Makgadikgadi

On Friday morning, we flew to Maun in northwest Botswana, the center of safari activity in the country. We were transported by Land Cruiser over paved and dirt roads to Meno A Kwena, a small safari lodge in the Makgadikgadi National Park near the pans (Nxai Pan [pronounced N-click-ai] and Makgadikgadi Pan, salt-sand flats that are remnants of the great lake that covered this territory thousands of years ago, now part of the great Kalahari desert. The lodge is on the Boteti river, which has had water for the past 3 years after 20 years of severe drought. As a result, the plant life is changing, and animal populations are migrating as they did decades ago.
The camp is quite primitive but all creature comforts are provided. We slept in a tent which was well bug-proofed, with mattresses, comforters, oil lamps, and water warmed by the sun. We had a flush toilet and an outdoor shower. We were steps away from the main lodge. Our tent was protected by vertically arrayed tree branches that kept critters away from our compound (we thought). There was even a rock-encircled "plunge-pool" which was a god-send for hot afternoons after safari.
The meals were served in a dining tent. We were the only guests this weekend, so it was just us, our guide (Max) and 2 volunteers for an NGO called "Water for Life" which helps support the camp. The food was great, prepared by two Botswana women who, before each meal, would announce the choices, and then proclaim, "Ladies first!"
The first day we spent getting settled, and then walking down to the "hiding place" set on a low ridge above the river, where we watched elephants bathe below us. After supper, we went to bed, and since the night was warm, we left the windows open , screens intact. At 2AM, we were awakened to hear loud munching and snorting just outside our right window. This went on for at least 30 minutes. It was an elephant grazing in the bushes on the perimeter of our stick-protected compound! Sleep was impossible. After dumping a ton of stool and eliminating gallons of urine, it moved on. Thereafter, the baritone dronings of a giant eagle owl filled the night air. P slept better than B.
The next day, we took an 11 hour game drive. The desert is still relatively green, and in early autumn, the grass is beginning to brown up. We saw tons of elephants, giraffes, many hippos, impala, kudu, and a huge variety of birds. We returned to camp after a fulfilling day.
Dinner was great (they had Jack Daniels!) and we went to bed with elephants and hippos dancing in our heads. Literally. The elephants were having a pool party in the river below us for most of the night, and were chased away by a bellowing hippopotamus at about 4am. P slept much better than B.
Sunday morning we took a walk with our guide Max down to the river ("Jesus! This is GOOD!" was Max's frequent refrain). We were armed only with an arrowhead on the end of a stick, but really were protected by Max's extensive knowledge and experience with the animals and understanding of how to react to their presence. We studied Cape Buffalo tracks, elephant leavings, zebra and wildebeest skeletons (lion leavings), plants, birds, and geology. It was a great morning-long lesson.We drove back to Maun after lunch and flew to Gaborone in the early evening. This was a great opportunity to see the geology and wildlife of a part of Botswana not frequently visited.