Fishing in the Lower Zambezi River

Large crocodile across from Sweet Potato Camp

When our valet, Ashsefu, came to wake us at 5:30 we were already awake and dressed. We went to breakfast and enjoyed the eggs made to order. Mary had a breakfast wrap, and I had a ham, cheese and mushroom omelet. We got in the truck with Clement at 6:30 am to drive around Lower Zambezi National Park. This 1,600 square mile national park was established in 1983 as a game reserve to be protected from mass tourism and to allow native game to thrive.

Our safari vehicle at Potato Bush Camp

We saw several birds that we hadn’t seen including the trumpeter hornbill, goliath heron and crested guineafowl. There were a number of water bucks, kudus and warthogs. A troop of baboons, that certainly had over 100 animals, included many mothers with babies clinging to their backs. Impalas frequently travel with baboon troops to better look out for predators to the benefit of both.

Waterbuck

Waterholes in the area are drying up at this time of year, but the Zambezi River is near. One remaining water hole had four crocodiles basking in the sun as wading birds walked among them. One crocodile was half submerged and had its mouth open exposing the bright yellow flap preventing water from entering.

We followed some lion tracks for a while then started looking for a leopard but had no success with either. We stopped for a tea break and gave Clement our lunch order from a menu. We then drove back to the camp arriving by 10:30.

Cindy & Mark relaxing at the tent

We changed clothes at out tents since the day had warmed since we left this morning. We walked back to the lodge at 11:30 for lunch. Mark had a large burger, Cindy ordered a salad with grilled chicken, Mary had an open-faced roast beef sandwich, and I had a chicken schnitzel. Dessert was chocolate mousse.

We went back to the tents where we read, napped and wrote in the journal until Mark and I were scheduled to go fishing in the lower Zambezi.

Mark with a 10# tigerfish

Mark and I met Lazarus at 4 pm and went out on the Lower Zambezi River to try to catch some fish. We were hoping for a tigerfish but with the lack of success on our two previous fishing trips, we would be happy to get a bite from any kind of fish. Mary and Cindy stayed at the lodge and played cribbage.

On the way to selected fishing spots, we passed several large pods of hippos. We also saw a few Cape buffalo and crocodiles along the banks. Once at a spot, Lazarus either tied off to a limb or embedded the lower unit of the motor into a sand bar to anchor the boat. We used cut-bait on a large stainless steel hook on a steel leader and rigged with a slice of fish. The reels were loaded with a strong braided fishing line.

Steve with an electric catfish

We stopped in several spots, allowing the current to take the bait and hook downstream. We had no luck at the first two places we tried. However, at the third spot, Lazarus hooked a fish then handed the rod to Mark. The fish fought well and even went airborne once before Lazarus was able to net the large tigerfish. The nearly 10-pound tigerfish had a mouthful of sharp teeth that meshed together for a bite that could be dangerous. From looking at the teeth, it was obvious how the fish earned the name tigerfish. We weighed and photographed the fish before releasing the tiger fish back into the Zambezi River.

A few minutes later I felt some bumps on my line and assumed that I had drifted into a branch on the river bottom. However, when I retrieved the line, I saw that I had hooked a catfish. The fish was olive in color and was covered with darker spots giving it a leopard-like appearance. When Lazarus came to net the fish, his eyes widened and he said that it was an electric catfish. These fish are capable of producing several hundred volts of electricity and can easily knock an adult out. The catfish uses the shock to capture prey as well as to avoid predators. Lazarus told us that he was knocked out by one of these fish as a youth.

Once on the boat Lazarus used needle nosed pliers to remove the hook from the deeply hooked catfish. He was careful to use rubber handled pliers and to not touch the fish with his hands.

Relaxing at the tent

We returned to the dock a little after 6 pm so we could shower, watch a horticulture Wednesday webinar and prepare for our short night game drive. The webinars would be inaccessible outside of the US, but we used the VPN to connect through Atlanta with no problem.

Clement picked us up in the Safari truck at 7 pm and drove away from the camp. Along the way, we saw a genet running along the ground. This cat-like mammal is related more to the mongoose than to cats.

As we drove along, we spotted lights and a fire. Clement told us that he needed to check on the people since camping is prohibited in Lower Zambia National Park. As we approached we saw that it was a setup for an outdoor dinner where we would join Sausage Tree Camp for the meal. It was a nice surprise.

