Stunning Botswana

Well, here goes—I’m taking the plunge. This is my first blog on VF, so I hope I don’t make too many blunders. In advance, you’ll have to excuse me because they’ll definitely happen anyway Here’s the context of our trip: - Project started: December 2015 ... yeah, that’s a while ago - Family of 4: 2 adults, 1 teen (17) and a 10-year-old boy - First trip to Southern Africa

Originally, we’d planned to go to Namibia. But after watching a TV documentary, we took a slight detour to the right and ended up in Botswana 🙂 Don’t worry, we’ll still do Namibia—just a bit later. It’s definitely not off the table. Quite the opposite!!

After that big decision, the question was: "Should we go alone or with an agency?" Through my son, who’s into music, we were lucky enough to meet some VF members who love Botswana: Marygabrielle and Yves (I won’t name-drop, but you know who you are). They were amazing and helped us with every aspect of our trip. We can’t thank them enough 😉 So, I didn’t even need to ask VF for all my questions 😛

For a first time in Southern Africa, and especially for Botswana, they easily convinced us to use a small local agency for at least part of the tour we wanted to do. After multiple conversations online—and thanks to Marygabrielle acting as our translator (our English is *terrible* )—our itinerary was finalized, and ... we ended up spending our entire vacation with this local agency:

Letsatsi Safaris (email for those interested: letsatsisafaris@gmail.com, website: www.letsatsisafarilodge.com, phone: +267 71692093/71351892) Joe and William (the owners) are brothers and true Batswana.

Since Marygabrielle and Yves knew them well, we set off with them in complete confidence. Everything was planned and paid for in advance, so all we had to do was relax once we arrived. Pure bliss for me—real vacation time without having to prepare meals 😛 and being able to fully enjoy everything. Everything was included: guides (them, in this case), accommodation (mostly in tents), and a cook. All we had to do was help set up and take down the tents. Indiana Jones better watch out—we’re going camping in the wild too 🙂 A dream come true!

Of course, there’s an extra cost compared to traveling solo. But this time, we splurged, and we don’t regret that choice at all.

They were all fantastic—professional, friendly—and it was a huge joy for us. We had an amazing time thanks to them. A big thank you to Joe, William, and all their staff we met: Jonah, Junien, and Doris.

Now, time for the story!

Hi Mathilde, thanks for this promising start to your travel journal. I’m eagerly waiting for the next part! 🙂 Christine

Hi Mathilde

Me too .... with some photos 😉. Muriel

Oh, thank you Mathilde! So happy you loved the trip this much—I honestly didn’t doubt it for a second! Can’t wait to see the photos!

Thanks Christine! It’ll arrive bit by bit with anecdotes rather than a full story, and of course some photos.

Hi Muriel Yep, I’ll post some photos (well, I’ll try at least 😎)

Well, I didn’t doubt it either, but it was even better than I could’ve hoped (apart from my English, which let me down badly 😕). I’m still missing a few animals, so I’ll have to go back 😏.

Now, I’ll try to post some photos, but anyway, as promised, you’ll come over to the house to see a bit more

Thursday, August 10th: The big day has finally arrived. We're leaving Nice for the beautiful destination of Botswana. The travel bags are packed to the brim, and the backpacks are loaded with all the photography gear for my daughter and me, clothes and shoes for the kids for my husband, and all the papers, games, books, and a small laptop for my son. We're all set and thrilled. The flight with Lufthansa goes smoothly. Nice/Zururich - Zurich/Johannesburg. Perfect, no delays. The formalities in Johannesburg go quickly and without any issues. Waiting for the flight to Gaborone with Air Botswana. We already spot giraffes on the airport plaza!!





We arrive in Gaborone with a half-hour delay. Joe is waiting for us with a big smile and a nice sign with my name on it. It's so nice to be welcomed like that. Stop by the hotel to drop off our bags, dinner at a restaurant in town, then a short restorative night since we have to leave at 6 AM.

Saturday, August 12: Today's journey is supposed to take us to a lodge near Rhino Sanctuary. Even though the road itself isn't anything extraordinary, I'm amazed by what I see: beautiful birds, a few wild animals (antelopes) by the roadside, lots of cows, donkeys, goats, and villages. Sometimes I wish I could stop, but we have to keep moving, and we'll have the chance to see all this later. We arrive at the lodge around 1 PM. It's really lovely, pleasant, and there are lots of birds.







Here, we pick up the cook who will be with us throughout the trip: Doris.

A short break to rest, and at 3:30 PM we head to the park.

