Botswana Trip July 2021: Rakops River Lodge, Central Kalahari and Audi Lodge, Maun

Friday 2 July to Sunday 4 July

Lockdown Day 463 to 465

There's no self catering accommodation in the Central Kalahari NP so we opted to do a day trip from Rakops River Lodge. The lodge has self catering chalets and campsites but it's a bit run down. They do offer meals but we were happy to braai. It's a full day of driving in and out of Central Kalahari.

We had heard from quite a few other travelers that the game viewing and predator sightings haven't been that great lately so we went to check it out for ourselves. We saw mostly springbok and oryx and a family of bat-eared foxes. This helped us decide to skip Tau Pan Lodge and rather head back up to the Okavango. Back to Maun for a quick stop at Woolies and Beef Boys and on to Audi Lodge this time and a Sunday 

rest day.

The en-suite safari tents are spacious and well appointed, the outdoor lounge and pool area is very comfy and the WiFi is fast. In Tent A1 you can pick up the WiFi but the downside is the noisy party crowd is quite close by. Luckily on Saturday night their Klippies and Coke ran out before I was ready for bed. It's Sunday night and it's so quiet. That's what happens when you drink all your holiday booze on the first night in the middle of a lockdown with a ban on alcohol sales! We had a chilled day and I got to update the blog.

We cooked a delicious massaman curry and roti on the fire.

We are enjoying our wine while we still have a few bottles stashed in the cruiser.

Despite our sadness and anxiety due to the impact of Covid on so many friends and family and in so many ways, we are well and content.

Botswana Trip June 2021 - Homeward Bound or not... Sitatunga Lodge and Khama Rhino

Monday 28 June to Thursday 1 July

Lockdown Day 459 to 462

We drove out of Moremi and as soon as we picked up a data signal we got the news that South Africa has gone back to Lockdown Level 4 and that Gauteng's borders are closed. Neil and I are staying in Botswana for a few more weeks now. Denise and Natalie have to head back for work. More quick shopping in Maun and out to Sitatunga Lodge. This is another great place to overnight in Maun with chalets or camping. Their bar is still closed but I can imagine the great vibe when the campsite is full.It's sad to see these places so empty.

Tuesday's drive was a long one down to Khama Rhino Park. We are in Chalet E, the best location and with a great braai area next to our own baobab tree.

Natalie and Denise went into Serowe for PCR tests on Tuesday and we had to pop back on Wednesday to collect the printed certificates. 

On Thursday they returned to South Africa and we drove up to Rakops River Lodge. It's the 1st July. That's half of 2021 gone. Scary stuff. The good news is that South Africa has started vaccinating the over 50s.

Botswana Trip June 2021- 3rd Bridge- Moremi

Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 June

Lockdown Day 457 and 458

Back up to South Gate again but this time to stay at 3rd Bridge for a couple of nights. There is a fabulous self-catering tented camp run by Xomae at 3rd Bridge. 

Self-catering is not big in Botswana so I did a lot of research to find suitable places to stay. Bots is geared up for camping/off-road trips or top-end fly-in safaris with not that much in between. Most self catering places don't provide full kitchens or crockery and cutlery but there's always a braai. Make sure you have your own fridge, gas cooker and kitchen equipment.

The Okavango is still very wet and some routes are impassable. We made it up to 3rd bridge using the well signed detours.

The pans and plains up in this area are stunning and the game is plentiful but the bush is thick which makes predator spotting quite difficult. We did see cheetah and wild dog though.

On Sunday evening we did a boat cruise on the channels and lakes.

The birding was amazing with wonderful sightings of pygmy goose, long toed lapwing and malachite kingfishers as well as a nesting saddlebill stork.We loved cooking and eating around the fire.

It gets quite cold by 9pm so we had early nights, hearing the hyena, ellies and hippos around our tents all night.

Botswana Trip June 2021 : Mochaba Crossing : Okavango Delta and Moremi

Thursday 24 to Friday 25 June

Lockdown Day 455 and 456

We stopped in Maun to do a quick shop and organise our National Park payments before checking in to Mochaba Crossing's en-suite tents. This lodge is 20kms outside Maun on the way to Moremi. It's run by bushways.com. They have quite a few reasonably priced lodges around Botswana. We drove out into the Delta from there for sundowners. There are lots of split pole bridges crossing the waterways.

We came across not one but two Botswana Military trucks stuck in the water. ( They are too wide to use the bridges. ) The soldiers had been camped out for a day or two already; waiting for help. On our return we found a military jeep driven off one of the bridges. It was probably the rescue vehicle, now also stuck for the night. Not a very successful military operation!

And with the bridge blocked we had to ford the river! Luckily a guy in a clapped out Toyota sedan drove through ahead of us so we knew the water wasn't that deep. On Friday we decided to do a day trip into Moremi and explore the southern area of the park. The road into Moremi - to South Gate-  80kms- is really in a bad state and takes almost 2 hours. Luckily you do see game along the way. The swamps are still very wet for this time of year.

We saw so much game in the Black Pools/ Gwarry area. Big herds of elephants that held us up at times and hundreds of buffalo.

We came across a small pan with over a hundred pelicans and marabou storks indulging in a feeding frenzy.