Botswana Moremi

Distances in Botswana are quite big, so it takes most of the day to get to Maun from the Central Kalahari. We had to shop at Spar and go for drinks at Reilleys Hotel for old time sake. We met up with Tommy, Mandy, Collete and Kyle at Okavango River Lodge for rugby and a steak dinner. After plenty of wine and Amarula we retired to our tented accomodation. North of Maun the road to Moremi is gravel. Just before the main gate we had an amazing leopard sighting. Moremi is a game reserve on the Okavango Delta; which is a large flood plain into which the Okavango River flows. The rainy season in Angola, the source of the river, is between October and December, but the water only reaches Moremi in June/July. The long route to Xakanaxa via 3rd Bridge is very scenic but towards the end towing the caravan through the thick sand became really hazardous. There is a more direct and easier route in but the sand, rivers and log bridges are all part of the fun. Xakanaxa is beautiful and we set up camp there for 6 nights , longer than the average stay. It is wonderful to settle in and have a real sense of a place after a few days. We are pretty organized, with solar panels to generate power, fridges and freezers, tables and chairs. There are new ablution blocks with hot water and flushing toilets now, so no need to rough it much . Of course we did plenty of gourmet braaing and fun outdoor cooking. We even had a selection of imported French cheeses and pates from Tommy and took turns cooking up a storm. That's glamping; no sitting in the dirt cooking Toppers and Smash on a one plate stove for us. We did daily self drives and had wonderful game and bird sightings,tracking the lions without any luck, eventhough most other vehicles did see them. Another sighting of a young leopard hunting one morning made up for it though .One afternoon we did a boat trip on the river. The drive home is two full and long days behind the wheel, with only brief stops for food and fuel.