Sunday, August 13th: Today, we're heading to Lekhubu Island. Along the way, we pick up the cart (as I loved calling it) containing all the camping and cooking essentials. We'll spend our first night in a tent and eat by the wood fire. The place is magnificent with lots of birds. We walk through these fabulous baobabs at sunset. What colors.... And that first meal by the wood fire—what a delight. Doris turned out to be an excellent cook. During our stay, we enjoyed crêpes, bread, cakes.... Impressive 🙂 And the sky... what can I say about such a sky? I'd never seen anything like it. Simply sublime, with a Milky Way I was seeing for the first time.

The photos are stunning! I miss Botswana so much!!!

Monday, August 14: We set off at a leisurely pace after watching the sunrise over Kubu Island.













Heading towards Nxai Pans. The road is beautiful but long since we can’t drive fast. That said, it gives us a chance to admire the scenery and notice quite a few columns of smoke from bushfires. We also get to take our time watching the animals we come across. There are definitely some upsides...

Stunning! Kudos to the photographers!

Yes, the photos are stunning... and make you want to see more 😎. Muriel

I totally get you...

Sorry for the slow replies—I’m not very active on the forum (I read a lot but don’t post much), so VF locks me out after a few messages, and I can’t do anything for 24 hours.

It's coming along slowly :) Thanks

I know (from experience 😉) that it takes time to put together a travel journal...

Yes, especially when you're stuck because VF lists so few activities

Still Monday, August 14th... We arrive at the gate of Nxai Pans

Here, Joe leaves us with the 4x4 we had until now. We swap the enclosed 4x4 for an "open" one. We meet Jonah, our new guide. He’s young and works for Joe. We also meet Junien, who’ll be with us everywhere. He’s the jack-of-all-trades. He’s almost the same age as my daughter and is very shy.



After passing through the gate, we still have 2 hours of driving before reaching our new campsite. At this one, unlike Kubu where we had nothing, we’ll get a shower set up 😎 Fancy! By the time everything’s set up, night falls with its beautiful Milky Way

Tuesday, August 15th: Early wake-up call because today we’re spending almost the entire day on a game drive. A hearty breakfast to start what turned out to be a fabulous day.

Not long after we set off, Jonah spots cheetahs in the distance. Don’t ask me how he did it—even with binoculars, we couldn’t see them. So frustrating! No matter, off we go in search of them. We look and look, but no luck. Jonah tells us they’re there but can’t find them until, finally, we spot them: three magnificent cheetahs. They’re so beautiful! Jonah immediately knows where they’re headed based on their path (the watering hole) and anticipates the route in places. As a result, we’re able to follow them for a long time, and we have them all to ourselves. What a thrill! When we reach the watering hole, we witness an surreal scene. Two lionesses are there, lying calmly. They’ve seen the cheetahs approaching and take up hunting positions. The cheetahs, having also spotted the lionesses, freeze in a defensive stance. And then, what had to happen, happens: the lionesses start chasing the cheetahs. Fantastic! 🙂

And here are a few photos of our camp with the awesome outdoor shower I loved it!









We won’t go hungry today!!!

Wednesday, August 16: today is my husband’s birthday. The kids won’t stop teasing him by asking what he’s getting 😉 . It’s a surprise for him.

But before we find out, we take down the tents and hit the road toward Baines Baobab.







We unhitch the trailer to take a tiny path.



Baines Baobab is gorgeous.













No happy elephant today 🙁 After this morning, we head to Maun where we’ll spend the night at a hotel. In the evening, we’ll eat in town with Jonah and Joe, who we’re meeting up with. Joe arrives with his wife, daughter, and niece, and they bring a beautiful birthday cake for my husband (thanks Marygabrielle—they totally nailed the surprise 😉 ). It was really delicious and light.

Hi there,

Well, for a start, it could’ve been worse! Quite a few of these photos were taken at just the right moment!

Good evening,

You started strong with Khubu Island (gorgeous photos 😎) and an incredible scene with a lion AND cheetahs 😛

Well done and thanks for sharing this amazing trip with us 🙂

Hi there,

I just stumbled upon your travel journal. The photos are stunning—I’ll be following it closely since Botswana is on my travel list! 😊😊😊

Can’t wait for the next update!

Myriam

What a stunning travel journal. It’s one of the best I’ve read so far—thanks to the story *and* the photos, which are always well-taken, sharp, and gorgeous!!! The full package!!!.

One photo I really loved (and didn’t see coming) was the one of the kettle—I should say, the *two* kettle photos. So original and they really set the mood. Thank you so much for sharing this; I’ll never get to go there myself, so I’m living vicariously through all the VF travel journals.

