K+K Travels: Chobe game drive and second river cruise

Up at 5 AM this morning for our first Chobe game drive. Game drives in the national parks are different than in the private game reserves like Sabi Sand. Here the Land Cruiser must stay on the road (no going cross-country deep into the bush in order to follow a leopard following an aardvark) and there are no trackers. There are lots more Land Cruisers full of tourists as well. So this morning we drove along the river and saw the typical giraffes, zebra, baboons, impala, Cape buffalo and a nice assortment of birds including a close look at an immature Martial eagle. The difference is that at Chobe there are so many more of each species. We saw thousands of impala, hundreds of Cape buffalo and baboons, and dozens of giraffe and zebra. It was really fun to watch up close the baboons as it was a bit chilly this morning and the youngest babies hung under their mothers and then moved to her back as they got older. We watched them groom each other (eating a tick is a treat so it helps out both the groomer and groomed.) We parked in the middle of a large troop of baboons and they just ignored us as they spent a typically social morning.

We saw lion prints from last night so are hopeful to sight some on a game drive. Our guide, Neo, is knowledgeable and friendly, but lacks Liam’s passion and enthusiasm and she seems to just be going through the motions rather than the sense we had with Liam that he was exploring alongside us.

Upon returning to the lodge we enjoyed an omelet for breakfast then headed out on the river again for our second river game cruise. We saw several larger crocodiles as well as a few new species of birds. On the river bank we saw a delightful herd of elephants and a couple of youngsters playing in a mud hole carefully watched by their mothers, sisters, aunts and cousins. We covered the same stretch of river as the first river cruise and except for seeing more crocodiles and fewer hippos, the two trips were pretty much the same.

In the afternoon we drove the same ground as in the morning and saw kudu, elephants, giraffe, zebra, impala, hippos, etc. The amazing thing about Chobe is the vast numbers. We don’t just see one small herd of a dozen or so elephant; instead, we see lots of larger herds. Around almost every bend are a hundred or so impala; so many unless something is unusual we don’t even notice them. Then we came upon a small group of Roan antelope. Neo said it was the first she had seen since she started working at Chobe 8 months ago. A great thing to see.

When we arrived back at the lodge we were surprised with a private dinner on our private deck. Leena, our server for our stay, waited on us while we enjoyed chicken kebab appetizers, vegetables and duck for our entrees, and a selection of apple strudel, date and walnut “pudding” (British style, what we would call a light cake), and pear and almond tart.