herons, storks, cranes, pelicans) and animals (elephants, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes) can be found here, along with a high diversity of plants (fan palms, date palms, papyrus, mopane).  Moremi Game Reserve is on the eastern edge of the delta, with Chobe National Park stretching off to the north east.  The combination of these wilderness areas is what makes northern Botswana one of the best destinations for an African safari.   Here it is possible to see a wide variety of habitat, lots of game and have a true wilderness experience.

The Okavango Delta is located in NW Botswana

The  Okavango Delta is formed as the Okavango River enters Bostwana from the Caprivi Strip of Namibia.  The river arises over 700 miles away on the Banguela Plateau of south-eastern Angola.  The Okavango River has no outlet to the sea but instead empties into the sands of the Kalahari Desert.  The delta forms as the river slows and spreads out over this vast area.  The summer rains that fall in Angola (starting in January) give rise to the flood that will eventually fill the delta region with water.   The water that falls in Angola takes about 1 month to reach Botswana.  However it takes about another 4 months for the water to move its way through the delta.  This is perfect timing.  The floods arrive during the winter dry season in Botswana (June-August)  providing life-giving water to thirsty animals and people.   In recent years the flood has been so strong that rivers which had been dry for decades are now full of water.  The Savute Channel hasn't seen water since the early 1980s but is now flowing.  The same for the Thamalakane River that flows near Maun.  The Thamalakane is now feeding water into the Boteti River, a bonanza for the wildlife of the Makgadikgadi Pans (see our previous posts).   Since the Okavango River has no outlet, most of the water is lost by evaporation and transpiration.

Papyrus grows abundantly in the delta on floating mats

The geologic forces that have contributed to the formation of the delta have been going on for millennia.  It is thought that the Okavango River, along with nearby rivers like the Kuando and Zambezi, may have once flowed south into the Orange River of South Africa and emptied into the Atlantic.  Over millions of years a long series of tectonic activity (uplifting of the earth's crust and the formation of faults) has changed the course of these rivers.  Now the Kuando and Zambezi Rivers eventually reach the Indian Ocean.  The land where the delta is currently located has dropped relative to surrounding land, essentially trapping the Okavango River in the Kalahari Desert.

People of a number of ethnic groups inhabit the delta region.  The Bayei people immigrated to the delta region in the 19th century bringing with them their dug-out canoes, or mekoro (mokoro is singular).  The mokoro is crafted from an old tree trunk and the strong wood of the Sausage tree is favored.  However, in modern times the traditional wood mokoro has been replaced by fiberglass boats.  It is a common means of transportation throughout the delta.  Historically the Bayei used the mekoro for fishing and even for harpooning hippos.  Since the bottom of a mokoro is round and lacks a keel, great skill is required to maneuver them.

Water lilies from the mokoro

I had been close to the delta on a previous trip but didn't have a chance to go onto the water.  On my 2009 safari I took advantage of an extra day in Maun and booked a day trip to explore part of the delta by mokoro.  The local people have established a community trust to ensure the money generated by tourism remains in the local economy.  The trust also provides a qualified mokoro guide for the trip. We took a motorboat from Maun up the Thamalakane River to a poling station where the mekoro are launched.  As I gingerly stepped into the bow of the mokoro I could sense the skill required to pole the boat through the delta.  What was most interesting was being so low on the water.  I felt I was experiencing the delta from the perspective of a hippo.  The poler stood in the stern of the mokoro and guided us smoothly over the water lilies and along the papyrus mats.  The day was brilliant blue as I relaxed with my binoculars and bird book.  We eventually stopped and the guide took our group on a short walk to a nearby waterhole.  Even though it was the heat of midday we managed to see some zebra and wildebeest.  Following lunch at the waters edge we returned to the poling station.  Though the trip only lasted a few hours it was a beautiful introduction to this beautiful region of Africa.

