Camping adventure in Chobe

The elephant looks gigantic as he silently enters our campsite. We move slowly into our baking hot car and watch the elephant extend his trunk sniffing the air next to our side window. He is so close that we can see his long eyelashes. Finally, he brushes past the car and proceeds to the river to drink and shower.

Our adventure begins when we disembark our flight in Kasane in northern Botswana. Bushlore is already waiting for us to hand over the two powerful 4WD camping cars we have rented for our two families. After going through the equipment, we are off to stock up on groceries, drinks and firewood before heading to the lodge we have booked for the first night. The following five nights we will be camping in the wild.

 

Next morning we head into Chobe National Park and drive in the direction of Savuti Camp, 192 km away. The first half of the route is tarred but this ends abruptly and transforms quickly into very, very loose sand tracks. It is already mid-day and close to 40 C, which makes the sand even looser and the drive even more challenging. The car slides and wiggles from side to side in the tracks but we don't get stuck as we have luckily lowered the tyre pressure.

October is the end of the dry season and the landscape is extremely rugged. The trees extend their blackened branches towards the blue sky, waiting for the rain to bring back life and food for the animals. Red dust clouds fill the air as we drive past. Countless waterholes are hardened grey mud and completely dried up. It is therefore easy to spot the impalas and kudus seeking shade, the giraffe trying to reach the few green leaves in the treetops and the elephant herds crossing the desert in their search of water.

Our first campsite is in Savuti, an area known for its abundance of lions and leopards. This makes me nervous as we are travelling with children and the camp is unfenced. We see people camping on the ground and although it is supposedly safe, with even elephants tiptoeing around the tent ropes, I feel happy that we have opted for the rooftop tents, which fold out on top of the car.

We have been warned about hyenas, feasting on anything we might leave out, so we wash the dishes thoroughly and pack all food away after dinner. As more and more stars emerge in the darkening sky, we sit around the campfire with only the dancing fire as light and the wild bush surrounding us. We can hear hyenas laughing, a lion roaring and elephants trumpeting but none of them come too close to make us uncomfortable.

While Savuti is grassland with sandy tracks and some trees, our next destination Linyanti has denser bush and lots of trees where elephants thrive. They love to eat Mopane trees and there is plenty of water to drink in the river. We can see big herds of female elephants with babies as well as impressively sized lone males and groups of teenage males showing off their braveness to each other. When we reach our campsite we realise that their path to the water goes right through and a few elephants give us a scare before they finally decide to find another route a few metres to the side. They move amazingly silently and are suddenly close to us without warning. Only the occasional stomach rumbling betray them as these giants manage to play hide and seek behind the bushes.

 

Most of the campers leave the campsite early in the morning in order to go for game drives, as the cooler mornings and evenings are the best times to see animals. Travelling with children makes our mornings more relaxed and we enjoy bacon and eggs prepared on the gas cooker without rush. Only the birds and mongooses disturb us as they try their best to snatch our food.

On our way to Ihaha campsite, our next destination, we encounter the King of the bush. Two male lions with impressive manes and a female lion have sought shade under a tree and they yawn and flip their tails to chase away flies when we stop to admire them. Even the accidental honking of the car horn does not seem to bother them at all.

Ihaha campsite is lovely and completely different from the two previous ones. Huge trees offer much needed shade and the landscape is open savannah with the Chobe river flowing through. Namibia is just across the river and on both sides there are zebras, impalas, waterbucks and warthogs grazing in huge herds.

The days are hot but nights are chilly. We sleep with the tent open on two sides with only mosquito nets closed, in order to have a cooling breeze. When the first rays of light come up over the horizon, we wake up to enjoy the fabulous morning sunrise. The golden circle rising behind the bush and the acacia trees create a silhouette more beautiful than any painting. The magic does not last long and a new day has begun.

Seeing wild animals in their natural surroundings is fantastic but above all we enjoy being in the wilderness and feeling part of nature without mobile networks and internet connections. The tranquil evenings when we watch the campfire with a glass of wine in our hands and the children barbeque marshmallows while we are listening to the sounds of the hippos grunting nearby, the elephants cracking branches and the hyenas howling are simply unbeatable.