We sat around the fire with a group of Belgians who were staying at Sausage Tree. We enjoyed drinks and conversation until the soup was brought to us. The split pea soup with curry was quite good. After soup bowls were collected, we had chicken, beef, lentils and salad from the buffet. Dessert was a tasty macron with chocolate filling.

We left the dinner around 8:30 and saw two more genets on the way back to Potato Bush Camp. We turned in as soon as we were escorted to our tents.

Arriving at Potato Bush Camp

The sunrise over the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe was beautiful with the sliver of a moon above the horizon. We dressed and started packing for our flight to Potato Bush Camp. We needed to have our bags outside by 10 am to depart at 10:20. We sorted out tips for our guide, Phixon, our valet, Memory, and the staff as a whole.

Hippo pod in the Zambezi River

We met Mark and Cindy for breakfast at 7 am. Mark and Cindy had eggs Benedict while Mary and I had ham, cheese and mushroom omelets. As usual, there was a nice selection of breads, cheeses and fruits. We saw the two campers from France leaving for their morning activity as we went to breakfast. We were happy to learn that the security alert that came through from Chase Bank last night was fraudulent but needed no action. Cindy called Chase directly and was told that they would take care of the issue.

Nile monitor

We had almost two hours after we finished breakfast to do our language lessons, shower and get our bags out for collection. The outdoor shower is very nice. It is brisk early in the day but is a nice wake-up. The valet, Memory, was available to draw a bath for us but we had neither the time nor inclination for a bath while we were here. Mary and I took a walk around the island to see the other “chalets” as the tents were called. We saw several Nile monitors basking in the morning sun. The 3-4-foot-long lizards slid into the water as we approached.

Steve sleeping in the co-pilot's seat

As with the other camps we visited, we enjoyed the time at Sindabeze Island Lodge. The staff was very friendly and eager to help. It is a much smaller camp accommodating less than half the guests than any of the other camps. We liked that the activities were selected by us and that we had the activity exclusively to ourselves. We had excellent travel mates at the other camps, but the smaller, more intimate nature of Sindabezi was nice. We also liked that we could choose mealtimes as well as the menu. With some exception, meals were plated three course meals prepared by an expert chef.

Cindy is not happy about the small aircraft

At 10:20 we met at the dock to make our way to the airport at Livingstone. The staff of Sindabeze Island Lodge gathered to see us off. After the short boat ride to cross the Zambezi River, Phixon drove us to the airport where were were ushered through security by Green Safaris personnel. After a short wait, we were escorted out to our plane, a small Beechcraft airplane with three seats, not counting the pilot and copilot. Cindy was very apprehensive about the flight but took a seat in the rear near the luggage. Mark and Mary were in the center, and I was in the copilot’s seat. The pilot, a Green Safaris employee, was very friendly and gave us a smooth 90 minute flight to Jeki airstrip on the lower Zambezi. Like many of the airstrips in Botswana, this was a small unpaved bush airstrip, but it does have a small unstaffed terminal building.

Pod of hippos crossing the Zambezi River

Green Safaris staff loaded our bags into a Safari truck, and Lazarus drove us to the boat dock on the Zambezi River. Along the way, he pointed out interesting plants, animals and cultural features. Lazarus loaded us and our bags into a small boat and took us upstream to the Potato Bush Camp. Along the way we saw hundreds of hippos in the water as well as some Cape buffalo and impalas. We knew that this would be the place to see hippos.

Our tent at Potato Bush Camp

When we arrived at Potato Bush Camp, we were greeted by the staff and given an orientation. The procedures are much the same as Sindabezi since they are both owned by Green Safaris. This camp has only four tents including ours which is a double tent with a large sitting area between the two bedrooms. We unpacked and went to the lodge at 4:30 for a sunset river cruise. There was a large male elephant in the area outside of our tent. The animal seemed pretty docile, but we gave him a wide berth.

Bee-eater

Lazarus took us upstream on the Zambezi River where we saw dozens of hippo pods, each with up to 25 hippos. On a small island there was a Cape buffalo and several warthogs. Mark and Cindy spotted several interesting birds along the riverbank. We stopped at a spot in the river with a good view of the sunset. We had a gin and tonic as we watched the sun go down. We have really come to enjoy the local African gins like the Iconic African Gin mixed with Fitch and Leedes Indian Tonic.

