2geonomads

Thursday 5th October 2017
Johannesburg to Camp Okavango
After all of the fine weather we have had for most of our trip it’s something of a shock to the system to open the curtains to very leaden skies and incessant rain. However, the all-too-hearty breakfast soon lifts our spirits and we set about discarding some clothes ( and leaving them in the left luggage at the hotel to be collected on our way back to Perth ) in order to keep below the 20 kgs limit including such items as toiletries, cameras etc. We manage to reduce both cases to around the 8 kgs mark which leaves us to ponder why the hell we can’t achieve this on all of our trips!
Our flight to Maun in Botswana doesn’t leave until 11.45 am so we have plenty of time to buy extra luggage padlocks, a very fetching lightweight hat for Gail and some Imodium, rather ironic as we spend most of our time when travelling with our digestive system more blocked up than my arteries used to be!
Not surprisingly given the weather we have a rather bumpy flight during the early stages coming out of Johannesburg but we soon climb to an altitude which gives far smoother conditions.
I am seated next to a lady from the USA and she tells me that her 89 year old mother-in-law has long wanted to visit Africa and after a life of travelling to far-flung parts of the world she is treating her 4 children, partners and 2 grandchildren to this holiday of a lifetime. Would that more 89 year-olds could be as adventurous and inspirational as this lady.

We had been fore-warned of the problems on entering Botswana but nothing prepared us for the more than one hour it took to get through Customs and Immigration. The official took about an hour to seemingly put a German family through a modern version of the Spanish Inquisition. Surely she couldn’t still be holding some sort of grudge from the Second World War !
While waiting in line Gail makes me feel as though I am back home in Coles as she goes through the rigmarole of jumping from queue to queue and trying to second-guess which official will process people most quickly. As usual we end up getting through last.
Once we get through to the Arrivals we board a 12 seater Cessna Caravan for the 30 minute flight to Camp Okavango. The pilot is a lovely young woman who looks young enough to be my great- granddaughter and we share the flight with 7 American tourists who are also here for a two night stay.

The Camp is an absolute delight and the cabins ( the description does them a disservice as they offer 5 star accommodation in every way ) are simply superb.
A welcoming party is on hand to give us a briefing  and drinks before we head off to freshen up after the flights.

Next is an afternoon tea before Tau who is our guide for the duration of our stay takes us off on a trip along the tranquil waterways of the delta.We are fortunate to have him to ourselves as the 7 Americans have to share one guide.
On a balmy evening we are able to see a huge array of bird life and the very knowledgable Tao gives a running commentary on all of the bird, animal and plant life. He has an incredible ability to spot various creatures along the banks and at one stage he takes the boat in close to a small, young crocodile which had previously been invisible to us. A little further on we get up close  and personal with a medium-sized crocodile in amongst the reeds paying absolutely no notice to the three intruders.

To finish off what has been a great introduction to the Delta we arrive at a fairly large lagoon where a number of hippos put on a great performance for us.
Tao produces some nibbles and drinks for us while we sit back in the boat and take in the whole spectacular.

Back at the camp we take a shower ( it’s very humid) and set off for the  dining area. There is time for a pre-dinner drink  and to make the acquaintance of four Swiss- Germans, a couple of whom are on their fourth visit to Camp Okavango.
Dinner is acceptable without being spectacular but who really cares when everything else about this camp is absolutely top notch.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret