Friday 6th October 2017
Camp Okavango
Wake-up call at 5.00 and then it’s down to breakfast by 6.00
6.30 sees us off on a trek. It had been a possibility that we would share Tau with the Swiss- Germans but they had not considered themselves capable of taking a longer walk which Tau had planned . Gail and I were, therefore, left to the tender mercies of Tau as our guide and a pleasant fellow, Boston, who would be on hand to bring up the rear and ensure our safety.
After a short trip in a boat we start our trek through a grassy plain and in no time at all we view a water buck which is an impressive animal with a special defence mechanism against predators as it possesses an awful smell and decidedly unappetising meat.
Tau now spots a solitary elephant in amongst some trees and we are able to view at reasonably close quarters how the elephant holds the grass down with the hoof while using the tusk to dig out the nutritious parts.
We now go from the sublime to the ridiculous when we encounter some warthogs. Surrounded by so much beautiful animal life the hugely old warthog has truly drawn the genetic short straw and must have a terrible inferiority complex. On the positive side this little fellow has an incredibly amusing gait, making him/her much sought-after as a cartoon character.
The reserve has a huge array of antelopes, we now come across the kudu and some red lechwe which looks to me like a heavier version of the delicate impala.
To represent the bird kingdom a little Ground Lapwing appears but shortly afterwards a common reedbuck turns up to take centre stage.
We soon see a timely reminder that survival in this animal world can be a very tenuous thing when we find the huge skeletal head of what must have been a very large buffalo. It is certainly not just resting and has gone to meet its maker!
As Gail and I seem to be coping very well with the trek Tau suggests that we press on although our team of four almost became three when Gail fell into a fairly deep hole while viewing the abundant wild life. I know what your are all expecting but no, I did not take a photo of the incident, a sign that I am mellowing in my old age.
What followed next was for Gail the highlight of the day when we are confronted by a very large female hippo emerging from a pond with a tiny ( well by hippo standards) little one in tow.
Sightings of the Big Five ( elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino) have been very limited as have those of the other two which make up the Big Seven, giraffe and hippo but at least we have two out seven.
However, we are never short of some form of wild life and a reed- covered pond comes into view with numbers of Sacred Ibis and Egyptian Geese.
At last we strike it lucky when a very large herd of buffalo are seen at a distance but gradually moving in our direction. As the buffalo is regarded by many to be the most dangerous and unpredictable of the Big Five Tau leads cautiously to a vantage point from where we gain an excellent photo of the herd. We do have a light moment when I ask Tau ” what should you do if a large buffalo is charging towards you?” The answer from our guide of many years experience?
” Pray!”
To round off a great morning four elephants come plodding past us at close quarters.
It’s now back to the lodge for a cooked brunch and this gives Gail an opportunity to take some photos of our very well- appointed room and retire for a siesta until 3.30 pm.
4.00 sees us on a sort of African Gondola called a Mokoro which is expertly skippered by Tau. Gail confesses to being a bit concerned about the vessel’s stability but it turns out her concern focuses on her camera and lens. Apparently seeing her beloved falling in the river and being taken by one of the large crocs is of minor importance.
It’s a beautiful tranquil evening as we push off from the jetty and not far down the river one of the impressive saddle-billed storks comes into view, standing on the grass-covered banks.
From the beautiful to the brutal a fairly large croc is spotted ( once again) by Tau and he seems completely oblivious to our arrival ( that’s the croc,not Tau!)
As always along these waterways we are treated to a display of some beautiful
Waterlies and yet another medium-Sized croc, this time ‘planking ‘ in the shallow water.
Te end yet another splendid day Tau has arranged a sundowner on the rather. bumpy grass airstrip on which we had arrived from Maun.
A table is duly laid out with drinks and nibbles and we are soon joined by the four Swiss Germans who regale us with one of their national songs.
In fumbling around in my wallet I end up paying an excessive tip to the guy from the camp who had brought all the goodies down in the Land Cruiser. These US dollars all seem to look the same but it was a bit galling as he left Tau to serve all the drinks while he stood by like a shag on a rock.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret
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