Blog Archives

Voices of Botswana: the tree man of Ngoma

28/7/2016

By Roxanne Reid
When you arrive at Ngoma Safari Lodge on the western border of Chobe National Park, the view from the main deck will blow your mind. It looks out over the veld, a baobab tree and a waterhole towards the Chobe River. If you’re lucky when you stay here, you might meet the tree man of Ngoma.

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Okavango: the best game drive of our lives

26/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
The signs were there from the start. We flew over ribbons of water where game paths criss-crossed the floodplain between islands of trees. Dry channels snaked through the veld and we spotted herds of elephant, buffalo and giraffe. Here in Botswana’s Okavango Delta we were about to have the best game drive of our lives.

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Voices of Botswana: the manager and the mamba

21/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
When you stay at unfenced camps in Botswana’s Okavango Delta – that special wilderness sanctuary for wildlife – chances are you’ll meet a wild animal or two on your walks around camp. At Chitabe Lediba we enjoyed a visit from an elephant, a large-spotted genet and a few tree squirrels. If you work there, you might have some hairier stories to tell.

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See elephants on a Chobe River boat cruise

19/7/2016

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Boat cruise on the Chobe River, Botswana

By Roxanne Reid
Chobe National Park has the highest concentration of elephants in Africa. Because they love water, one of the best ways to see them is on a Chobe River boat cruise. Best of all, if you stay at Chobe Game Lodge you can experience the river and its wildlife on a whisper-quiet electric boat.

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Voices of Botswana: guide and photographer

14/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
If you’re really keen on wildlife photography, especially in Botswana, you may have heard of Wilderness Safaris guide and photographer Ona Basimane. His photos have appeared in publications like Peolwane, Discover Botswana and Travel Ideas, and he was a guest speaker at the Wild Shots Wildlife Photography Symposium in South Africa in 2013 and 2015.

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Okavango, Botswana: where the mokoro is king

12/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
Flying in to Xigera Camp in a small plane is a chance to get an aerial view of the wonder that is Botswana’s Okavango Delta, its mosaic of islands, water channels, floodplains, swamps and game tracks. You might even see herds of elephant or buffalo spread out like miniatures far below. But once you land, the mokoro is king.

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Voices of Botswana: the gentleman supervisor

7/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
If you visit Xigera Camp once the floodwaters have arrived in this part of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the last section of your journey will be by small boat. Here in a pristine and remote wilderness you’ll find camp staff gathered on the bridge above the jetty to wave and sing their welcome – a delightful custom at Wilderness Safaris camps.

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Highlights of the Makgadikgadi, Botswana

5/7/2016

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By Roxanne Reid
The white Makgadikgadi salt pans cover a vast Switzerland-sized patch of Botswana. This was Africa’s largest inland sea a million years ago, before tectonic movement to the west transformed everything. Rivers changed course and water evaporated from the lakes, leaving condensed minerals and salt behind. Today the pans fill only with rain water then dry again to a salty crust.

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