THE CHIEF OF BOTSWANA, PART II

Jan 10

SAVUTI

On December 27th, we left Chobe in the Land Cruiser, with Chief at the helm, for a roughly four-hour drive to Savuti, where our next camp would be located. We cruised over a highway of sand, with not much to look at except to dodge the trees and bushes waiting to slap you in the face as the Cruiser went by. I took this opportunity to get a bit of sleep, minus a roadside encounter with a pack of wild dogs, it was an uneventful journey. We pulled into camp around 3pm, giving us enough time to have a quick shower (yes, a jungle shower) and a snack and coffee before heading back out on another game drive in a new part of Botswana. Now, each camp we went to had different things that I liked the most, but it was our time in Savuti that was a personal favourite for me. The reason it was my favourite is that this was the “least busy” of our camps, as we had arrived early in the day, and I was actually able to feel a little more settled and take in a little more. This isn’t to say that the wildlife encounters were any less exciting. Plus, there was a buffalo skull at our camp that I made a lot of use of.

On our first night out, we encountered a lioness with her two cubs, who were so small and embarrassingly cute. They would fight with each other, play "king of the castle" and practice their pouncing skills. They would run to the cover of their mother when one would cross the line of fair-play. All the while, the lioness was calling out to the rest of the pride, to find their location and let them know where she was. We were hoping for the alpha male to come to the call, but we weren't able to wait long enough to find out. That's the thing about the wild. Things don't happen as fast as we'd think. I know when I watch episodes of Planet Earth, I see things happening fast. There's that sense that things do happen fast in the wild, and if you've never experienced it, how would you know? Even though I know those photographers waited days, weeks, and longer to capture their footage, there still is that desire to see nature happen NOW. So many times I've been reminded that it doesn't work that way.

The next morning we headed out to explore more of the Savuti camp and came across all sorts of wildlife including hyenas, cheetahs, lions, and many birds. The real treat was on the afternoon game drive, as we had heard reports from other rangers about a leopard in the area.

Leopards are some of the most elusive animals to sight when on safari. They could be hiding in the trees above as you drive by and you might never know. It’s kinda how I feel about walking in the forests here in BC, with cougars possibly surrounding me and I’d never know until it was too late. We tracked this leopard for a while, and she was constantly on the move, which meant that we were constantly chasing. I can’t speak for how other safari operators run their operations, but with &beyond, the main goal is to observe the animals without causing them any stress or hindering them in any way. So while I use the word “chase",” it wasn’t like the leopard was frantically trying to get away and we wouldn’t let it. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Once we found her, we observed her for over an hour. She even crossed the path of our vehicle a few times, allowing us that rare chance of eye contact and connection that stops your heart. I would sleep well this night, having exhausted my adrenalin reserves with this wildlife encounter.