Botswana

 

Botswana, located in the south central part of Africa is a little bit smaller than Texas, yet has a population of only 2 million.  It is bordered to the south by South Africa, to the east by Zimbabwe and to the west and north by Namibia.  But it is also "bordered" by Zambia at one point in the northeast.  This point is unique, similar to "four corners" in the US where four state borders meet at a single point, this is the only point in the world where the borders of four countries meet; Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe.  We passed very nearby this point, however did not get to stop and actually see it. (One unfortunate consequence of traveling with a set tour group).

 

About 70 percent of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Dessert, which is mostly a semi-arid sandy savannah.  Our visit to Botswana was limited to a small area in the north along the Chobe River which provides water for dense vegetation.  Looking downstream and to the east with Botswana on the right and Namibia on the left.

 

We stayed at the Chobe Safari Lodge located adjacent to the Chobe National Park.  There was wildlife roaming throughout the lodge property.

Like this warthog.

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And banded mongoose, an animal we had not seen before.

And of course monkeys.

The monkeys could be a pest around the dining area and kept the staff busy shewing them away.

Down by the waterfront there was a warning we have become familiar with in Africa.

We took a scenic cruise up the Chobe River on a pontoon boat.

 

From the boat we saw several animals we have seen before; baboons, hippos, elephants and crocodiles.  And a small pride of lions walking along the bank at a distance (no photo), but more on them later.

 

This was the first time we have seen elephants out "playing" in the water.

 

We also saw some new animals.  This is an eland, a type of antelope.  It has thin vertical stripes on its sides.  The stripe pattern is unique to each individual animal, like finger prints.  The strips help to camouflage it from predators in the brush.

 

These are African fish eagles.  Similarly marked to an American bald eagle, but of a different species.

 

But our favorite part of the cruise was sailing back with a beautiful sunset over the water.

 

That evening we were entertained by some local tribal dancers at dinner.

 

 

The next day we loaded into a "mobile lion lunch platter" and headed into the Chobe National Park.  Talk about easy access to the tender tasty snacks inside, this is it.  But then we have not had any problems with the animals...so far.

 

Chobe National Park was Botswana's first national park established in 1967 and its third largest at about 4,500 square miles in size.  The park is best known for its large elephant population with estimates between 50 and 100 thousand.  It is reported to contain the highest concentration of elephants in Africa.

 

 

The elephants here are Kalahari elephants, the largest in size of all known types of elephants.  They are characterized by rather brittle ivory and short tusks, thought to be due to a calcium deficiency in the soil.

 

Along with all the elephants we spotted other animals, though the tall grass, numerous trees and thick underbrush made finding and photographing them clearly more difficult than in the wide open grasslands we had been in earlier.

Got this giraffe out in the open.

This baboon was up in a dead tree.

Monkeys climbing a tree

Leopard tortoise crossing the road.  Had not seen one of these before. 

Warthog rooting in the dirt.

Had not noticed before but warthogs eat kneeling down.  Do you know why?  It's because they do not have a neck and their front legs are too long to allow them to get their mouth down to the ground.  This position also makes them vulnerable to attack by predators.  Fortunately for them they are very quick on their feet.

And again we saw many many impala.  But these were acting strangely.  Impala in a group always face in random directions in order to keep watch for predators.  These are all looking in one direction.  What's down that way?

Is there something around that corner?

Our guide spots something in the bush on the side of the road.

It's a big male lion.  Must be from the pride we saw yesterday.

 

The female comes out to investigate.

No problem... she's calm, cool and collected.

The male is a bit less photogenic and remains in the bush.

Our guide explains this lion is a fairly new addition to the park.  He was a "bad boy" and becoming a pest in another populated area, so they transferred him here to the park.

Not having grown up around flocks of tourists he can become a bit testy and has been know to show signs of aggression.  But not to worry.  As long as you do not stand up he only sees the large vehicle and not individual people.

Right...did you see that "lunch platter" we are sitting in?  Why does that lion appear to be staring right at me?  Why are his ears penned back?

Before I could get another question out...he attacked!!  With a single jump that big cat was out of the bush and within a few too short feet of our vehicle, roaring and swatting his huge clawed paws.  They say in danger your life flashes before you, well I can tell you that lion was so fast I did not have a chance to even think back to the previous second.  A lion's roar can be heard from over 3 miles. Can you imagine what it sounds like from 10 feet?  Fortunately it was just a warning charge.  And he soon returned to the bush.  I can tell you we got his warrning load and clear.

Here is the photo Shirley got of the attack.

We soon returned to the lodge safe and sound, if not a little shaken and out of focus, but still alive.  By the way, Where is the laundry mat?  I've got something that needs cleaning.

 

Next stop Namibia.