Our route and first stop at Stevensford
Friday 3rd September, 2004Our planned route was to take us through
the savanna bushveld of eastern Botswana, then on to the Makgadigadi Saltpans,
up to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve, then on to Savuti and
finally across the Sand Ridge and the Chobe cut line up to Chobe and Kasane.
The Game Reserves are shown in light green on the map below. The
long return drive was to be broken by a stop at the Nata Saltpans before
the marathon drive back to Johannesburg.
(Original map source: CIA World Factbook)
While Botswana is a semi-arid land with vast tracts of desert, it is also the home to one of the most remarkable inland deltas. The Okavango river disappears into the Kalahari sands north of Maun, creating a wildlife haven that is one of Africa's most spectacular and still relatively unspoilt regions. Further north, the banks of the Chobe river, before joining with the Zambezi, are amongst the richest in terms of herds of Elephant, Hippo pods (and Crocodiles).
The first stop was Stevensford Game Ranch, just across the border into Botswana and already the landscape looked full of promise that we'd begin to see animals. This Red-Billed Hornbill was the first of many .....
.... and followed by the ubiquitous Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops).
The Impala (Aepyceros melampus) were very skittish, which we discovered was due to regular culling and capturing to be sold on to other Game farms. In fact the morning we left, the game drive was on, and we needed to wait downwind while it was completed with great professionalism.
This Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) female [only males have horns] was no less wary, and it needed every mm of my lens to bring it in close. They are active both night and day, and have a remarkably wide palette from tubers to grass, leaves and fruit.
........... and the requisite fire was there to end the day, in true bushveld camping style.
The next day we were on to the Rhino Reserve, but more about that tomorrow.
[Complete Safari and wildlife photo index]
(Original map source: CIA World Factbook)
While Botswana is a semi-arid land with vast tracts of desert, it is also the home to one of the most remarkable inland deltas. The Okavango river disappears into the Kalahari sands north of Maun, creating a wildlife haven that is one of Africa's most spectacular and still relatively unspoilt regions. Further north, the banks of the Chobe river, before joining with the Zambezi, are amongst the richest in terms of herds of Elephant, Hippo pods (and Crocodiles).
The first stop was Stevensford Game Ranch, just across the border into Botswana and already the landscape looked full of promise that we'd begin to see animals. This Red-Billed Hornbill was the first of many .....
.... and followed by the ubiquitous Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops).
The Impala (Aepyceros melampus) were very skittish, which we discovered was due to regular culling and capturing to be sold on to other Game farms. In fact the morning we left, the game drive was on, and we needed to wait downwind while it was completed with great professionalism.
This Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) female [only males have horns] was no less wary, and it needed every mm of my lens to bring it in close. They are active both night and day, and have a remarkably wide palette from tubers to grass, leaves and fruit.
........... and the requisite fire was there to end the day, in true bushveld camping style.
The next day we were on to the Rhino Reserve, but more about that tomorrow.
[Complete Safari and wildlife photo index]
