Moremi & Savuti - Botswana

We only had a shortish drive to our next camp at North Gate, we probably could have made it to Savuti in one day but that would have been a long haul and we didn't want to rush. Normally we would have taken the more scenic route along the edge of the Delta but this was still flooded so we had to retrace our steps back to South Gate and take the main track between the two gates.

Even so we arrived at North Gate by lunchtime and after putting up the ground tent we settled down to a snack. Sue and I have fond memories of North Gate from our early days in Botswana as it gave us some of our earliest experiences of game up close like when a Hippo came sniffing round the tent in the middle of the night and in trying to cough to scare him off I only succeeded in a sort of strangled cry which scared him off ok but in the process he stampeded and broke our only camping light - necessitating us having to go all the way to Maun and back again in a day - but that's another story.

As usual as we started to set up camp the Vervet monkeys came a calling. After the mints episode Ruth & J were now more alert, even so they managed to pinch Swaineys bread roll while everyone's back was turned - how they knew it was Swaineys we never knew.

The funny thing about Vervets is they can tell the difference between men and women, if Swainey or I threatened them they would scamper off but if Sue or Ruth tried it they would just become more aggressive and continue to approach. It was hilarious though listening to Ruth's shouts of "bugger off you little Gits" as she tried to chase them away and even more hilarious when she came running back a second later as they started to chase her!

Next day after a game drive around the Kwai River we left for Savuti. The Kwai area was one of our old stomping grounds in the 80s so it was interesting to see how it had changed over the years. With all the good rains the bush is much thicker now and the game harder to see.

When we were last here there was hardly any water in the river and what there was was reduced to a few pools near the pole bridge which links the park with the outside world. The campsite had no water because the pump in the river was broken and no one would go in to fix it because the Crocs had congregated in the remaining pools of water so to wash we had to stand on the bridge and draw muddy water up from the river in a bucket and throw it over each other. The looks we received from the tourists from the nearby Kwai River Lodge as they crossed the bridge to do their game drives were legion!

Water is now no longer a problem, as we drove to Savuti we frequently came across dongas which were flooded. The Ele's particularly were enjoying the situation as they swam from one pool to anther. 

Savuti is now part of the Chobe National Park and it  has always had a reputation for getting up close and personal with game. For some strange reason rogue bull Elephants have often been a problem, hanging around the campsite, pulling out the water pipes and waiting to see what they could bully people out of. You literally took your life in your own hands if you took any fresh fruit with you to Savuti as they would smell it and even force their way into locked vehicles to get at it.  In the 80s a big bull called Herbie terrorised the site and before him there was another called Little Errol I believe.

When we last camped here in the late 80s we had to chase Herbie off where two girls were camped. They had foolishly brought a crate of oranges with them and he was desperate to get at them. In the end they had to put them in the toilets but Herbie got em in the end. Sadly we heard some years later that Herbie followed Errol's fate and had to be shot as he was getting too bold.

That was the old Savuti camp where all you had was a couple of broken down toilet/shower blocks (no water) and some not so shady camp sites. Savuti today is on a new site and has a purpose built Elephant proof ablution block protected behind a huge concrete wall which in turn has a moat around it! It looks more like a medieval castle than a campsite, you still camp out in the bush so thankfully the authorities have not gone totally over the top and put everyone inside a stockade.

We had no visits from Ele's that night which was a bit disappointing but we did hear a Leopard calling out in the bush and the next morning we found his pad marks close to our camp. We were a bit disappointed that so far Ruth and J had still not seen any Lion so Savuti having a reputation for Lion we were really hoping to come across some.

On the our first morning game drive we saw plenty of Impala, Zebra, Wart Hog and Elephant etc but still no cats, then finally at Pitsi Pan we found four Lionesses with three good sized cubs - relief all round.

It was the first time of course that Ruth and J had seen Lion in the wild so it was great to find them with no other people around and in such a wild place. With the rains the pan had some good water in it and plenty of cover around so the Lionesses must have felt this was a good spot to try and ambush game as it came to drink and where they could hide the cubs when necessary.  

The trouble with cubs is they are always wanting to play and are very curious about everything around them so they can queer the pitch if the adults are trying to sneak up on game. This is exactly what happened when a herd of Impala approached the water hole looking to drink. The Lionesses immediately slunk down further in the long grass watching the antelope intently but the cubs could not contain their curiosity and stood up for a better view scattering the Impala. Shortly after three big Ele's came to drink and chased the Lions away, it was interesting to see that the cubs instinctively knew to hide away in the bushes whilst the Mum's kept a watchful eye on the Ele's.

After the Lionesses and cubs we wanted Ruth and Sway to see some big male Lions if possible so we were delighted when we went by Marabou Pan and found two males had made a Zebra kill. Unfortunately they had made the kill sometime ago and as it was getting hot had dragged the carcass into a thicket so all we could see was the remains of the Zebra's leg and the odd glimpse of the lions as they lifted their heads every now and then - it was clear they were there for the day so we decided to leave them, head back to camp and come see them later when it was cooler.

By the time we arrived at camp I was starting to feel unwell, I didn't realise it at the time but I was starting to come down with a bad stomach bug. In the afternoon to make matters worse I noticed that the rear roof rack had shifted forward on its runners. We had been experiencing this problem more and more as we had a lot of weight in the zip bag with the second spare tyre etc and the rear rack is just supported at two places which is insufficient to hold it over a long period of time on rough roads.

We were leaving the next morning for Ihaha on the Chobe River so there was nothing for it but to take everything off the rack and shift it back - not something you want to do when your feeling crook. Sue was also non too pleased as it meant we were late getting out on our game drive so we only had time to re-visit the Lioness and cubs and then for only an hour.  We stayed till the sun went down then had to leave but as we drove off one of the bolder cubs chased after the Landy - a memorable moment.

The night was again very quiet which was disappointing especially knowing the Lion were quite close by. Obviously the boys were enjoying their Zebra and the girls were keeping watch on the cubs. All we heard was what sounded like a mouse scampering up and down the outside of the tent and nibbling on a cardboard box we had left outside.

Next morning we were up early to leave for the Chobe River. By now I was feeling really bad having suffered throughout the night with cramps, aches and shivering bouts so I was not at all in the mood for the journey. Sway and I started to pack up and as I was up on the roof packing away stuff handed up by J we suddenly heard a terrified scream from Ruth and she came running over.

 For a second I was afraid she had come across a snake or a scorpion and been bitten or stung, then it it turned out she had gone to empty out the washing up bowl which was still full from the night before and as she went to pick up the bowl she saw what she thought was dish cloth in the water so she went to fish it out only to find to her absolute horror that it was in fact a dead mouse, possibly the same one we had heard scampering about the night before. 

It was very sad for the mouse but laugh, even though I was feeling really rough I nearly fell off the roof, it was classic. However, it was time to move on to Chobe and the river, to big Elephant country.