GrassTrack Safaris: Moremi Game Reserve and Our First Night in the Bush

Moremi Game Reserve and the Mopane Tongue

After finishing lunch and getting back onto the road we headed toward what would be our camping destination for the next two nights, Xakanaxa (pronounced zakanaka). Xakanaxa is situated in the lush northern region of the Moremi Game Reserve, a unique area made up of permanent delta waterways, vast floodplains, a lagoon and dry woodlands. The reserve consists of a network of waterways surrounding two large land masses: Chiefs Island in the centre of the Delta and forested Mopane Tongue in the east. The area's diverse ecosystems, riverine woodland, floodplains, wetlands with reed beds, mopane woodland, and dry savanna woodland, broken only by the occasional jeep track, are all packed with game. We would be spending the next two days on the Mopane Tongue of which Xakanaxa is at the eastern tip. The Tongue gets its name from the Mopane Tree, which has very distinctive and beautiful butterfly like leaves.

Mopane Tree

Mopane leaf

Getting upclose and personal with the elephants

On our drive to Xakanaxa we came across a large herd of elephant and for the first time on our trip had the opportunity to get close to these magnificent beasts. We watched mesmerized as these two tonned behemoths ambled through the grassland. Cows ripping huge junks of native grasses from the earth with their trunks to feed on, while calves suckled at their breasts. Cameras, binoculars, video cams went into action as all 12 of us safari participants lost ourselves in what was a galvanizing moment.


Mother and child

A male lion takes a break from hunting beneath a Mopane Tree

As we continued on towards our first bush camp at Xakanxa we came across another safari group in a broken down Land Rover. Evidently they had gotten two flat tires and with no spares remaining their African driver had left on foot, walking to a ranger station for help. A somewhat interesting decision on the drivers part given the abundant wild animals of the surroundings. Moments after leaving the stranded vehicle we noted the driver walking along the road we traveled on about a mile across the savanna in front of us. I thought, good, at least we can give him a lift, but as we approached within a football fields length we took a fork to our left and immediately came across two huge male lions snoozing under the shade of a large mopane tree. All within a shouting ditance of the walking driver. Our guide Prince commented that the driver on foot had no idea the lions were here and lions, whether sated or not, will never pass on an easy kill. After leaving the lions we returned to the fork and continued on our course to collect the walking driver. Although the conversation was in Swetsa, once we reached the driver I got the impression our guide Prince, who had a wealth of experience in the bush, was giving the driver a lecture on bush safety. All in all it was a very interesting experience.

One of our campsites

Evening cocktails at camp

With the excitement of the day behind us, and after a long and dusty drive, we finally reached our Xakanaxa campsite. Unclear on what to expect, we all stood around until Prince and Tosu opened the trailer with all of our gear and started unloading it. Immediately we all stepped up to help and the entire load of backpacks, camping gear, sleeping pads, tables and chairs, and other equipment was quickly unloaded. Next Prince assigned all of us our own individually numbered tents and also sleeping bags for those of us without them. Within certain guidelines of distance from camp center, as explained by Prince, we were all allowed to pick our own tent sites and pitch our tents. Some of us with less tenting experience were a bit baffled by how to erect the tents, but with help from each other, Prince, and Tosu in short order all the tents were erected. The dome tents proved roomy and large enough to stand in. While this was going on Prince and Tosu erected our ablutions (outdoor latrine and showers), started a fire, and all of us helped set up the camp tables and chairs. Once all of this was completed Tosu, with the help of a few of us safari participants, began to prepare dinner. Without actually asking, Tosu was happy to accept the help of a rotating crew of two or three people with preparing lunch and dinner, which simply consisted of acting as a prep chef. Once prep work was completed Tosu finished the cooking on his own. With dinner in preparation us safari participants retreated to the tables for cocktails, beer, and good conversation recounting the exciting events of the day. This was the itinerary we were to follow for the next six evenings and over its course we all became closely acquainted with each other and formed, what for some of us would be life long, friendships.