Saturday, Baines Camp in the Okavango Delta
After a long flight (4,4 hours total, two hops) we arrived in a beautiful, wet part of Botswana, We landed at Francisville for av gas and to pay landing fees. The currency is Pula. The forms used carbon paper. We had a lunch packed for us at Chupangu and ate enroute, We landed at Stanley’s on a dirt strip and a Toyota land cruiser and our driver and guide Martin helped push the aircraft to a suitable spot. No electric fence here, the guides cut thorn bushes and cover the tires, a delicacy for baboons. We then headed for Baines Camp-45 minutes of bouncing, fording water that was so high it went over the hood of the vehicle and into the floor of the vehicle. Baines Camp is beautiful; buildings build on stilts and connected by raised walkways. The construction is amazing-the people collected aluminum cans, sealed in wire mesh and Hessian panels and finished with an elephant dung plaster. Only 5 rooms and 9 guests! The place is run by a young Irish woman who has been here for 10 years and 4 months ago married Charles, whose family owns a winery in Cape Town. Our room is darling, a king size bed, covered in mosquito netting, that they roll out on our deck so we sleep under the stars. Water and wet lands surround is and the hippos are in the camp. An elephant hangs out in the camp. Like other camps we are free to walk around but after dark we are escorted around. The game drive last night was great, we saw all the usual and two spotted hyena puppies (? They are in the cat family) and they were so friendly I thought they would get in the vehicle! I think the mother was off hunting as we had seen a female adult earlier in the evening. We returned to camp around 8, took quick showers and gathered for cocktails on the deck with the other guests around a firepit. Very lively group, the Duff family from Michigan/London and his 3 adult children and one of their spouses. A nurse from Orange County rounded out the guests and Chas and Semma joined us. We ate at one large table and the wine and food was the best yet.
During the night we were awakend by elephants and hippos foraging right below our beds. In the morning we could see the dung and footprints in the mud right below our beds.
Around 5:30 we were awakened from our outdoor bed by a gentle voice. We found tea and rusks waiting on a table inside. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth and layered up, ate a quick breakfast in the dining area and headed out in two large vehicles to meet up with Doug and Sandi Groves (for more information and a look at the elephants to Living with Elephants on the internet.) and their family of three elephants
Botswana is home to more elephants than anywhere else on the planet-25%. For the next 6 hours we learned more about these wonderful animals and grew to love them. Doug and Sandy’s mission is to educate people about them and to raise these three as healthy elephants that are truly ambassadors for their wild counterparts. We were allowed to touch them and compare the different specialized parts of their bodies. The bull weighs about 5 tons. I could just stretch my arms around his forleg. He entertained by stealing hats and putting them on his head. The two females were equally social. At one point Doug offered me cough drop and bent down to open his canvas satchel to get it out. The smallest female reached in with her trunk and took out a paper fan which she handed to Bev. I got some elephant mucus soaked cough drops which I gamely sucked on. One would not want to offend a animal the size of these. At round noon we found ourselves under some trees enjoying a wonderful lunch. The elephants ate nearby, a variety of elephant treats that had been trucked in.
After a short nap I am attempting to catch up on this blog that will be posted one of these days.
The Okavango Delta seems suited to be an elephant habitat, lush and green and with enough foliage to provide these huge animals the food they need without leaving a scarred landscape of trees ripped out of the group and bark eaten trunks. The down side of this beautiful area is the biting flies and humid heat. Mornings and evening are very pleasant but midday is hot.
Baines Camp has a free laundry service and we needed it after this morning. We hugged elephants, played with their trunks, walked with them with their trucks on our shoulders, were kissed by them, and heard a chorus of their vocalizations (which sound very much like a didgeridoo.
I have not detailed the animals lately because they are so common. Who would imagine that we could get rather blasé about seeing a giraffe or a troop of baboons, wonderful birds. They are everywhere and watching them is so enlightening. The guides are very knowledgeable and Martin has a great sense of humor and a great driver. The vehicle HAS a snorkel like thing that allows it to go into deep water.
Around 5:30 we were awakened from our outdoor bed by a gentle voice. We found tea and rusks waiting on a table inside. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth and layered up, ate a quick breakfast in the dining area and headed out in two large vehicles to meet up with Doug and Sandi Groves (for more information and a look at the elephants to Living with Elephants on the internet.) and their family of three elephants
Botswana is home to more elephants than anywhere else on the planet-25%. For the next 6 hours we learned more about these wonderful animals and grew to love them. Doug and Sandy’s mission is to educate people about them and to raise these three as healthy elephants that are truly ambassadors for their wild counterparts. We were allowed to touch them and compare the different specialized parts of their bodies. The bull weighs about 5 tons. I could just stretch my arms around his forleg. He entertained by stealing hats and putting them on his head. The two females were equally social. At one point Doug offered me cough drop and bent down to open his canvas satchel to get it out. The smallest female reached in with her trunk and took out a paper fan which she handed to Bev. I got some elephant mucus soaked cough drops which I gamely sucked on. One would not want to offend a animal the size of these. At round noon we found ourselves under some trees enjoying a wonderful lunch. The elephants ate nearby, a variety of elephant treats that had been trucked in.
After a short nap I am attempting to catch up on this blog that will be posted one of these days.
The Okavango Delta seems suited to be an elephant habitat, lush and green and with enough foliage to provide these huge animals the food they need without leaving a scarred landscape of trees ripped out of the group and bark eaten trunks. The down side of this beautiful area is the biting flies and humid heat. Mornings and evening are very pleasant but midday is hot.
Baines Camp has a free laundry service and we needed it after this morning. We hugged elephants, played with their trunks, walked with them with their trucks on our shoulders, were kissed by them, and heard a chorus of their vocalizations (which sound very much like a didgeridoo.
I have not detailed the animals lately because they are so common. Who would imagine that we could get rather blasé about seeing a giraffe or a troop of baboons, wonderful birds. They are everywhere and watching them is so enlightening. The guides are very knowledgeable and Martin has a great sense of humor and a great driver. The vehicle HAS a snorkel like thing that allows it to go into deep water.
The preserve is owned by the government and operated for the local people. They were all enthusiastic about the efforts made by to government to boost employment. They want high end, low impact tourism and are working toward that goal. Botswana has been blessed with a non corrupt government and tribes that almost always got along. The curse is aids, spread predominantly by heterosexual contact. There are huge efforts made to educate the public on prevention.
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