Lovely travel journal, and cheetahs right from the start of the trip—amazing! I can’t wait to read the rest (no pressure at all 😇)

Thanks Joel, that’s so kind! We were really lucky at the start of our vacation 😄

Thanks! Yes, we were so lucky to witness that scene between lions and cheetahs. It was amazing to see the animals watching each other and then chasing one another. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life—unless I get Alzheimer’s 😜

Oh yes, you’ve got to take a trip there. You definitely won’t regret it. It’s a wonderful country. More to come, but not too fast... the photo upload is taking forever 😕

Thanks, your compliments really touch me. I love the first photo of the kettle too. That’s why I couldn’t resist posting it It does make a nice change, actually

Yes, we were really lucky to see them. Jonah had told us it was going to be tough, and that’s exactly who we ran into almost at the start of the drive. We were so lucky... in so many ways, actually.

It's true you guys were really lucky; in 20 trips to Botswana, I'd never seen a scene like that, nor a baby rhino either, for that matter😐 But without the guides, I don’t think you would’ve seen anything! They’ve got eyes we just don’t have. You experienced Botswana in the best possible way—sleeping right in the heart of the wild, just your family and your guides. It’s priceless! Hearing the sounds of nature at night is truly extraordinary, and keeping watch around a fire under the Milky Way🙂 I’ve got to go back, and faaaaast!

Thursday, August 17th: departure for Tsodilo Hills with Joe and the enclosed 4x4. We want to see those famous rock paintings that are a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are over 4,500 of them on the site. The road to get there is long. Along the way, we drive through a bushfire that started the day before. Such a shame for the landscape and nature, but oh well...

A little roadside stall we came across









At the Tsodilo campsite, we’ll have showers and proper toilets. Pure luxury!! 😏 The site is stunning, and there are birds of all colors everywhere. It’s mind-blowing.









To visit the site, we have a guide. You can’t say she’s super enthusiastic about what she does (unless that’s just her nature 😕). We’re walking at a snail’s pace, and she’s not very expressive. Too bad, because the walk is lovely, and the paintings are remarkable.









And the quirky photo of the day for me:

A bench in the middle of nowhere 😮 The evening will be spent quietly around the fire, just like every night. It’s so relaxing.

Friday, August 18: We take down the tents at a leisurely pace, still enjoying all those little birds that are here in surprising numbers, and we head back to Maun with a stop in a small town to grab some lunch supplies. Tonight we'll be staying at a hotel.











Wow, it changed color and turned green!!

Your photos are still amazing! Great job with the birds.

Saturday, August 19: We’ve been "wandering" in Botswana for a week now, and we’ve already seen so much that it feels like we’ve been here much longer. What a feeling of well-being! 🙂

Today is going to be another beautiful day. We have a meet-up by the Okavango to take a mokoro ride, that famous traditional canoe. Joe is taking us. We’ll be setting off in 3 canoes: one with our cook and all the camping and cooking gear, and 2 for us.

















We had to switch boats after a little water got in 🤪. Luckily, we came across another mokoro...





Oh oh, hippos!

We’ll land on an island in the delta 2 hours later, go for a walk (yes, on foot!) in the afternoon, and sleep there.





We feel like we’re being watched. Maybe it’s just a feeling...







Tonight, no shower and a hole in the ground for a toilet. No wandering off alone from camp in case we have a bad encounter.

Our toilet

Sunday, August 20th: This morning, our guide takes us on a mokoro ride for sunrise and a short drive on an island. The kids don’t have the energy to get up, so it’s just my husband and me.





When we get back, breakfast is waiting for us—with fries! Yes, fries cooked over a wood fire for breakfast.





After returning, Joe is waiting for us. We have lunch in town, then he takes us to our hotel while we wait to head back out in the afternoon for a flight over the Okavango Delta. Such a special moment—none of us have ever been in such a small plane!



Please excuse the quality of the photos that follow. They’re not very sharp—I struggled with focus and shutter speed. It was tricky to get everything right!

This flight is absolutely breathtaking. One hour of seeing an incredible landscape and animals galore. It’s truly magical. However, a heads-up for those who get seasick (like me, for example): the plane isn’t any better. I got off the small aircraft feeling completely queasy. Same for my daughter 😕, so make sure to bring motion sickness pills. But I’d happily do it all over again despite that 😄

Monday, August 21st: here we go again for another adventure. Jonah picks us up in the open 4x4. We’ve switched vehicles up to now, but this time we’re keeping it until the end of our trip. Good thing, we’re more comfortable with this one.

