Okavango Delta
Chapter two
Morning lions and afternoon mokoro.
It’s cold. I’m up before the wake up call, in slippers and a hoodie. I welcome the hot water that’s brought to me in a thermos and cup my hands around the mug as I drink.
It’s the fourth of July, and I’ve taken advantage of the Stateside holiday to spend a long weekend in the Okavango Delta. It’s been an interest of mine since I saw people in boats floating right up next to elephants. It turns out that this year the water level is low and that I’m a little early for the floods. Later I’ll learn it’s actually better for wildlife viewing; when the water is high it drives all the animals further south, away from the camps.
There’s a fire in the firepit and we warm ourselves after helping ourselves to the buffet breakfast, holding bowls in our hands. In the jeeps, we find bush babies; hot water bottles tucked underneath heavy blankets we use to wrap ourselves. A sliver of moon hangs above the horizon. It’s a beautiful morning, a great start to the day.
Shortly outside the camp we come across a lone elephant silhouetted in the pre-dawn light. It digs at the ground, bathing itself in dirt. It’s quiet with the engine off and we sit silently, basking in its presence.
As the skies lighten, we notice a small herd of buffalo behind us. They tolerate our presence, gazing at us off and on placidly, assessing our threat level. When Beams turns over the engine they race each other into the bush.
We drive on, in search of cheetah when Baams hears an alarm call sounded on the plans. He stops to listen and then we head in the direction of the call to find two female lions hunting. He drives us around the field so that we’re in their path and soon we are stopped, watching them approach and then walk by without batting an eye.
We follow the lions for a while longer as they walk in the early morning light, stopping when they stop, continuing when they decide to walk on.
When they settle down we stop for a while to see what they’re up to. One has positioned itself on a small rise while the other rests on the ground near our vehicle. Baams has radioed our position and soon we see another Landcruiser approach. Baams asks us if we want to stay but we opt to explore other parts of the park and to leave the lions to our fellow guests.
We pass a dazzle of zebra and then a structure raised up above the savanah. Baams tells me it’s the sleep out deck where I’ll be bedded down for the night. He’ll be nearby in a tent on raised platform. It doesn’t look like much but it’ll be home.
At one point we stop and Baams gets out to search for tracks in the sandy road. He points out a paw print and we drive off in search of more big cats.
We’re ultimately unsuccessful.
The morning heads towards afternoon and Baams turns to head back to camp. Along the way we pass more zebra and a wooden bridge that runs over a shallow riverbed. I wonder what the area looks like when its in flood.
Nearing camp we spot more elephants and wildebeest, and then are rewarded with giraffe, which I hadn’t yet seen.
My companions are all leaving after breakfast. The couple to South Africa where they will continue on a safari in Sabi Sands; the man from San Francisco home. For the rest of my time in the park, my safari will be private.
After lunch I take a dip in the pool. It’s cold and refreshing and I linger a bit before retiring to a lounge chair to dry off. In the afternoon Baams has scheduled a mokoro safari for me and has asked if I’d be interested in trying my hand at poling. I tell him yes! He says we’ll see.
In the afternoon he drives me to a river. Elleni and Wizzy are already there, waiting for us. Along the way he points out a desiccated crocodile that feel short of finding water during the drought.
Wizzy boards a mokoro first. He’ll be running point, poling into the marshes ahead of us to watch out for animals. Elleni and I will follow. She tells me that there’s no guarantee we’ll see animals and I tell her it’s all good. I’m happy just to be here.
Baams helps me into a mokoro and helps by pushing us off from the shore. Elleni picks up her pole and guides us smoothly after Wizzy, who makes steady progress over the calm waters.
It’s a beautiful afternoon. The sun sits low in the sky, the light rakes across the water. Elleni tells me about the flora and fauna we encounter, the animals usually far from shore, all but hidden from view.
Wizzy occasionally sits as he poles along ahead of us and I try to study his form, wondering how difficult it will be to navigate the canoe when it’s my turn.
We a landing of sorts and then turn around to return to where we started. Once we’re all back on land Baams asks if I still want a turn. I nod enthusiastically. I pick up a pole and step into a mokoro, pushing myself away from the shore. Elleni quickly follows.
The balance is a little tricky. It’s like being on a paddleboard, but the narrower surface area makes the mokoro wobblier. Elleni tells me to bring my feet together. Later, looking at Baams photos and videos I see that my stance is far too wide. I look ridiculous next to how elegant Wizzy and Elleni look doing the same.
I also find it hard to keep the mokoro moving in a straight line. Elleni gives me tips on pushing behind me rather than to the side and I make some progress. She tells me to try going from one point to another, which I do with some success.
After I while I pole myself back to shore. I’ve managed to successfully not fall into the water, which I count as an achievement. Baams is impressed. He tells me that starting out it’s easier to do it barefoot, and I agree. I think I would have had slightly better balance if I wasn’t in my boots.
We take our sundowners by the river, the color of the skies and the trees reflected in the water.
We drive back as the sun sets. It’s an amazing drive as we cross bodies of water, our wake spreading slowly over the calm waters, the colors of the sky mirrored at our feet. I love the sound the water makes as it parts for us, sloshing alongside our vehicle, coming close but not quite to splashing our feet.
After dinner I drive out with Baams to the sleep out deck. Along the way we spot ostrich, hippos, and a bird that nests unperturbed on the ground. The ostrich favors one leg and we see it limp as we drive away.
It’s a warm night and I stay up to stare at the night sky, trading fireworks for shooting stars. It’s the fourth of July and celebrations will be getting underway in the States. I contemplate undoing the bed and pulling the mattress out from under the mosquito net that I can continue to have unfettered views of the skies throughout the night. In the end, I decide it’s more work than it’s worth and content myself to lying on the deck until my eyelids grow heavy and sleep beckons me to bed. I fall asleep to the the low hrumpf of lions roaring to each other out over the delta. 🇧🇼
4 July 2024
