Tag: Okavango Delta

Break Away to Botswana – Part 2

Botswana
6 comments
By Matthew Sterne on

By Samantha Myburgh and Niki Duncan

Niki’s Highlights – Part 2

  • The fantastic drinks stop at Xaranna
  • Spotting a leopard late at night on a game drive at Xaranna
  • The ribs lunch! (Xaranna)

Sam’s Highlights – Part 2

  • The private massage on the deck of my suite at Xaranna
  • The honey badger sighting driving from Xudum to Xaranna
  • Watching a large pride of lions moving after impala on a night game drive

Read on to find out more about these exciting encounters…

After great stays at Wilderness Safaris’ Botswana lodges (Read Part 1 Here), we moved on to explore a few andBeyond properties in Bots, which were just as great and offered some excellent game viewing. From Mombo Camp we flew for 10 minutes to Kanana Airstrip from where we drove to a boat crossing at Xaranna. From here we drove for 45 minutes to the first of our andBeyond stays – Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge.

Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge

Go on a mokoro ride down the Okavango Delta

We had a great welcome at Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge; singing, welcome drinks, the whole toot! The lodge is surrounded by waterways on a permanent channel of the Okavango Delta and reaches out to a lagoon where an array of wild animals and bird life play. All the safari suites are environmentally friendly and have magnificent views of the lagoon, with a private lofty hideout and plunge pool. The salas on the rooftop are great with excellent views of the delta.

We had a great game drive here and spotted lechwe, giraffe, elephant, zebra and plenty birds. The drinks and snacks on the drive were excellent with no half measures and a great set up with table, cloth, glasses; everything! The guides were phenomenal and attentive, as were the rangers and trackers, who were very friendly with the guests, informative and always looking out for us.

Activities at Xudum included mokoro trips, day and night game drives, bush walks, cocktails on the beach, swimming in the channels, bush dinners, and more.

The main area is small but you’ll want to spend more time in your room since it’s so big and beautiful, set in a woodland forest overlooking the channels. In the morning we enjoyed a great mokoro ride and a delicious hot breakfast with omelettes and poached egg and bacon, served in an open-plan kitchen.

Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp

Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp

We made our way to Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp – which was about a 35 minute drive from Xudum to the boat crossing –  and spotted a honeybadger en route. The service here was great, as was the greeting at Xarana by boat. They introduced all of the staff to us – including our allocated butler and housekeeper. The attention to detail was phenomenal.

After a dip in our suite’s plunge pool, we had an amazing lunch in the dining area – sizzling pork ribs as tasty as the best steakhouse in Cape Town, from where we hail. Another delightful touch was the gentle African-infused music playing in the public areas – soft enough to still be able to hear the sounds of the eagles and other wild noises outside. You can purchase the CDs they play from the camp’s shop.

We had a memorable game drive here with champagne, cushions, lanterns and a great surprise masseuse, who was hiding around the corner to catch us unawares – just like the male elephant trying to check up on what was happening in his turf. andBeyond always does something special for its guests, such as pancake treats, petal and bubble baths, back and neck massages on bush lunches, and more.

Let sleeping lions lie

We tracked lions until after 9 pm that night. There were about 18 of the big cats and we followed them in the dark with flashlights. It was incredibly thrilling as we couldn’t see very well but could hear the lions roaring. We also heard hyena and baboon calls. On the way back to camp we spotted a leopard on the move and a hippo in the reeds.

The rooms here are amazing – all have air-conditioning, big lounge areas inside and outside, huge bathrooms, mosquito-shield walls, slippers and bathrobes and more. We returned from our game drive to turned-down beds with water and torches next to the beds.

While Sam received a massage in her bedroom, Niki indulged in the breakfast which included special long koeksuster-like doughnuts with Nutella chocolate and cream dip, fresh fruit juice, and cooked breakfast with plenty of options for eggs – omelette, poached, scrambled, etc. It was a great way to end our stay there!

Nxabega Okavango Safari Lodge

Nxabega Okavango Safari Lodge

Nxabega Okavango Safari Lodge

From Xaranna we ventured on to Nxabega. Nxabega is excellently positioned in the 7000-hectare exclusive wildlife concession near the game-rich Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. It offers both land and water safaris. We stopped for a picnic in the bush on our drive to camp. Needless to say, with the chicken, wraps, burgers, salads, pecan nut cake and drinks, it went down well! Our welcome at the camp was great with song and drinks. We were introduced to everyone and taken to our rooms, which were canvas tents on a platform.

We had tea before heading off on our game drive, which included mini pizzas, toast and dips, juices and more. You definitely don’t go hungry. The game viewing is normally good here, but there was a storm approaching when we arrived so the animals were hard to spot. Such is Africa… We did manage to see giraffe, zebra and lechwe. There are no fences anywhere so you have this feeling of being totally in the wild.

After a great night’s sleep, it was home time. City time. We could have kept flying from lodge to lodge, experiencing all the different faces of Botswana for weeks more though.

Keen to track some big cats and watch sunsets from a mokoro yourself? Contact us to plan and book your tailor-made Botswana holiday and to find out more about this incredible African destination!

