Okavango Delta
Chapter three
Tracking lions, a bush lunch, and hippos at sundown.
Last night I slept under the stars on a raised deck. Lions called to each other throughout the night, low thrums carrying across the savanna.
Baams slept nearby in a tent. He told me he’d wake me up at 0600 but I was up long before then to watch the light strengthen over the predawn hours. A herd of wildebeest had bedded down for the night in the distance and I could see them slowly gather themselves to start their daily wanderings.
Baams appears with coffee and biscuits and we eat and drink and watch the sun rise. Near a treeline we watch as a few kudu pick their way south. Suddenly we see them running north. Baams sees a lion running after them. He tosses the rest of his coffee over the railing. We have to go.
We break camp quickly and head back to the truck. Baams listens to the lions roar and sets off in the direction he saw the lion run. Soon, he finds two females walking through the trees. We follow them for a while as they walk near each other, coming together now and again to play before we let them walk on ahead of us.
We hear the roars of other lions nearby and we leave the lionesses in search of a male.
We come across a ten-year-old lion and start to follow it. Baams radios it in. An impressive mane encircles its face.
As Baams follows and positions the truck, the lion decides to take a break by an anthill. It lays in the dirt, beautifully illuminated by the morning light. It’s an amazing sight and I can’t believe we’re as close as we are. The lion surveys the savanna, barely glancing in our direction.
After a while it stands and makes as if to walk back in the direction it came before turning and continuing on. We follow.
Baams tells me the lion is seeking to chase a 6-year-old lion out of its territory. We follow the lion as it prowls its territory. Now and again he roars, and we can see his breath in the cool morning air.
The other guides arrive with their guests and soon we are a convoy tailing the lion. We leave them to the lion and head off in search of leopard before circling around and find the other lion.
We follow the lion for a bit before driving on. At one point I ask Baams if I can take a leak. He tells me it’s safe and we both alight. As I start, I look up to see the lion walking far off in the distance. It’s rare you’re peeing while watching lions.
Back in the car we cross a dry lagoon and continue on towards the camp. We cross a herd of impala and pass the ostrich we saw the night before amongst others walking through the grass.
On the radio Baams hears that a leopard has been sighted. He asks me if I want to go see. It’s near the sleep out platform. Yes!
We drive around to find the leopard in a tree, a Landcruiser parked below it. The guests point to the leopard as we arrive and we watch as it surveys its surroundings before climbing down from its perch.
The leopard takes shelter in a small copse of trees before moving on. We follow it as it scent marks along the way, rubbing against the trees.
For lunch the camp surprises us with a long table set out in the bush. We are the last to arrive having lingered to follow the leopard until we lost it in the tall grass. A new set of guests have arrived, a family of five from New York on a year-long trip around the world. Their eldest is taking a gap year between high school and college; the younger two are being home-schooled for the year.
They already have their itinerary set and lodgings booked. They’re only a few weeks into the trip, starting with safaris in southern and East Africa before heading up to Egypt then Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Australia. They’ve been planning for a year.
I ask if it was a hard sell for the kids. It was a little for the eldest; she misses her friends and sharing the excitement with them of preparing for college, but realizes the opportunity for what it is.
As we sit to our meal people tell them how lucky they are. It’s rare to see lion and leopard in a single morning, let alone on the first day of your first safari. One woman said the leopard should win an academy award. The lion was cool, but the leopard put on a show.
So she was working it? says Dani. Like a cat walk? I say after a pause. Dani laughs. I had to, I say. It was teed up too perfectly. She tells me she’s going to use it for her reel. Kuovadis, I tell her. Tag me. We’ll exchange deets, she says.
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On the way back to camp Baams drives us past a large tree with a hole. I ask if there are bats inside. He pulls us closer so I can peer inside where I can see a few huddled at the top.
Back at the camp I gather my things and head to the pool where I chat with a couple from Rhode Island. They ask me how the sleep-out tent was and I tell them how much I enjoyed it. Nick tells me they’re surprising his mother-in-law with the experience because she’s an avid stargazer.
I suggest she bring a yoga mat or extra blankets so that she can lie out on the deck outside of the mosquito net for better views before she goes to sleep. He thanks me for the tip.
In the afternoon we continue our exploration of the concession. Just outside the camp we come across a mongoose, which pauses when it senses our presence before quickly scurrying away.
We come across lions laying in the dry scrub and pause to spend some time with them. Dani and her family approach in another vehicle and I tell Baams we should leave and let them have the lions to themselves, knowing how incredible it feels when you’re the only ones observing an animal in the wild. We back away slowly and head out further into the bush.
We drive past a warthog den at the base of a tree. A warthog steps out, considers our presence, and then makes threatening grunts and mock charges before standing down and wandering off.
We drive slowly through the bush. I enjoy the landscape and traversing pools of water as much as I enjoy seeing the wildlife.
We pass impala and then come across an elephant showering itself with dirt. I love watching them throw dirt upon themselves and I'm happy to have the opportunity to watch an elephant bathe.
We follow the elephant as it walks across the savanna, stopping when it stops, continuing when it continues. At one point it stops to snack on some grass by a tree and we wait and watch as it eats its fill and then wanders off.
Baams drives us to one of his favorite spots in the delta and sets up for sundowners. We’re by a small lake full of hippos. He tells me we’re safe where we are.
I sip my gin and tonic while listening to the hippos grunt. Now and again they come up to yawn, their silhouetted mouths spread wide. On the opposite shore we can see an elephant walking amongst the palms.
I take a few photos of Baams as the sun sets. The light spreads beautifully over the delta.
I ask him what types of groups he enjoys guiding most. He tells me that it’s fun guiding birders because you sometimes see more animals with them. You spend more time with the engine off, which makes it easier to hear alarm calls after which you can ask them if they want to go see what’s going on.
I ask how long we can stay and Baams tells me as long as I want. Mosquitos have started to swarm around us, buzzing furiously. It’s amazing standing out by the edge of the lake with hippos before us and I am loathe to leave, but eventually decide to head back to dinner.
I sit at the same end of the table beside the family from New York. Dani and I compare notes on travel and New York. By the end of the meal we’ve become fast friends and she’s invited me to join them in Madagascar, but the timing doesn’t quite work out. How about Australia? Maybe. We promise to stay in touch. 🇧🇼
5 July 2024
