Article by Eugene Sam

After a long season of barefoot waterskiing, we decided to leave for Botswana on a 7 day safari.  We hit the road at 5 in the morning and started the 16 hour journey.  We were at the border by 9 that morning and all I can say if you live in Africa then you do things the African way. A couple of bucks can always fix anything.

So we were on or way in Botswana and had planned to sleep our 1st night in Nata, a small village town.  They have really neat camping sites. We arrived in Nata at 6 in the evening and went in to set up camp for the night and after all this we went for a swim and a drink and just some chill time. We got back to the camp site and lit the fire for a real African Braai. So after a good meal we were of to bed for a good nights rest.

Early the next morning we were on our way to Kasane. This is on the Zambian border.  We got to Kasane at 3 in the afternoon and we were going to set up camp here for 2 days at a place called Toro camp.  This camp is situated on the Chobe River.  Now for those who don't know Africa, as you drive up to Kasane, you will find Elephants and most wild animals on the side of the road.

After settling in we got started with getting the fireplcae going and Nonnie got to work on a great meal for supper. The next morning we were of to the world famous Victoria falls that meant we had to go to that crazy Robert Mugabes country we got to the border and these guys just ripped us of to get through , but at the end of the day it was worth every penny the falls looked great as the Zambezi was in flood.
 

We headed back to Botswana and got their just in time for a sunset cruise on the Chobe river this was just a amazing site with a beautiful sunset the cruise went around the island that borders on Zambia ,Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia.  After a few more drinks, we were of back to the shore and like we South Africans love our braais (barbecue) we started the fire and started discussing the next morning trip to the Chobe.

The next morning we were at the gate at 8 and paid what I call a ridicules price for entry for nothing.  Let me just explain to you what you get in the Chobe. No hotwater ,very basic toilets, no gas (petrol), no shops, no roads.  Just sandy pathways and in a nutshell that is it.  Besides all this, you get a lot of animals and a lot of peace and quiet.

We decided to go the river route and as this is where you normally get most animals .To my surprise the river was very high and we had to do some river crossings, but we were not disappointed.  We had herds of elephants that you could almost put your hands on.  You could sit for hours and watch these animals play in the water and mud.  It was about a 60km to the campsite, well if you can call this a camp site, as it is just a open piece of ground next to the most beautiful Chobe river with no fences around the camp, and this is what makes it so exciting.  As you eat and sleep amongst the animals the drive takes you about 6 hours and we got to the camp at 2 in the afternoon. As were setting up camp, a Black Mamba snake fell out of the tree above us.  We about SH&T ourselves as this is an extremely venomous snake and will kill you within minutes.

So after all this fun camp was set up and we were getting the fire place ready for the evenings braai, this was just amazing as this would be the closest you will get to heaven on earth.  This was so peaceful and with no noise or lights, just nature you and the mosquito's.  After sitting around the fire till late, we were of to bed and luckily for me I was sleeping in my rooftop tent on top of my bakkie(truck) . The next morning we woke up to see lion tracks around our truck and campsite and not to forget the baboons that will try and steel anything even with you sitting at your camp site .

So after spending some more days in the park and having great encounters with various wildlife we were of back to South Africa and took on the 16 hour drive and was back home late on the Saturday evening.

Enjoy the photos