Terra Nova Travel

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Botswana, Africa

Lioness prowling waterhole @ Chitabe

A Day in the Life on Safari - Part 1

Update - read about my 2016 Botswana trip here.

Travelling in style!At Botswana's "safari central", Maun, our bush pilot, Alan, summarily greeted those bound for Chitabe as he quickly eyeballed the passengers and their bags. After his expert assessment of his load, Alan asked my traveling companion to divide his baggage between two duffle bags so that the luggage could squeeze into the bush plane's cargo hold. Within 15 minutes we were ushered onto the tarmac and began our 15 minute thermally dynamic ride to our bush camp. After landing on the dirt air strip, Robin, my game driver, collected us and our paraphernalia in his state-of-the-art Land Rover. My airport transfer to our camp commenced the "bush indoctrination". En route to camp Robin introduced us to my first, albeit, unofficial game drive. He literally broke for impala or detoured for elephant who happened to intersect our path. I became accustomed to the smells, sounds and sights of the Okavango Delta. We also began to "bond" with Robin, who expertly studies the mannerisms and behavior of his passengers with all the skill of a zoologist.

At the camp, Leslie, the manager (our British mistress of the manor) greets every arriving guest. The moment we alight from our Land Rover a cold tropical concoction and cool cloth awaits us as we are ushered up the raised African teak cat walk to the lounge for our "Orientation" meeting. Leslie gave us a brief layout of the 16 bed tented camp, its public areas and the daily routine. Long faces and weary travelers are her cue to excuse us and allow the Botswanan staff to escort us to our permanent tented room. At Chitabe a tented room has special significance. Rather than being a canvas tent erected on a concrete slab, our tent is resting on a raised teak platform reminiscent of Swiss family Robinson tree house abode. I must admit that such a setting is comforting at night. Although we had a sense of added security in our raised quarters, removed from marauding bands of baboons, stalking leopards and the odd slithering black mambo, the omnipresent jungle sounds and smells still penetrate into you, allowing you to be absorbed into the Okavango landscape. The regulation green canvas tent is anything but primitive. Although it stands up well to the comparison with a room at a Hilton, our tent has the added charm African motif bed spreads, "zip lock" mesh screen windows and doors and our own private lanai overlooking the dry grass savannah which with the arrival of the Delta's annual winter deluge will soon be transformed into a waterway. The test of any room is its bathroom facilities. Mine far exceeded my expectations- a proper flush toilet, sink with running water and a solar panel shower that actually does produce a hot shower at the appropriate time of day. My amenity basket is filled with soaps, shampoos, mosquito repellant, q-tips, and laundry soap for the "smalls" (underwear and socks). A laundry list pad atop a hamper invites guests to take full advantage of this free service. As long as your clothes can withstand the hand washing at the river's edge, you can survive for weeks on end with only the bare essentials, 2 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, long pants, safari vest, a sweater and a jacket.

Our tent at Chitabe. Roughing it in the wilderness

The sound of the beating drum soon interrupts my luxuriating in our unexpectedly posh surroundings. We are summoned to the bar for our first meal, afternoon tea. Fashioned on the British model, "high tea", we wash down our chocolate cake, and crumpets with a cup of hot strong Roovos (South African tea). Feeling fortified and refreshed, we are ready for our first encounter with the wild on our afternoon game drive. Robin introduces "Rover mates" to one another and takes drink orders for the sundowners, our evening alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink of preference, not the name for a bush cocktail. The sundowner is part of the afternoon/evening game drive tradition.

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