What’s What in Botswana

Botswana,Safari
5 comments
By Tamlin Wightman on

Michelle Obama has been front page news all week here in South Africa, what with her current African trip. Today her journey took her to Botswana, Southern Africa’s premier wildlife destination, after a stay in Cape Town. We’re jealous! Bots is one of those special destinations with such understated natural beauty and delightful locals that it attracts everyone from the Top Gear crew to Princes Harry and William. Since we can’t be there right now, we thought we’d look deeper into this top African destination. We bring you: BOTSWANA

Two Zebra fighting in Botswana

The top four places to visit in Botswana are:

Little Vumbura Camp in Botswana

The Okavango Delta

“Take a trip in a Mokoro down the Okavango Delta”; this is a bucket list wish I’ve heard uttered by many over the years. It’s the world’s largest inland delta, spanning more than 16,000 square kilometres, and is oft described as “the river which never finds the sea”. The Okavango River in northwestern Botswana disappears into a maze of lagoons, channels, and islands. The Delta is a spectacular site whether in flood or at other times of the year and teems with wildlife, such as crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals, and over 400 bird species.

Botswana and the Okavango Delta

Our Recommended Okavango Delta Accommodation:

Little Vumbura Camp
Little Mombo Camp
Jao Camp

Plan an OKavango Delta Safari with Rhino Africa:

Due to the seasonality and dynamic nature of the Okavango Delta we always recommend talking and discussing your itinerary with your Rhino Africa consultant. As a general rule we recommend spending at least four nights in the Delta. This should be two nights in a land activity or combination camp – and two nights in a water activity camp in order that you might appreciate and experience the full range of activities that the Delta has to offer.

There are several activities and tours to go on in Botswana. Search our collection or chat to a travel consultant to tailor-make one.

Breakfast on the Delta

Birds all in a row on the Okavango Delta

When to go:

The best time to go to Botswana is a tricky question to answer, as it depends on what you like, weather wise, and what interests you have/ what activities you want to do. Here’s a guide:

Climate:

Summer is from October to March and is the rainy season. Day time temperatures can rise to 38°C and night time it can drop to 20°C to 25°C. Winter is from April to September and days are sunny, dry, clear and cool to seductively warm while evening temperatures drop sharply. Day temperatures reach around 20°C; evening can be as low as 5°C. There’s virtually no rain in winter.

Wildlife:

Towards the end of November when the summer rains start, new grasses attract Burchell’s zebra and wildebeest. Large herds of buffalo gather from the Okavango and move to the mainland of Moremi, where new pools of water collect. April to October, breeding herds of elephants increase in density along the Chobe River daily, as they visit the rivers and pans with permanent waters.

Bird viewing is good from October to March, in summer, when a large variety of migrant birds from the northern hemisphere fly down to use Botswana and more specifically the Okavango Delta as preferred breeding and feeding areas.

Vegetation:

This is particularly lush after the first rains during December to May. February is peak flowering time for water lilies. Savuti and the area between the river and wooded dunes in Chobe explode with white, yellow and purple flowers in between the green.

Mokoro on the Okavango Delta

Elephants in the Delta

* Pics courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

Today is World Water Day!

Botswana,Cape Town,Indian Ocean Islands,Namibia
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By Craig Harding on

The 22nd of March is World Water Day and in South Africa, a country where water is scarce, it is also National Water Week from the 21st to the 27th of March. Without water, without one Oxygen and two Hydrogen atoms connecting, we wouldn’t be here. Water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and is vital for life, between 78% and 60% of the human body is made up of water (depending on age and sex). Just think about that – the person you love is predominantly water… So you can’t help but love this remarkable substance.

At Rhino Africa we appreciate water; after all, it makes our safari experiences better than ever. In Zimbabwe and Zambia we have the remarkable Victoria Falls created by the Zambezi River and when in flood, it’s the largest curtain of water in the world. It’s a sight to behold, trust us on this.

World Water Day - The Victoria Falls
Then there’s the Okavango Delta, fed each year by flood waters from upstream, the Okavango is the lifeblood of Botswana and it is here that the greatest number of wildlife gather, attracted by the abundance of H20 and the nourishment it provides. There’s so much water in the Okavango that the best way to see the game is by navigating the waterways on a Mokoro canoe, a traditional vessel created by carving out the insides of a massive log.

World Water Day - The Okavango Delta
Our hometown, Cape Town, just wouldn’t be the same without its fantastic beaches and of course Robben Island. Speaking of islands, the Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Maldives and the Seychelles owe their remarkable beauty and attractiveness to the Indian Ocean. The warm waters are teeming with fish, making it the perfect place for snorkeling, diving and all manner of water-sports. Or perhaps you’d prefer just to kick back on the beach with a cocktail?

World Water Day - The Indian Ocean Islands

There are few places that appreciate water more than those where it is not in abundance. Take Namibia for example and the Kalahari Desert. Here desert adapted wildlife goes about its day in search of water. They travel vast distances and are able to go days and sometimes weeks without it.

World Water Day - Namibia
Of course the desert animals are the exception to the rule, we need water, we all do. We need to conserve it, protect it and we certainly shouldn’t waste it. When you’re on safari pay attention to how much water you use, try and minimize the number of towels you send to the wash and don’t flush anything terrible down the toilet! You can also help by making sure that you choose lodges and hotels that try their best to conserve water, water their gardens with recycled grey water and just generally treat our most fundamental resource as it should be. A bath is a real treat on holiday, but just be conscious of how scarce that resource is, particularly in the wilderness.

World Water Day - Kalahari Desert
At Rhino Africa we work with the lodges and hotels that make a concerted effort to conserve and protect, not only just water but all natural resources. Sustainable tourism isn’t just a buzz word round here, so contact your Rhino Africa consultant for a safari that appreciates all aspects of life in Africa.

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