Mabuashube - Botswana

We had only visited Mabuashube once before on our trip through the Kalahari in 2000. The park is difficult to get to and does not get as many visitors as the better known parks like Moremi or Chobe. First we had to retrace our steps to the last major village before Kutse, Lethlakeng, to re-fuel before going cross country through virtually no habitation to pick up the road to the park. We had done the same route in reverse in 2000 so knew assuming everything went well it would take a good 10 hours of solid driving to reach our destination!

We stopped at the gate to sign out, fill the water tanks and off load our rubbish then headed back down the track we had come in on five days before. By now with all the heavy rain it was even more flooded which slowed us down quite a bit so it was late morning by the time we reached Lethlakeng, we needed to move fast if we were to reach Mabuashube before nightfall.

Pulling into the only petrol station we noticed there were a number of locals milling around but not a lot of action going on. We stopped at the pump but unusually no one came out to help us, we needed bread and milk so I went into the small shop to look around. Inside it was very dark and the place only had a bare minimum of provisions, no milk but at least some bread.  

Lethlakeng is on the fringes of the Kalahari so not many locals speak much English, when I went to pay for the bread I asked about getting someone to pump the fuel but the girl just answered in Setswana. It dawned on me she was saying the power had been out since yesterday (probably due to the storms) and no one knew when it would be back on, till then no one was getting any fuel which explained why all the locals where hanging around, effectively trapped until the power came back on!

In the old days they had pumped by hand but that had gone now so this was very bad news, we still had quite a bit of fuel in our main tank but the reserves were empty and it was simply too risky trying to press on our intended route as the next fuel was a good 500kms away.

Whilst we were looking at the map considering our options a young guy pulled in with his wife and kid. He was from Gabs and spoke good English, discussing our route he agreed he didn't think we could make it. He recommended we divert to Jwaneng, the diamond mine town, where there are a number of fuel stations.

At first this confused us as Jwaneng is a long way away and it meant going back almost to Gabs to pick up the tar road but he  explained there was another route, not shown on any maps, which cut across country. It was not an official road just a cut line made by the mine to cut the distance to the west of the country.

If your lost in Africa always ask a local as they know all the back roads, the only problem is they tend to have a poor sense of distance or the difficulty of the road so invariably it is either longer than you thought or is almost impassable to drivers from the soft first world used to good sealed roads.

He explained we could find the track by looking out for a water tower before a village called Mobane which was about 10 miles away then take a left into what on the map looked like a trackless waste. It sounded straight forward and as it stood we had little choice, if we could reach Jwaneng and re-fuel in good time then there was still an outside chance we could make it to Mabuashube before nightfall.

We drove down the road looking for the water tower but couldn't see it so we turned into Mobane to ask for help. There  was not a soul around but then an old man appeared as if from nowhere and waved at us. He was originally from the city so he spoke quite good English telling us he was now retired as he put it and owned a cattle post out in the Kalahari.

He confirmed we had missed the turn off to the track to Jwaneng but it was only two kms away. Thanking him we shot back down the road for said two kms but no sign of a turn off except a gated track into what looked like private property. Back to the village to ask for clarification but by now the old man had totally disappeared, shit, we drove around hoping to find him or anyone who could help and luckily came across a group of young lads who had just arrived who explained yes there is a track but its about 6 kms away and the water tower can only be seen once you travel down the track for a kilometre or so! 

The old African distance thing had got us again but at least we were now armed with better info, after which it was fairly easy to find the turn off and then follow that to the cut line, the problem was we had now lost a lot of time and we still had a long way to go. 

It was 3pm when we reached the fence protecting the mine and it was clear we couldn't reach Mabuashube now, the best we could do was to get as far as we could then bush camp overnight. Jwaneng is Botswana's second diamond mining town the other being Orapa in the north. However, Orapa is a closed town meaning you can only enter with prior appointment which is strictly enforced whereas Jwaneng is open to the public although the mine itself remains strictly off limits.

Its only when you drive around the perimeter of the mine that you realise just how big the place is. It took 35 mins before we got around the fence and finally hit the tar road with 10kms still to go to the town itself. By now it was very cloudy and we could hear thunder again, at 4pm we finally pulled into the service station when yes you've guessed it the heavens suddenly just opened and it started bucketing down!

Looking at Sue's face I could see she was thinking no way she would camp in this and I had had enough as well so our only two options were to find a bed for the night in Jwaneng, not exactly an appealing thought or slink back to Gabs and stay with Alan & Ali, however this would leave us a very long drive to Mabuashube the next day.

Jwaneng is hardly a tourist town, people who go there are usually in transit or on business with the mine so they stay in mine accommodation, therefore accommodation is somewhat limited. Ignoring the local resthouses we found three hotels/motels, the first was linked to some seedy looking casino which didn't really appeal. The second didn't look too bad but wouldn't accept credit cards which was a bugger as we needed all our cash for fuel.

The last, called the Cezar Hotel, looked like it was still under construction (which it is) however once we got closer it wasn't too bad, it was cheaper than the others and accepted credit cards. The only problem was being still under construction we couldn't drive to our chalet so had to hump all our paraphernalia about a 100 yards through the rain but still it was a bed for the night and it had Sat TV plus we could get a nice meal at the restaurant - happy days at last!

The next morning was very cloudy and humid, we took the unexpected opportunity to change some money at the bank and get some fresh provisions so it was mid morning before we got away. However, by coming this way it meant we would be on tar for the first hundred or so kilometres so we could make good time.

With 125kms to go to Mabuashube we turned off the roads and onto a track winding its way through the bush passing an assortment of desert region game like Gemsbok, Ostrich, Kori Bustard and Jackal. This route was new to us so we had no idea what to expect and after half an hour we had managed just 14kms!