We head towards Moremi Xakanaka with a stop at the Bayei cultural village. I was surprised by this visit because I wasn’t expecting that. To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect, but not that. It was very interesting, even if I found it a bit overhyped. Still, I enjoyed the visit overall. Welcome dance at the village

Learning a game

Meeting the village doctor



A ceremony that seemed to be about menstruation (but not sure). Doris, our cook, tries out the dance

Wedding ceremony

During our visit to the village, we took the opportunity to give some supplies to the kids. They appreciated the pens more than the clothes, which weren’t their size 🙂

Oh, you’ve seen other scenes and lots of animals we haven’t spotted yet. For example, the oryx, which we only glimpsed, even though it’s a "common" animal. Guess we’ll have to go back toooooo

Incredible story. You're making us dream. Keep going, I can't wait to read the rest. And the photos—what a treat! You're a real pro.

After this visit, we continue to Xakanaka. We set up the tents and head out for a drive that turns out to be quite an adventure (but I’ll get back to that later). I really loved this park for its landscapes. It’s totally my "style"









Now, let me tell you about our wild adventure. Jonah spotted carnivore tracks on the ground. We search in vain. Then we cross paths with a 4x4 with a guide, and... I don’t know what they said to each other, but suddenly we’re zooming off at full speed, following the other car. Just imagine what it’s like to drive fast on a track in Botswana! 😕 We crossed streams and puddles, barely slowing down, and the potholes—well, I won’t even describe the bumps we took in our seats (it had us laughing the whole time). And all this to arrive just in time for what? A peaceful group of impalas and, a little further away, four African wild dogs. Of course, they chased the impalas in vain (too bad for us, but good for the impalas). What luck to see that! The failed hunt, and the animals disappeared. We continue on our way, alone and calmly, when suddenly we come across the wild dogs again. We’re the only ones there, and they’re relaxed. We get to follow them for a while in the setting sun. Amazing!

Sorry, the photo’s blurry, but oh well...





Jonah explains that this animal is being tracked by scientists for its movements, which explains the collar around its neck.



That’s the puddle we crossed at full speed on the way there.

Tuesday, August 22: Morning drive then departure for Moremi Khwai















Love it!







Arrived in Khwai, we set up camp. Once that’s done, we head out to scout the area.









Off to a great start, I’d say! 😏

We’ll be staying here for four nights. Awesome. We’ll get to make the most of this place—it looks packed with wildlife.

Wednesday, August 23: First night in Khwai. This morning, when we woke up, there was some minor damage around the campsite. I heard noises last night (like every night, actually 😏), but this time they were particularly loud. Since we weren’t allowed to go outside, I didn’t poke my head out. And sure enough, we hadn’t put away our flip-flops in the tents or the water bottles that were left outside. So, Mrs. Hyena took advantage of the situation.

My daughter lost a pair of flip-flops, a small bottle was shredded, and a 5-liter water jug was ripped open. Oh, not nice 🏴‍☠️. After that, we made sure to put everything away properly on the following evenings.





Otherwise, the game drive during the day went well.

yeah, the day went really well 😛 🙂 the photos are still just as beautiful... and the sunsets/sunrises are just as magical 😎

Thursday, August 24th: Today is a bit of a special day. We’re doing our last morning drive with Jonah. He’ll be leaving after lunch with Joe, who’s coming to pick him up. William (Joe’s brother) will take over until the end of the trip. A little emotional moment when he says goodbye to us 😕 We really appreciated his good mood, his joy for life, and his eagerness to always please. In the meantime, he’ll finish in style, the guy!! What a morning 😏



Face-to-face battle

Friday, August 25: Another full day of driving around Khwai. It's so enjoyable spending our days searching for animals. Today, William decides to take us a bit outside the park.





After an hour and a half on the road, we don’t see anything. Everything is quiet. So, William heads back to Khwai, and that’s when we hit the jackpot!



But what’s going on here?





Oh right! Unfortunately, the hunt was unsuccessful again, even though it was really close!



What a spectacle!! The technique is impressive. The birds slowly gather at one spot and then dive all at once.



This afternoon, we were playing cards with Junien and Doris while William was napping when suddenly, we heard a roar very close by. William jumped up and left. Ten minutes later, he came back and said, "lion." We all quickly followed him to the car. Less than two minutes later, we were just 1.5 meters away from a magnificent lioness, with no one else around!

The lioness wasn’t even 200 meters from our tents. So, we had to be extra careful: no running, no shouting, to avoid provoking her. It was amazing being that close —or maybe it was just reckless of me 😕

🙂