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A first taste of Africa

Author: Donna Richards and Gale Brown

Gale Brown and Donna Richards are key members of the Aardvark team, involved in the vital administration that backs up our tailor-made safari operations. This year we felt that they should get a first taste of Africa and sent them on two different safaris: here is how they fared.

Donna in a Dome Tent Walking in Botswana and sleeping out in a mobile tented camp made for an extreme introduction to Africa for safari novice Donna Richards.

In the middle of the night I heard a loud scratching outside my tent; whatever it was it sounded very big and I thought I could even hear its breathing. I tried to remind myself of our guide’s advice: “Don’t panic, just stay inside the tent quietly and it will wander off”. For what seemed like two hours I listened to this noise, carefully keeping clear of my dome-tent walls, until finally falling asleep. In the morning I told everyone about the noises but the tracks we found were not of the lion or leopard I’d expected: they led to a hole underneath my tent which was home to a nest of mice.

This April I joined a Conservation Corporation Africa (CCA)‘Walk the Wilds’ 12-day mobile camping safari in Botswana, visiting Chobe, Savute and Moremi. This was my first trip to Africa but it was great to get straight into the real safari experience. Each day we were woken at dawn to hot water in our hand basins and a crackling campfire. After a hot cup of tea and breakfast we set off on our morning game drive. On our first outing we soon encountered two pretty bachelor impala engaged in battle. Sam, our CCA guide, explained exactly what was going on with fantastic enthusiasm, letting us watch and photograph the display even though it must be something he’s seen a thousand times before.

We left the impala and it was not long before we had our first sighting of a huge bull elephant. As we watched we learnt how to tell whether the elephant was left or right handed, whether it was happy or likely to be aggressive, and how old it was. It was amazing to be up so close to such a huge animal in one of the remotest parts of Africa.We returned to our camp in Chobe just before midday having seen kudu, warthogs and a giraffe, as well as hosts of birds - colourful lilac-breasted rollers, carmine bee-eaters and lots of red-billed hornbills. What a great introduction to African wildlife!

On our evening game drive we quickly found two brother lions asleep. We watched quietly and it was just incredible that the lions felt so at ease with our vehicle close by.

After a couple of days exploring Chobe by vehicle we moved on to the Selinda, a private wildlife reserve in the Linyanti region where we had the chance to explore on foot. We saw the wilds of Africa from a new perspective; no longer were we viewing the wilderness as an outsider, we were now very much part of it. Chris carried a rifle, Robson carried a backpack of water and we followed in a line behind. We had some good wildlife viewing including giraffe, impala herds, hyena and even a lion. Along the way we examined the plant life and tasted cucumbers and watermelons, and a special thrill was seeing our first kill – a termite being attacked by an army of ants.

We stayed at the beautiful rustic Selinda camp for one night and then on platforms up in the trees at Tshwene camp for two nights, which added an element of luxury that was much appreciated after the walking.

The maximum number of people on a CCA walking safari is six. As a single traveller I really enjoyed staying with the same people for 12 days; it was very sociable but at the same time being in such a small group meant you could still experience and appreciate the wild remoteness for which this country is so famous.

Gale’s Tale

• It was my first trip to Africa, and I was quite apprehensive about being on my own, as a single female traveller on a nine-day safari taking in Victoria Falls, Zambia and the Okavango Delta.
• My worries were put to rest from the minute I stepped off the plane in Livingstone, where a Wilderness Safari driver took me straight to Victoria Falls for a spectacular guided tour, where we got totally soaked despite hiring hideous plastic capes. I expected the Falls to be really busy and touristy, but there were hardly any other visitors and the area is so picturesque and breathtaking – much better than I imagined.
• My first evening was at the River Club, where my room looked onto the Zambezi River. The sound of hippo calling from the river during the night is something I will never forget – a truly African sound.
• The next day I met up with my guide and the other guests on my Wilderness Explorations set-departure safari (as opposed to our usual tailor made trips, a set-departure is a fixed itinerary that departs on certain dates throughout the year) and we set off across the border to Botswana.
• I had reservations about camping, never mind camping in the middle of the bush, but now think this is absolutely the best way to experience Africa. It brings you so close to nature, and you really feel part of the amazing landscapes, sounds and smells all around you. It’s also extraordinary what the chefs can produce on a camp fire: we really ate like kings.
• There were many memorable moments of the trip. One morning I woke to find a hyena drinking from the basin outside my tent. A bull elephant strolled through camp during siesta time, seemingly oblivious to us humans sitting there. But my favourite part, if I had to choose, would be Xigera Mokoro Trails. It was so peaceful, gliding along the waterways in the dug-out canoes, and I have never felt so relaxed.
• The fact that I was on my own didn’t matter one bit. With a maximum of eight guests on any of these Wilderness Explorations safaris, it’s to get to know each other and share stories about the day’s game viewing.
• I have fallen in love with Africa, its people, the animals, sights, sounds and smells, and can definitely say it was the holiday of a lifetime.
  
  
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