The Delta and beyond

The day starts well before dawn. Just lying in the darkness, safe and secure in a tent but just a thin sheet of canvas between you and wildest Africa all the same.

You can hear everything. Grunts and roars and screams and growls.  Nights are an audio safari. You can track the creatures in your mind. The pride of lions we saw this evening are now heading to the waterhole, calling as they travel. A baboon barks. Then another. We spotted them settling down to sleep by the baobabs on the little hill. They can spot the lions. In the distance, hyenas are yelping and  carrying on. They are down by the hippo pond feeding on some old carcass that’s hidden in the bushes. Now the hippos are bellowing. Close by, the tender rumblings of elephants. The fast trot of the honey badger right by the tent. He has come to scour the camp for scraps. The birds are awakening. Daybreak is here. The sounds of hot water being poured into the basin in my porch means it’s time to get up.

The poor old honey badger found no scraps. The food is so delicious you see. Breakfast and all meals are served at a communal table with enough variety to account for everyone’s taste I would hope! We have two chefs and three other camp staff. We leave one location in the morning, arrive that evening at a distant only to discover that the camp has magically moved and dinner is on the table.

After breakfast, we will climb into two very large land cruisers. They are really spacious – enough room for a fridge too. We normally spend about 4 hours on each drive, both morning and afternoon. This is Savuti, hunting dog territory. Not far from camp, the first prints, right on the road. We head west…the tracks are getting fresher….we stop and turn off the engine. The sounds of an African dawn chorus. In the distance, the distinctive calls of wild dogs on the hunt. Wait. Listen. Which way are they travelling? North now. Let’s try and get ahead of them….

This is where I saw my very first hunting dogs. Back in the 1970’s I used to collect the World of Wildlife magazine. I remember when the hunting dog issue came out. I was instantly fascinated by them and how they worked together. I was determined to see them one day and it was here in Savuti where that dream came through. My first sighting. A scattered pack appears to be snoozing or sleeping by a copse of trees. But suddenly, some movement. All are now alert. Impala are close by. The unspoken plan begins. All of a sudden, the hunt is on. There they go….out of sight now. We move up a rise, there they are, in the distance.the hunt has been quick and successful. A young impala has met its end…..

Our guides are amongst the very best in Botswana. Very safe drivers too. And excellent mechanics if the need ever arose. Hugely knowledgeable, great company and reliable, dependable and skilled enough to handle any challenges. They are fantastic at tracking animals and have an excellent knowledge of where to find particular birds too. There will be tales around the camp fire in the evening ….or you can retire with a diary or a good book. Soon the sounds of the African night will lull you to sleep…..and they will be there to serenade you in the morning.