Tim and Heather Doyle recently went on safari to the Okavango Delta in Botswana with Africa Geographic. Here’s what they had to say about their trip.
On our first evening at the mobile tented camp on Chief’s Island, the frog calls were deafening! The list of amphibians included the raucous toad, painted reed frogs, and many others. At the same time, a bull elephant browsed in the reeds towards the setting sun. It was just an awesome time before darkness fell!
This was our first safari to the Okavango Delta, and we agreed on an itinerary comprising flights between Maun and Chief’s Island, the first and last nights at Gunn’s Camp, and three nights in a mobile tented camp. June was a great time for the trip as the seasonal flooding is almost at its peak, but it can get chilly at night.
The trip comprised a combination of boat trips from Gunn’s Camp exploring the nearby delta channels, mokoro trips and walking from the tented camp. We did have our first lesson in piloting the mokoro ourselves, which was a lot of fun, and we stayed dry.
We believe walking safaris are the ultimate adventure, experiencing the environment and wildlife on foot. Our two guides, Mike and Edward, who looked after us for the six days, were phenomenal – very knowledgeable and safety aware.
Several times, we encountered male buffalo on our walks without incident. We respected the distance to them, watched them for a time, and moved on.
The birding in the Okavango Delta is just spectacular, and highlights for us included wattled crane, coppery-tailed coucal and a pair of Pel’s fishing owls.
Elephant sightings were frequent, and a highlight of the trip was watching a breeding herd crossing a river channel, feeding as they went. There was also some excitement as we navigated narrow channels passing territorial male hippos. Unfortunately, we had no predator sightings on this trip, but we heard lions calling every night.
Thank you for a lovely trip!
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