Overland Trip to Botswana & Zambia, part 2

We spent two days and nights at our 'island campsite' in the Delta. It was beautiful, remote, quiet - and yet full of the sounds of birds and animals, and of course of our group as we went swimming in the river, played games around the campsite, practised 'poling' the mokoros and chatted with the Botswanan staff who accompanied us. The women staff spent one afternoon making bracelets and baskets from the leaves of the palm tree that grows prolifically in the area. (below)


On the first morning, our game walk group of 6 people and 2 rangers spotted a large group of giraffe (15+) off in the distance, eating from the tops of acacia trees. Slowly then we kept walking and approaching them until we were only a 100m away, at which the giraffe began to watch us more carefully and started to disperse. Note how the giraffe on the left has darker spots - that's a male.

We spotted a female who had just recently given birth - a very unique sight. There was blood on the backs of her legs and using the binoculars I could see the umbilical cord still hanging down. Incredible. (No we didn't get close enough to see the newborn - way too dangerous!)


Our game walk group (above) and guides Richard and Rogers. And below, real bush walking! We didn't just follow trails and footpaths the whole time; we also just bush wacked - in the truest sense!