Okavango Delta
Chapter four
Playful hyenas, a walking safari, and a fishing expedition.
In the morning we pick up Elleni. She’ll be my guide for a walking safari. I’m looking forward to getting out of the vehicle and logging some steps.
We head out as the skies lighten, the colors changing from violet to blue. It’s another cool morning and we bundle up against the cold. The family from New York find their bush babies under the blankets and the eldest daughter exclaims in delight, hugging tightly the warmth they provide.
As we drive across a field we come across a cackle of hyena. We stop to watch, surprised to see how playful two of them are, chasing and nibbling each other.
One is injured, one of its hind legs hangs imply behind it. Another seems almost to be picking on it as it bites and chases after it. The lame leg doesn’t seem to hinder its ability to run, however, and they give chase around our vehicle, now and again tumbling to the ground to wrestle.
Baams asks me if I want to continue and I tell him not yet; I’d like to spend more time with the hyenas, having never seen them so active. He tells me he’s never hyena exhibit such playful behavior before either, and that he’d like stay with them as well.
I smile. The radio crackles. He turns it off we turn our attention back to the hyena.
Eventually the two hyenas tire of their games and lie down with the others. We linger a while longer to watch as they rest, putting their heads down and lifting them again to sniff the air when something alerts their senses. Finally, it’s time for us to go as well. We circle the cackle one last time and drive off to where we’ll start our walk.
Baams turns the radio back on, listens, and tells me we missed seeing wild dogs. I shrug. What we witnessed was incredible and I wouldn’t have wanted to have left any sooner than we did.
We pull into a stand of trees and Baams parks the vehicle off the road. He loads a gun and we go through a quick safety briefing. We’ll be walking in single file and I’m to obey any commands Elleni gives me. I nod and we set off on our walk.
Elleni leads us out of the woods and we walk along an exposed plain, pointing out plants and other features of the delta. In the distance we can see hyena and Baams motions us to move behind a mound of earth. We climb up a bit and crouch to see whether they’ve noticed us and how they’ll react.
After watching the hyena for a bit, Baams motions us to move on. We walk behind the mound and continue walking towards a lake in the distance.
At one point we come across a tall termite mound perched on a hill. Baams tells me to climb up so he can take a photo of me next to it. I do so and then turn around to take a photo of the two of them from the base of the mound.
At the lake we pause to take in the view. Hippos wallow in the far shallows. We stand for a while, warm in the sun, listening to the sounds around us. After a bit Elleni motions us to head back.
After lunch I head to the pool. It’s become my afternoon ritual. The eldest daughter from the New York family and we talk books and movies, swapping recommendations and adding items to each of our lists. I’m excited to learn about Sally Rooney, though fear I’m late to the game. I recommend films by Asian filmmakers: Wong Kar Wai, Satyajit Ray, Tsai Ming-liang.
When we’re to set out for our afternoon drives Dani fears I’m lonely. She asks where I’m headed and I tell her we’re going fishing. Her family are as well and she suggests that she join me. I welcome her and her eldest daughter aboard and we set forth on our afternoon drive.
We convene by a shallow river and the guides pull out fishing rods and help bait the hooks. All of the guests from the camp are here and we line up on the shore to cast our lines.
Dani’s son catches a huge fish almost right away. Another guest pulls in a huge fish. I feel nibbles but can’t quite hook a fish on my first cast.
On my second, a fish eagle swoops down as if to steal away a fish that eyes my lure. Neither of us succeed, but Dani shouts out when she sees what transpires. I tell her it would have been cool if I had managed to catch a bird! After that all my luck seems to run out.
An elephant wanders nearby and Baams keeps an eye out for it. I’m thrilled by the fact that there’s one so close, and watch as it walks along the edge of the trees before disappearing into them.
We fish until the sun goes down and the mosquitos start to swarm. It’s a beautiful late afternoon and we finish our sundowners and help the guides pack up for the drive back to camp.
Dani sets up an impromptu photo shoot with her daughter when we’re back in the truck. The colors of the sky are too beautiful not to miss.
As we drive back towards camp I look back and see giraffe silhouetted against the sky. I ask Baams to stop and we all pause to take in the sight. The giraffe glide slowly across the savanna and then slide gently into the night. 🇧🇼
6 July 2024