A mokoro trip is a serene and relaxing way to visit the Okavango Delta.  We offer four safaris that include overnight camping with mekoro.  It's a great way to explore the more remote parts of the delta and see game as well.  Visit our website (http://www.grasstracksafaris.com/) for a complete description of these trips.

Take a look at this short video I took from my mokoro trip.  There is no narration, just the peaceful sound of water as we slipped over the water lilies...

We hope you enjoyed the article and don't forget to visit our website and book a trip to Africa to view this magnificent place

http://grasstracksafaris.com/ 

References:
Botswana: The Bradt Safari Guide.  Chris McIntyre.  2nd Ed, 2007
Trees & Shrubs of the Okavango Delta. Veronica Roodt. Shell Field Guide Series Pt 1. 1998
Wikipedia "Okavango Delta"

Maun, Botswana A True Frontier Town



The location of Maun, Botswana in southern Africa



Maun, Botswana is a dusty African frontier town referred to as the gateway to Botswana’s world class safari circuit offering the best wildlife viewing you will ever experience. This dusty town has the atmosphere of a village but is actually Botswana’s fifth largest city with over 50,000 inhabitants and contains an eclectic mix of modern buildings and grass huts. Maun is situated at the southern end of the Okavango Delta, sprawling for miles along the wide banks of the Thamalakane River where red lechwe are sometimes seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats, and cattle. The Thamalakane River emanates from the Okavango Delta without a well defined beginning and is commonly dry, but has been flowing since 2009 and was filled with water during our visit. Every night of our stay in Maun we were serenaded to sleep by the chorus of 13 different frog and toad species that make their home within the river’s waters (see video at the bottom of this blog to hear the night chorus of frogs).



Red lechwe at a watering hole outside of Maun

Maun has a reputation as a hard-living 'Wild West' town catering to the local cattle ranching and hunting industries.With the explosion of tourism in tandem with completion of a tar road from southern Botswanan population centers in the early 1990s, Maun has developed swiftly, losing much of its old town character. As the hub of northern Botswana’s tourism industry its raw edge is evident. Grizzled hunters and khaki-clad guides amble from supply stores, big 4X4 trucks grind their way into the bush full of tourists heading out on safari, and the local tribesmen still bring their cattle to market in Maun. Contrast this with the fact that the internet connection speeds at the Maun airport were the fastest we encountered during our African travels.

Aerial photo showing Maun sprawling along the Thamalakane River

Although Maun is growing as a tourist hub and as the business supply center for the mineral extraction industry of northwestern Botswana, there’s still little to do in the city and most travelers find that over-nighting in Maun while waiting to start their safari offers enough time for exploring the city. We, however, spent some time in Maun attending to business and found that our stay overlapped Botswana’s independence holiday. A holiday of much importance to Botswanan’s including those in Maun and celebrated with much partying and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The quaint and interesting camping hostel we stayed in, the Old Bridge Backpackers run by Brits, was packed with expats celebrating the holiday. It was a strange scene of old and young white Botswanans, safari guides, bush pilots, medical technicians, and such in various stages of inebriation. One crusty old bush pilot exclaimed how he wasn’t sure who Botswana had gained independence from since the country had never been occupied as a colony. Rather Botswana was a British protectorate, the Brits having been invited by the Botswana government to protect the county from Boer refugees fleeing South Africa during that country’s Boer Wars of the 1880s and 90s. The Boers were the descendants of the original Dutch colonists of South Africa and at the time were battling Britain for control of South Africa. Our holiday evening at the Old Bridge proved entertaining, and was full of colorful conversation with fascinating strangers.

Maun offers few adventures for visiting tourist, but if you find yourself in Maun with time on your hands consider hiring a guided trip into the Okovango Delta in traditional dugout canoes. It is a quest worth investigating. Visit us next week to read about one such exciting trip into the delta taken by GrassTrack Safaris.

Night Chorus of Frogs & Insects, Maun: