Chobe Safari

On Friday morning, February 26, we flew to Kasane, a town in Northeastern Botswana, at the entrance of the Chobe National Park. We stayed in the Chobe Safari Lodge, a lovely facility on the Chobe River, just outside the park entrance. We had a room overlooking a Vervet monkey playground, and the lodge was an old African-style structure with raw wood beams, huge thatched roof, large common dining area, swimming pool, and waterfront for boat landings. On Friday, we did nothing but rest...we needed a vacation. Saturday had a game drive in the morning that was notable mostly for another Land Cruiser getting stuck in the mud (and almost tipped over;our guide was able to rescue the passengers of the other vehicle (there were lions around, and they had to get off the stuck truck) and escape the muck without disturbing the predators. A river cruise in the afternoon (lots of animals and birds, but the trip was on a large boat with several families of young children who were not controlled by their parents, and made for a cacophanous trip that scared the animals, bothered the adult passengers, and frustrated the guide, who gave up 1/2 way into the cruise.
The next day, we decided to do it right. We hired the same naturalist to take the two of us out privately, and we had a fabulous morning, seeing a huge variety of birds, and getting to study hippos, crocks, elephants, and the whole environment quietly and in detail. The afternoon game drive was similarly better than the day before, with great variety and much more detailed discussion by the guide. There were many huge herds of elephants, stately giraffes, mean-looking Cape Buffalo, and hoards of impala. The baby elephants were especially playful and loaded with pretend bravado. We watched wart-hogs cavorting in a waterhole...a mother and 3 playful piglets. Little did they or we realize what was ahead. At the end of the drive, we came upon a female lion and 3 cubs munching on one of the young wart-hogs (not for young audiences....ask us about the details under separate cover!)
We enjoyed the Chobe Safari Lodge, and thought the accomodations and food were excellent. It was a little large for our taste, which will affect our choices for future wilderness experiences.