When we returned from the cruise, we sat by the fire with a couple from Australia, a couple from Ottawa and a man from Santa Fe. We chatted about prior travel as well as planned future travel. When we were ready for dinner, the elephant was blocking our way from the fire pit to the dining area. After about 30 minutes, the elephant moved away, and we made it across to get to dinner.

Elephant walking through camp

The entrée was a choice of lamb shank, soup or salmon. Mine was baked salmon which was very good. Most people’s choice of dessert was chocolate pie, but I went for the cheese tray which was very good.

It was after 9 pm when we finished dinner, so we were escorted back to our tent. We would be awakened at 5:30 am tomorrow for our first game drive in Zambia.

Rhino walk

We slept well but awoke before 5 am. We did a few things in the room and moved our wet shoes out to the deck to dry. All our shoes were soaked after the visit to Victoria Falls.

Cindy & Mary with two rhinos

We walked out to the common area for breakfast and enjoyed the winter sunrise. The breakfast choice for Mark, Cindy and I was omelettes of varying types. Mary had maize porridge. We gathered our things for the walk into Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park to see the rhinos. The rhino walk was a part of our African trip that we are really looking forward to.

Mother and daughter rhinos

The National Park was about a 30 minute drive from the camp. Once in the park we saw the site where missionaries in the early 1900s attempted to establish the town of Livingstone. However, everyone in the group died of malaria. Their graves remain in the park. After the failure of the site, the town was established at the present site of Livingstone in the 1920s.

Ernest, a National Park ranger

There are nine white rhinos in the park as well as a population of elephants, hippos, Cape buffalo, zebras, warthogs and impala. We were led by Ernest, a National Park ranger who was armed with an AK 47 mostly to defend against elephants. There are no big cats in the park since the road going near the park transports a lot of local people walking or cycling.

The first rhinos that came upon were a mother daughter pair. The young rhino was about two years old and would soon be weaned from her mother. They were lying in the sun when we arrived, so we approached them downwind and were able to get very close. We continued walking through the park and saw five rhinos including one juvenile and one large male. We were also able get closer by walking quietly toward them from downwind.

Adult rhinoceros

The rhinos and other animals in the National Park are protected by a staff of well trained and heavily armed rangers. The nine rhinos in the park have not had incidents of poaching, but on several occasions elephants that were wounded by poachers in nearby Zimbabwe arrive in the park. Those wounded elephants are very dangerous and have been known to attack people in the park. All of the rhinos at Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park are white rhinos, so named because of a mispronunciation of “wide rhinos” because their mouths are wide and blunt, well adapted for eating grasses and sedges in the savanna. Black rhinos have a more pointed snout and browse on trees and shrubs in other parts of Africa. The terms “black” and “white” have nothing to do with the color of the animal. White rhinos are listed as near threatened while black rhinos are considered critically endangered.

Mary, Cindy, Steve & Mark with rhino herd

Phixon and Ernest told us that rhinos have poor vision and that we should walk single file about a meter apart so the rhinos would see us as a single large animal that is not familiar to them and, therefore, not a threat. By walking downwind, they would be less likely to be alarmed by our scent. After taking a lot of photos, we got back to the Land Cruiser with Phixon and drove to the city of Livingstone.

Livingstone markets

Livingstone is a bustling city with a population of 134,000 and many well preserved buildings from the 1920s. Phixon drove us through the market district where each area is designated by what is being sold in the booth. Sweet potatoes are sold in one area followed by nuts then fruits. The market continued to areas for clothing, electronics, appliances and just about anything that the residents of Livingstone might need. Phixon said that his wife likes to shop at the market so she can negotiate for items unlike at the modern stores. Phixon drove us around Livingstone and showed us some of the city’s landmarks mostly going back to Zambia’s colonial past in the 1920s.

We stopped at the Livingstone Museum where we spent about an hour looking at Zambia’s history going back to prehistoric time. The museum has displays on the prehistory of the area including fossil finds of hominids that have guided archeologists in studying the development of humans. A large diorama shows daily life for a Zambian family before the arrival of Europeans. There are a number of artifacts surrounding Dr. David Livingstone and his missions to Central Africa.

