Category: Linyanti

I wake at 5.00 and am collected from the room at 5:30 for a light breakfast which is cereal, fruit and a cup of tea. We set off at 6.00 and it is only just getting light. The air is cool and thick with the scent of wild sage. We drive along the river. There are lots of red lechwe and it is wonderful to watch them leaping through the water.

I try out the new camera and realise just how much better it is then the bridge camera. The new zoom lens is incredible! I capture great photos of various bee-eaters, lilac breasted rollers and even a brown snake eagle. We spot lion tracks but are unable to find the lions.

We then find a grumpy lone hippo in a small pool. He is less than happy to be disturbed and he charges at us through the water. He was close and it was pretty intimidating! I have some truly awesome photos of the entire episode, including close ups of his back molars!

We stop for morning coffee and a snack by a pool occupied by 3 more hippos. I am pleased to say that they were much milder mannered and just grunted noisily from the water. After yesterday’s rather eventful bush toilet experience, I thought I would try out my ‘She-wee’. What a brilliant device. No more exposing my bottom to the African wildlife!

There was lots of plains game around and we had some lovely giraffe and elephant encounters.

We set off an our drive again and the tracker heard the cry of wild dogs. Of course, we set off in hot pursuit. In places the bush was very dense and it was tricky for us to follow. All went quiet for a while, but then we heard calls again and finally spotted a lone wild dog. An element of success but we did not manage to find the rest of the pack. It was now close to midday so time to head back to camp for brunch. I then went back to my room and started to select my best photographs from the morning to put on the iPad. I am absolutely delighted with the quality of photos I have taken. The new camera is just incredible. Almost every shot I have taken is a keeper and it turns out I’ve taken 1200!

Lebala Camp is run by Kwando Safaris and based in the Linyanti area of Botswana. The camp is one of their older ones with a slightly tired feel and a heavier dark wood build. That being said the room was absolutely great, very large with polished wood floor, spotlessly clean with stand alone bath and two outdoor showers. The staff, food and guiding are really quite exceptional.

I have a shower and then head off for tea at 4 o’clock for a 4.30 game drive. We check the water holes to see if there’s any sign of the wild dog pack but sadly no luck. We do, however, see wildebeest, zebras, impala, lechwe and much more. We then set off to find the brown hyena den. There are three dens and we place ourselves between them and sit and wait. After an hour it starts to get dark and a head appears. Hard to see but definitely a young brown hyena which is shortly joined by its sibling. We watch as the new moon rises and the stars come out. No sundowner tonight but what a treat and then a third head appears from a fourth den. It has a more open position so should be easier to view. We shall return tomorrow morning.

We head off back to Camp and spot a genet and two bush babies. We thought that was pretty good but this was shortly followed by a springhare, an aardwolf, four jackals,  a lioness chasing them and another springhare. What an incredible evening! 

We return to Camp at 9 o’clock so I grab a beer and eat dinner straight away. Beef casserole tonight and very delicious. I then return to my room to write my diary. The frogs are once again being very noisy.

The flight landed at Johannesburg airport 30 minutes early. This was fortunate as I was not issued a boarding pass for the flight from Johannesburg to Maun at Heathrow and had a slight issue at Johannesburg airport. The lady at the Airlink check-in had to call a BA person to get a boarding pass issued. This took half an hour and when she finally received a phone call she jokingly told me it was bad news. I would need to buy a new ticket. I took it on the nose and said I would claim it off insurance. At this point she burst out laughing and said ‘I’m only joking!  Here is your new boarding pass.’ I think she was treading on thin ice if she thought I had a sense of humour after a 12 hour overnight flight!

The flight to Maun was on schedule and it was very organised at Maun airport. They had set up a covered area with two lines of seating where you sat in turn while they checked your Covid passes and entry documentation. This was all very straightforward (or would have been if I had bothered to turn the arrival form over and fill-in back as well as the front). I therefore had to wait till the back of the queue to pass through security. I was met by a representative from Kwando Safaris who escorted me through security and to the light aircraft (an 8 seater) to fly me to my 1st camp at Lebala.

There were two other ladies on the flight with me. It was a 20 minute flight to drop them off and then a longer 50 minute flight to take me to Lagoon airstrip. Unfortunately, Lebala airstrip was closed for repairs so Lagoon was the best option but entailing a 2 hour drive to the camp.

At Lagoon airstrip, I was greeted by my guide Mayezi and my tracker. They gave me a most welcome picnic bag. As it was now 15.30 and I had eaten nothing since breakfast, it was most welcome.

I asked to use the toilet before departure and Mayezi kindly walked behind a bush at the airstrip and clapped his hands to ensure there were no wild beasts to attack me. I then went behind the bushes and spent a penny. Note to self before peeing in the bush check for soldier ants. It is quite disconcerting to literally be caught with your pants down and realise that very large ants are crawling all over your shoes and up your trouser legs. This predicament made so much worse by the fact that I did not realise this until I was in full flow. Nothing for it but to pee quickly and frantically flick exploratory ants from my person. Fortunately none went up the inside of my trouser legs and I didn’t get bitten.

The transfer to Lebala Camp was a full game drive, which included a night drive too and we arrived at the camp at just gone 8 o’clock. The drive was fantastic. The bush was green and lush following the recent rains. Game was harder to spot than usual as the bush was so dense, yet there was a huge selection of birds, insects and game. We saw elephants, giraffes, red lechwe, impala, wildebeest, hippos, zebras, warthogs, ostrich, jackals and so many birds. It was particularly beautiful down by the water. We stopped by a pool for sundowners.

I was greeted by the camp manager Kalafi. As it is late, I am happy to have dinner straight away. I am the only person staying here but Mayezi and Kalafi join me for dinner which is delicious – sweetcorn soup, roast chicken and chocolate pudding. Solid home cooking and very tasty.

I go straight to my room, unpack super quickly and go to sleep. I’m very tired after a long day’s travel. Even the incredibly loud frogs can’t keep me awake for long!