We have returned from a 3 day, 2 night trip to teh okavango delta. We travelled by mokoro, or dugout canoe, and camped using our own tent and cooking over an open fire - very romantic. There was just the 2 of us plus Edwin our guide / poler (they pole the makoro like a punt. Edwin knew his stuff when it came to birds, animals, tracks and piloting his craft but was not the best communicator. When we went for an evening walk I asked if we would be back before dark and he said yes - which was a relief as who wants to be roaming the bush when there are hippos an delephants and lions and hyenas about. Of course what Edwin actually meant was No! He had forgotton his tent, so we marched at double quick pace back to his village to pick it up an dback again - not arriving back until 45 minutes after dark! We had passed elephants on teh way, and he looked slightly nervous, but was even more so when as we crossed the river to our camp there came sounds of falling trees as elephants smashed there way around within 5 - 10 meters of our tents!
Still no harm done. The actual canoeing part of the trip was lovely, silently gliding along between the reeds and lillies, herons flying up as we came into view. Beautiful and for me a dream realised. One evening we went up to a deep and wide part of the river where a group of hippos lived - we had seen them the night before in the moonlight as they passed by the camp on the riverbank, grazing and snorting. On our last game walk, early in teh morning, we saw an injured hippo (not sure if by lion or other hippo), went to the remains of a lion kill - a zebra which must have been taken early that morning (I was not too sure it was such a good idea as lions are lazy and tend not to move toofar from teh kill!). Actually we saw teh tracks of 2 lions coming away from the kill and followed them all the way back past our camp (but on the other bank) - they musty have passed by whilst we were out walking. Then it was back in teh canoe for a relaxing if very hot trip back (it reaches over 40 degrees in teh afternoon). Well I say relaxing - we actually had another close encounter with 2 elephants, we were only 4m away, but I did not take a photo until we were well past!
We are off on a 2 day safari into teh Moremi game reserve tomorrow (also part of the Okavango delta) and then it is up to Kasane.
Cheers, Murray & Rhonda.