Lunch along the Zambezi River

After leaving the museum, we returned to the boat launch. The boat  brought us to camp where we changed clothes for lunch. We had only a few minutes at camp until we were taken to another island for an outdoor lunch. Chef Paul’s team had prepared roast chicken in a curry sauce with pumpkin and garden salad. Dessert was a mixed fruit plate. The staff was dressed in traditional Zambian colors as they prepared and served the meal. We enjoyed the lunch before boating back to the camp to have a break. On the boat trip back to Sindabezi Island, we saw a large hippopotamus on the bank ready to jump into the Zambezi River.

Mark & Cindy's tent at Sindabezi Island Camp

After a brief break back at the camp, we met Phixon at 4:30 for a boat ride and fishing. We went up river then cast Mepps spinners along the reeds hoping to catch a tiger fish. We saw several local fishermen in mokoros using cast nets in the reed beds. Luck wasn’t with us and neither Mark, Phixon nor I had a bite.

We returned to camp at 6:30 and had about an hour until we met at the campfire with appetizers before dinner. The starter was lentil soup with ginger. We were escorted to our tables where we had excellent filet minion cooked medium rare. Mashed potatoes and streamed vegetables were on the side. Dessert was a stewed pear in caramel sauce.

Sunset on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe

As we were preparing to leave the table, Chef Paul, Chiyeso, Memory, Jacob, Phixon, Gift, Sylvester, Precious and other camp staff came out to sing and dance to celebrate Mark and Cindy’s 44th anniversary. They brought a chocolate cake along to celebrate. We gave half of the cake to two French visitors at a nearby table.

As we were finishing dinner, Mark had an alert that his credit card may have been used for fraudulent purchases and transfers. They were making telephone calls to financial institutions to straighten out the mess.

We went to the tent, made our calls and updated the journal before turning in. We have a 10:20 am departure time for Potato Bush Camp tomorrow. We enjoyed this camp just as much as the other three that we visited this month, although the pace was much more relaxed than at Xakanaxa and Savute.

Victoria Falls

At 4 am we heard a hippo that sounded very nearby. We didn’t go out of the deck to check but knew that it was close. When we went outside at 6 am we saw hippo tracks under the deck and along the side of our tent. It was obvious the Horace the hippo had visited.

Zambezi River with Victoria Falls in the distance

We went to breakfast at 7 am and learned that we could have the continental breakfast or we could order a plated meal. We all decided on the plated breakfast, Cindy and I had eggs Benedict while Mary and Mark had the pancake tower. We all enjoyed the meal.

At 8:30 we met Chiyeso at the boat ramp who took us to the mainland where we met Phixon, who will be our guide for the rest of our time here at Sindibezi Island Lodge. We got into one of the Bushtracks vans to go to Victoria Falls.

Our tent at Sindabezi Island Camp

As we drove toward Victoria Falls, we saw many people walking along the road. Some were wearing western clothing while others were dressed in traditional African attire. Some women were carrying baskets on their heads; others were pushing wheeled carts. The predominant traffic was men on bicycles with heavy and bulky loads. Agricultural products like sweet potatoes and corn are twice as expensive in Zimbabwe as they are in Zambia. The opposite is true for products like cooking oil and detergent being more expensive in Zambia. Merchants will haul their crops to Zimbabwe to sell then make the return trip with products from Zimbabwe to sell in Zambia.

Victoria Falls

At the falls, Phixon took care of our admission then gave us rain stickers since the spray from the falls can be like rain. We walked along the edges of the canyon and photographed the rainbows in the spray. We laughed as the baboons along the path alternately groomed each other and squabbled. As we walked across the Knife Edge Bridge, the spray was like a torrent of rain. The narrow bridge would be a interesting crossing at any time but with the torrent of water from the spray of Victoria Falls, it was an adventure. Although we were wearing slickers, we were soaked. The strong wind blowing in the canyon drove the water into us all. While walking, we met a nice young couple from Nashville. Once across the bridge, we had pleasant conversation as we walked around the rim of the falls.