By 4pm it was looking very stormy again and we could see rain in the distance ahead. Soon we started to get flashes of lightning and it started pouring with rain yet again, the track was very wet and slow going  but we ploughed on. After what seemed like ages we finally hit the track leading to Mabuashube arriving there at 5.40pm still in the rain! After filling in all the forms and chatting to the ranger we were a bit surprised he allowed us to carry on into the park as its now around 6pm and will be dark very soon.

We were booked to camp our first night on a pan called Lesholoago, there are just two sites here designated GL1 & GL2, ours was GL2. We had originally wanted to stay at Mabuashube Pan itself on site GM3 as we knew that was very nice but they told in Gabs it was already booked for tonight but we could move there tomorrow but just for one night , then have to return to Lesholoago but this time on site GL1. It was all very messy but that's how it works these days with the central booking system, especially when you book on the hoof like we do as you can rarely get continuous available dates on particular sites, especially the best ones.

It was 7pm and still raining hard by the time we saw the sign for GL2, we drove up to find three cars and eight South African Afrikaners (four couples) huddled round a fire under the A frame shelter.

Shit I thought here we go, we got out and they welcomed us as if we had just dropped by for a drink. We explained we are supposed to be on this site and after some debate we asked to see their booking receipt which established they should have been on GL1, to which they looked surprised at this sudden revelation!

They said when they pitched up that afternoon someone was already on the other site so they just assumed GL2 was their site, they didn't think to look at their paperwork, yeh right. They offered to let us join them for the night but clearly there wasn't much room nor did we wish after all our travails to spend a very wet night with a load of strangers and equally it was clear they were not going to move themselves. 

GL1 is on the other side of the pan, approx two miles away as the crow flies, we peered across the pan in the gloom but couldn't see any lights from that side so I suggested two of them came with us to show us the way and to explain to whoever was on GL1 that they were on the wrong site and see if we could get them to move. 

Two of the guys agreed and we followed them to GL1 to find it deserted, (surprise surprise) no sign of the mystery camper! GL1 is smaller than GL2 and doesn't  have a bucket shower (not that was a problem as we carry our own solar shower anyway) so our guess was they had arrived, looked at both sites and decided to take GL2 as it suited them better, the story about someone else on GL1 being a load of bull.

However, at least we had a site so apologising they headed back to their camp and we started to get set up just wanting a stiff drink and a warm bed. Ten minutes later we saw  lights approaching and one of the guys who had accompanied us earlier returned only this time with his wife. Clearly they were feeling somewhat guilty and asked again if everything was ok, which to be honest it was. They told us they ran a wine business in the Cape and as a goodwill gesture for being so understanding about the site mix up they had brought us a nice bottle of SA red wine to enjoy with our meal - we had drank this particular wine in SA and it is very good so it was gratefully received and as it happens we think GL1 is a nicer site anyway so we were happy but it was a nice gesture - good lads these Afrikaners!

Mabuashube is not renowned for having lots of game but apart from Elephant and Buffalo, which are absent, it has a bit of everything and it is a good place to try and see Brown Hyena, which are not found in the main tourist parks in the North.

We'd had a Brown Hyena around our camp on our previous visit and we were hoping to see one again, however the heavy rains also meant the animals had dispersed all over the park so the amount of game was far less than on our previous visit and no Hyena unfortunately.

The next day after a leisurely morning we drove over to Mabuashube Pan to check out GM3. The rain had stopped and we had some sun so we managed to dry most of our gear and we were looking forward to seeing the park and staying at our old site which was particularly nice.

Mabuashube Pan is probably the biggest pan in the park and seems to be the focal point for most of the game, although as I say with all the rain this was more dispersed. GM3 looks right onto the pan and we had really enjoyed our stay there last time, it was here we had the Brown Hyena.

Coming from Lesholoago you first sight of Mabuashube is as you come over the brow of a hill and its all laid out below you. It was now early afternoon and the sun had finally come out so the pan looked lovely plus it had a lot of water on it which wasn't there when we were last here. At the gate we had been told Lion had been seen drinking there recently so we were really looking forward to our stay here.   

There are four camp sites around the pan, GM1 & 2 from memory are set off the pan, higher up in the hills, not as nice. GM4 is a nice site a little way from the pan but GM3 is the best.  We passed GM4 and noted people were camped there then as we approached GM3 we could see a shed load of vehicles nearby. Bloody hell here we go again we were going to have the same problem with people on our site!

However, as we got closer we realised with horror they weren't on GM3 but on GM2 which in their wisdom the authorities have moved so now instead of GM3 being on its own, GM2 is right next door, both sites sharing one toilet and shower and to top it all it was occupied by at least five vehicles from, yes you guessed it Gauteng, words failed us! (see photo's in April)

We needed a re-plan as no way we were going to stay on GM3  now. Fortunately we carry a Sat phone so we made a call to the booking office in Gabs, explained the situation and thankfully they changed our booking so we could stay on at GL1 where we were due to move to anyway the next night. It was very disappointing but GM3 is now spoilt, why they have moved GM2 so close to GM3 remains a mystery as GM1 is still up on the hill, the lesson being if you want to camp here now then try and get site GM4.

At least when we got back to GL1 it was empty and the people on GL2 had left as well so we had the whole pan to ourselves, for the next two nights which was nice. There was very little game about, a few Gemsbok, Kudu and Ostrich with the just the odd Jackal visiting the camp at night.

We were now looking forward to getting out on the wilderness trail and heading deeper into the bush towards South Africa again.