Although I was already headed for Botswana in just a few of days, a brief tour of the north of Botswana gave me a brief insight as to what I can expect. Driving from Kasane to Maun, we spent a day each exploring Chobe National Park and Nxai Pan National Park. Here are my first impressions of Botswana from these parks, but also from the villages, highways and people in between:
- The country is a seriously remote place
- There is a lot of sand
- There is a shitload of sand
- The Batswana have a delightful tendency to smile. Always.
This and the following post are full of photos. I hope you like them, for I certainly enjoyed capturing them!
Chobe Riverfront
In Chobe National Park, I had one of those ‘this is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen’ moments. Stopped at a viewpoint from along the main road through the Chobe Riverfront, in the northern tip of the park, we watched a herd of elephant visit the riverbank for a drink. It wasn’t just the elephants though that made this entire scene incredible – it was the impala nervously drinking alongside, the crocodiles lying idly in the shallows and watching every move, the hippo asleep on the bank and the full midday sun reflecting off the Chobe as it bent along the banks. The experience was truly magnificent.
Remember that sunset story from South Luangwa National Park? Well, it happened again. Lise, Charlie and I were off to a plain for a sundowner as the sun set over a herd of about 500 buffalo. However on the way we again encountered five lions basking up the last of the sun. Eager to have that drink, we pressed on to a different spot; alas, another lion was there waiting. In that moment, I don’t think we could have been more fortunate.
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