Victoria Falls

We walked over to the dock where we would take a boat to Livingstone Island. The island is named for Dr. David Livingstone who was the first European to see Victoria Falls. Dr. Livingstone was a missionary in Africa bringing Christianity to the natives. He lived on the island from 1850 until he died of malaria in 1873. His legacy appears to continue to flourish since Zambia is almost 96% Christian, many of who attend church regularly.

Mary & Steve at Victoria Falls

The small boats have two well maintained outboard motors since we were only slightly upstream from the falls. A gentleman from Guatemala joined us of the boat. He was in Zambia for a conference of Rotarians. He was very pleasant, and we were happy to have him join us. We were issued slickers again as well as large towels. It made us feel easier that the small boats had two motors since a powerless boat would be dashed over the 355 foot drop of Victoria Falls.

Omega, a Green Safaris guide at Victoria Falls, walked us through the mud to the point where people pay to be hung over the falls. The way it works is that you lie down in the water as it is pouring over the falls as two strong young men hold you by the ankles. We took several group and individual photos of the falls and the rainbows in the mist. The Guatemalan gentleman decided that he would do it, so he changed into bathing trunks and walked to the fall’s edge. He was smiling the who time but later reported that he was terrified. We sat in folding chairs while being pelted by the wind and spray. The couple we met from Nashville also hung over the falls’ edge.

Mark & Cindy at Victoria Falls

At 1 pm we walked to the dining tent where we had lunch with several other groups. The tent was very loud with people talking across the room and several languages being spoken. The meal was very good with tomato coconut soup and a main course of chicken on a polenta cake and vegetables on the side. Dessert was a poppyseed muffin with vanilla ice cream.

We walked back to the registration area where we did a survey and prepared for the trip back to Sindabezi Island Lodge. We were wet and tired so a shower and clean clothes sounded good.

The outdoor shower was fine. There was plenty of hot water, so we washed our soggy muddy shoes. We walked around the island some and had a drink in the pavilion as Mary read Chef Paul’s cookbook. The book collected recipes from the chefs in all the camps owned by Green Safaris. I got in the hammock for a while while I updated the trip journal.

We made our way out to the fire pit for a chat. It was just the four of us at the time. A nice young couple from London came by and joined us by the fire. They were honeymooning on their safari. We enjoyed talking with them.  We had enjoyed the Okavango Gin in Botswana, but we were treated to a Zambian gin here at Sindabezi.  Iconic African Gin, like the Botswanan Okavango Gin, isn't overpowering with botanicals but mixes well with the Fitch and Leedes Indian Tonic for an excellent G & T.

Baboons at Victoria Falls

The appetizer of butternut squash with ginger was outstanding and served as we sat around the fire. Several of us had gin and tonic or wine brought to the fire for us. We were called to our tables where we were served pan fried bream fillets along with a vegetable mix. Dessert was a lemon tart. We enjoyed everything.

We turned in right after dinner since we had an early departure for the rhino walk on Monday.

First day of winter - Arriving at Sindabezi Island Camp

A flock of roosting guineafowl outside out tent woke us at 4:30 so we finished packing for our departure from Botswana. We went to the lodge for our breakfast then met Conrad for a short morning game drive. Since our flight was after 11 am, we had several options for the morning but we opted to go out one more time for a game drive.

Mary on a white sand dune in Chobe

We drove through a part of the area that we hadn’t visited then through the Savute Channel looking at herds of impala, flocks of guineafowl, families of spurfowl and the occasional Steinbok. In the past, the Savute channel has had water in the stream. However, shifting tectonic plates and a general drying in the area has caused the streambed to be dry for a number of years. We took a stretch break for tea and the usual small cakes called rusks. Another truck from our camp stopped by so we visited with Markus and Hanna from Stuttgart before continuing on.

Zebra and impala grazing

Conrad drove to the top of a dune composed of very fine powdery sand. From there we could see several young warthogs, impalas, giraffes and some wildebeest. Conrad was looking at the other side of the dune and spotted a lion. We got binoculars and confirmed that two lions were resting in the shade of a tree. We saw a lot of tracks in the sand from everything from lions to beetles.

At Savute Airstrip

At 10:30 we transferred to another Land Cruiser and said our goodbyes to John, Jane and Conrad. We drove the the airstrip and chuckled again at the sign marking “Terminal 5, Gate 3” even though there was no terminal, only a gravel airstrip cut into the bush.

