𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲 𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗮 𝗴𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗸𝗴𝘄𝗲𝗻𝗴.

A friend of mine, who fancies himself a safari enthusiast, called me last week. He’s always raving about the bush and its beauties,this time around,he unexpectedly asked me to abandon my Gaborone comforts for a life among giraffes, wild beats , elephants and hippos.

Despite my protests, he somehow managed to convince me to book a trip with Africa Culture Journeys. A local mobile safari company doing amazing things in the delta.

Truth be told, I have never been the adventurous type and have never really thought much about spending a night in the wildness. Yet, there I was, about to embark on a unknown journey to the wild, leaving behind Wi-Fi, and electricity, essentially, all my comforts and the things that keep me sane.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿

The trip started in Maun, where I was introduced to the ultimate safari vehicle: the Land Cruiser. Now, I have always believed Land Cruisers were designed for people who do not value comfort, but apparently, they are the gold standard for traversing Botswana’s wilderness. They have become the preferred car of choice among safari companies.

At least, that’s what Moses Teko made me think, thanks to his perfect maneuvering of the vehicle on the bumpy roads of Shorobe, all the way to Sankoyo, and into the depressions of Mababe.

𝗠𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸

Hearing about human-wildlife conflict while living on the other side of the city is one thing; experiencing it is another. I have to admit, I have always taken these issues for granted.

As we approached Mababe, we encountered a herd of elephants with calves attempting to cross the road. To me, it was a marvellous sight. To them, however, the vehicles and people staring at their babies were a threat.

The elephants appeared to be in a defensive mode. Moses explained that they had likely passed through villages and had encounters with dogs or humans. The realisation hit me: it was only 11:30 am, and here was a herd of angry elephants near a village with people living in it. What if someone ventured into their yard to collect firewood? That could be the end of their life.

I asked if the depression in Mababe referred to the stress people experience due to human-wildlife conflict. Moses laughed and clarified that the term refers to a natural basin that collects water, not the emotional state of either wildlife or people.

As we passed the river, we saw a local casually walking by. Just a short distance away, a hippo was busy in the water. The two did not even bother each other and seemed to co-exist in perfect harmony. For the locals, it was normal. For me, a city dweller, my jaw was on the ground (ke maketse).

Was this how they lived, treating animals like we treat Mogoditshane goats in the Gaborone?

𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗵𝘄𝗮𝗶.

We finally arrived in Khwai. My head was spinning from everything I’d seen. Questions filled my mind: Does the government care enough for these people? How can we protect our tourism while prioritising the safety of our citizens?

But my nagging thoughts were interrupted by what African Culture Journeys had prepared for us.

Imagine walking into the middle of nowhere, with no modern amenities and discovering a beautiful, clean, small village set up just for you. Right where animals elephants, hippos, impalas, bucks, and more, come to drink and play, they had set up tents for us in the bush.

On arrival, we were welcomed with a table of refreshments and chairs under a beautiful shade, offering the perfect view of the animals as we sipped our drinks.

Then we were shown to our tents. Oh my God, my jaw dropped again! (Kare go makala) .The bed was better than mine and probably better than most hotels I have been to. A shower in the middle of the bush, literally a better version of my house in the wilderness! The caretaker smiled and said, “That’s what African Culture Journeys does, bro.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱

I have never been a foodie. As long as my stomach is full, I am good to go. But their chef changed my perspective. I feel sorry for my future wife because this guy set a new standard of which I will demand going forward.

For lunch, he served the best chicken I have ever tasted. I don’t know what he did to it, but it tasted unlike any chicken I have had in Mageba.

Dinner, I was forced to speak up. I asked, “What are you serving us, dude?” I could tell there was cheese and beans involved, but the taste was indescribable. The chef smiled and said, “That’s not meat, bro, it’s fish."

Wait, what? I do not even like fish, yet I devoured that

𝗔 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮

The next morning, we went on a game drive and a boat cruise. Gliding through the waterways, surrounded by lush greenery and the occasional hippo, was surreal.

I must mention Moses again, but I will save the details for Part 2. This man is literally an encyclopaedia of birdlife and animals. There’s no bird he does not know, its name, diet, nesting habits, everything. At one point, he handed me a book titled Birdlife of Botswana and challenged me to cross-check his facts. He was never wrong. No wonder Oprah Winfrey chose him as her guide during her stay here.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

All too soon, it was time to return to civilisation. It seemed as if it was all over all too quick. I have to admit, I was happy to go back because I missed my phone. Yet, I also felt unsatisfied, I wanted to see more as if I had not had enough of the wilderness.

As we reached Shorobe and my phone regained signal, notifications flooded in: work emails, missed WhatsApp calls, and breaking news, "Ame Makoba wants to run for the BDP presidency! "

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 2 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗼. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

NOTE: This article was originally published by the Parrott News Online. You can find that post here.