To wake up under the African sun everyday is truly a blessing. This continent has to be the most beautiful and most diverse place to call home. The cultures, the people, the wildlife and the spectacular landscapes all form, in my eyes, a paradise beyond anything else. The adventures and experiences that a person can have are truly unforgettable, an ever changing horizon filled with possibilities and memories is what invades my mind each and every day. I read this quote once and it just seem to stick with me. “There is a pleasure in the pathless woods. There is a rapture on the lonely shore. There is society, where none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music in its roar. I love not man the less, but nature more.” – Lord Byron. To me there is just something special about this place and I am happiest when surrounded by the African wilderness.
2015 for me, has seen a few amazing adventures. Although most of them were visits to places I had already been they didn’t disappoint, different times of the year brings out an almost unrecognisable difference. The sights, the sounds and the land, always changing, it sometimes makes you realise just how small your existence is, but to leave your footprint in the sand, well, that’s what the adventure is all about.
February saw a weekend getaway to Khama Rhino Sanctuary, always a great place to visit. This place and its wildlife is astounding, huge heards of antelope, an array of birdlife, giraffe and the ever more special and protected Rhino. I say this every time I go there but these guys should be praised, the work they are doing and the efforts they make to protect our beautiful Rhino are incredible. Well done and thank you to the hero’s that you are.
As we sat in the campsite around the fire on the first night in true African style, beer in hand and braai over the coals, it just brought pure joy to my soul. A beautiful star lit sky, great company and wildlife all around. The entire weekend was amazing with some great sightings, loads of fun, maybe a few to many beers at times, but all in all a great weekend. The highlight having to be the waterhole where you can just seem to spend endless time, as the hours feel like minutes while you watch the game come and go, from the big to the small creatures it is just astounding. Thanks to Allan and Susan, couldn’t have asked for better people to go with.
After many more weekends working and the odd day trips to the nearby game reserves we had an epic holiday adventure to look forward to. A return to Kasane in the upper parts of Botswana. April could just not come around quick enough.
Eventually the time came for Clive and myself to set off for Kasane. I had been waiting in anticipation for this trip the entire year. Although a little exhausted from not much sleep we got on the road bright and early and 11 hours later arrived at Sinyati Camp in Lesoma Valley, just a few minutes outside Kasane. A beautiful place to stay and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to that part of the world.
After a well deserved beer and a, dead to the world, sleep I stepped out of my tent to the orange glow of the Botswana sun. We headed to the Chobe National Park where we spent the next 10 or so hours driving around. The sightings were astounding and we just couldn’t get enough. Through out that week this became routine of waking up early, game driving for hours on end and enjoying the peace and tranquillity that the place has to offer, although at times there was extreme excitement. The sightings all included Lions over a kill, Cheetah, elephant (too many to count), huge amounts of antelope, bird life to satisfy even the most avid of bird watches, crocodiles, hippos and even the odd rare sightings of the secretive animals.
On the last day in the park, I think we both had a slightly heavy heart as neither of us wanted to leave this place but as the sun began to show we were in the park again, not long after our morning coffee stop at the river banks with the on looking and thieving vervet monkeys, we found two of the female lions lazing about under an acacia tree. Not very phased by our presence we hung around a while until a quick lunch called. Rushing back we had to pick up the tracks and find them again which just lead to an even more amazing sight, we ran into the rest of the pride as they all lazed around near the river bank looking out onto the dry and sandy flood plains. It was as if they wanted to put on a show for us on the last day. A heard of sable in the distance caught there beady eyes. Crouching down in the golden brown grass the hunt began, slowly but surely the young male crept closer and closer with the rest of the pride heading off behind the tree line waiting to ambush the already wary sables. Without hesitation the young male launched his attack pushing them out into the flood plain, moving around the heard in an amazing display he pushed them back towards the tree line where the rest of the pride lay in wait. All of a sudden there was complete chaos between the sable as they spread out as the four lions ambushed them. Spotting there target they all locked on and chased at an incredible speed. Luckily for the sable the swat of the lions massive paw narrowly missed and the sable escaped with what I am sure was a rapidly beating heart. As the moment calmed down, the lion, panting and out of breath, lay down on the sandy flood plain as they watched the sable move off into the distance. An incredible experience even though they missed the kill. In complete awe we slowly drove back to camp with the deep orange sunset at our backs. What a way to end an adventure. To Clive and Senyati Camp thanks for the epic memories.
After an amazing time at Kasane we headed back stopping over on the way at a rather remote place, Kubu Island in the Magadigadi Salt Pan. This place with an incredible history is honestly astounding. As you stand at the edge of the pan you look out for as for as the eye can see to the vast amount of nothingness, what looks like islands in the distance is just the mirage playing trick on you. I must say we got caught out as we started to walk into the pan towards what looked like some kind of land structure we ended up walking and walking only to find some different coloured rocks and another mirage off in the distance. As you standing out on the pans you kind of find out why they call it “defining silence” as a very eerie feeling comes over you as the only sound you can hear is your own footsteps and the wind sweeping over the salty ground.
All in all the this year has been a great one and I have had some amazing adventures, I could mention a few other weekend trips that I have been on but it will just add to this already long post. So I will leave it at these two, for now.
So to end off I will leave you with this quote: “I am an African, not because I was born in Africa but because Africa is born in me” – Kwame Nkrumah.
Till the next adventure!
Ranger Kid 