The 12-seat Cessna aircraft was full including a passenger in the copilot’s seat. The pilot for the 30-minute flight was the most professional of any that we have in the bush. His takeoff and landing were very smooth. We realized that this was the first time that we had seen a paved airstrip or road since we left Maun on June 13.

When we landed in Kasane, Botswana we were picked up by a “G Man”, a contracted driver who took us into Zambia. We disinfected our shoes at the border then went to a health check before going to immigration and customs. Everyone at border control was very helpful and the process of getting our visas was completed in just a few minutes.

Mary at the landing for Sindabezi

Our bags were transferred to our Zambian driver who drove us for about an hour to our next camp. As he drove, he gave us a brief history of Zambia, an overview of the culture and some information on places of interest that we may visit for the week that we are in the country.

Chiyeso (pronounced Chea-so), the manager of Sindabezi Island Camp, met us at the dock and took us to the island where we would stay for the next few days. The island is in the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. This camp and our final camp, Potato Bush Camp, are operated by Green Safaris who have eight camps in Zambia and one in Malawi. Unlike previous camps with 12 tents, Sindabezi has only five tents, all of which were occupied at the time we arrived. These tents were not as modern as at Xugana or Savuli but were clean and comfortable. Like all the other camps, this camp operates completely on solar power and filters all drinking water. The daily routine here is set by each group of visitors. There is a long list of options from which we can choose.

Cindy at the tent on the Zambezi River

Unlike the Botswana camps, lunch and dinner are from a menu chosen earlier and served plated rather than buffet. Our tent overlooks the Zambezi River and has a bed with mosquito netting, a soaker tub, an outdoor shower and a hammock by the river. We think this camp will be ideal for our group. The island had lots of seating and places to relax. As Mary and Cindy met with our valet, Memory, to explore options for the coming days, Mark and I walked around the island. We saw several Nile monitors, some of which were large. The camp’s mascot is a hippo that was born on the island. Horace the Hippo still makes frequent visits to the camp, mostly at night. Robert, a camper from Johannesburg, advised us that a morning at Victoria Falls then a visit to the town of Livingstone would be time well spent.

Breakfast area at Sindabezi Island Camp

Although we had a small lunch on the flight, we had lunch provided in the camp. Mary and I had pork medallions with a mixed greens salad. The dessert was chocolate zucchini cake. For the afternoon, we chose to do a boat cruise on the Zambezi.

We went to the dock at 4:30 to meet our guide. Since Mark and Cindy were interested in birds, he took mostly to spots where they could see bee eaters, waterfowl and songbirds. We also saw several hippos in the river as well as waterbucks and impalas on the Zimbabwe side of the river.

Sundown on the Zambezi River

About 6 pm we were met at a point where camp staff had set up a mobile bar and seats for viewing the sunset on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We watched the sun go down and hippos swimming in the river.

We crossed the river back to the camp in Zambia where we changed for dinner. As we walked toward the campfire, I tripped on the edging around one of the plantings and took a hard fall. I dusted off and found seats at the campfire for us. We sat around the campfire where we were served leek soup as an appetizer. We chatted with Robert and his wife from Johannesburg, two friends from England and a young couple from Arkansas.

Sindabezi Island Camp staff places visitors at tables around the common areas of the camp. Wine, beer and drinks were offered before, during and after dinner. Mark and I had roast chicken on a bed of rice while Mary and Cindy had risotto. Dessert was a small cake with vanilla ice cream. Everything was well prepared and served elegantly. Mary and Cindy especially appreciated being able to preselect from a menu for meals rather than eating from a buffet.

After dinner we returned to our tent and prepared for bed.

Baobab grove in Chobe National Park

We woke around 5 am then had a cup of tea before getting up and dressed. As always, a guide came by at 6 am to wake us then we walked to the breakfast area at 6:30. This and other daily procedures are nearly identical across the three Desert and Delta Safari sites we visited in Botswana. We slept fairly well although we could hear a lion roaring from time to time.

Mary & Cindy in the Land Cruiser

At breakfast, we wished Mark and Cindy a happy anniversary then enjoyed a good breakfast. I had bran flakes, yogurt and muffin. We loaded into the truck at 7 am.

Cindy had requested that our guide, Conrad, take us to a fresh elephant kill so Conrad took us on a two hour ride to the place where the kill was reported. When we were near, we saw over 40 vultures of several species sitting in trees. However, as we reached the kill site, we saw a couple of Chobe National Park rangers who told us to avoid the area until they could make a report on the elephant’s cause of death.

Large male kudu

Since the morning plans had changed, we drove to several water holes, some of which were nearly dried up. We saw a large male kudu at one water hole and some elephants wading in what was left of another. We also saw some artificial water holes that were created by the National Park. These have well pumps powered by solar arrays that keep water in five water holes across Chobe National Park.

Wildebeest

Conrad drove us across an ancient lake bed that is a marsh in the wet season. Today it was dry and covered by tall grasses. Much of the tall grass is what they call turpentine grass because of the smell. This grass is very water and rot resistant, so it is used to thatch roofs. The park doesn’t interfere with grass fires in the area since they are a natural way of maintaining the grassland ecosystem. Almost all fires are caused by lightning in the rainy season. We saw no wildlife in our drive across the meadow except several Kori bustards.

Kratom

Conrad pointed out an interesting look plant called kratom. This immediately interested us since we have seen kratom advertised in the windows of vape shops and other stores in sketches areas across the US. Kratom has an opioid-like effect when smoked or chewed. We learned, however, that this African kratom is unrelated to the Asian tree that is used for quasi-legal recreational drug use.

Steinbock (or Steenbock)

As soon as we re-entered the savanna ecosystem after crossing the meadow we saw lots of game including impala, wildebeest, tsessebe, stienbok (or steenbock), kudu, giraffes and zebras. As we drove, the temperature rose, and we were all shedding clothes until we were down to shorts and T-shirts.

We arrived back at Savute Safari Lodge by 11:30 so we had time to shower and change clothes before lunch at 12 o’clock. I used the outdoor shower again and found it to be refreshing.

Outdoor shower

Lunch was small lamb pies, Tuscan chicken, corn pudding and a variety of cheese and fruit. As always, the meal was perfectly prepared and elegantly presented. Mark and I had a local beer with lunch then I took a gin and tonic back to the tent.

As we relaxed in the tent we did our language lessons, read and updated the trip journal while several kudu lounged in the area outside our tent. Cindy came over after her nap for a game of cribbage with Mary.

We walked to the dining area for high tea at 3 pm. There was toast with salmon and passion fruit tarts. I had a glass of tonic water as we put our gear in the Land Cruiser for our afternoon game drive.

Jane, John, Conrad, Mary, Cindy, Mark & Steve with the baobab trees

Conrad drove us to an area where baobab trees are growing. These 14 trees are all over 1000 years old. We walked around the trees and admired their ability to survive even after significant damage over the centuries. Conrad told us that because of damage from the increasing elephant population, baobab trees are becoming less and less common. Since baobabs hold a great deal of water in the tree trunks, elephants dig at the trees with their tusks to access the water. These few trees have been protected by large rocks that have been piled around the tree roots. Conrad says that it is presumed that the Bushmen were protecting the trees hundreds of years ago. I did an Earthcache with the baobabs then we posed for group photos with John and Jane.

Sundown in Chobe National Park

After leaving the baobab trees, we drove around looking for interesting wildlife and birds. We saw a roan antelope and several birds that we hadn’t seen before. Around 5:30 Conrad found a place for our sundown happy hour. We enjoyed gin and tonic or beer as we watched the sunset. As we were finishing our drinks, a group of impala came through with several male animals fighting. We also saw a pair of bat eared foxes who came over curiously.

We came back to the camp where we cleaned up for dinner. We went down early for a drink and to sit by the fire. There were several new people who had just arrived this afternoon.

Elephant damaged baobab tree

Dinner was kudu streak, pork roast, millet, black rice and caramel cream for dessert. Of course , we have seen wild kudu here in Botswana but we were very surprised that the steaks were so tender and flavorful. It reminded us a lot of venison tenderloin. In fact, the cook referred to the kudu steaks as venison. We chatted at dinner with John and Jane who have been our travel mates while we have been at Savute. We also enjoyed meeting Hanna and Markus from Germany. She was very pleasant, and it was fun to talk about our favorite German food and places we like to visit in Germany.

Mark and Cindy had a private table in a small outdoor nook for their anniversary dinner.