This past week I was fortunate enough to visit Chobe National Park, in the north eastern most corner of Botswana. We made the ten hour ride up north passing through Nata and Francis town before arriving to Kasane. During my time up north, I was able to travel on some boat trips around the Chobe along with camping in the park for three nights. Here are some of my photos and stories from the trip.
My first elephant! I had read in Lonely Planet that I should not be surprised if I see some on the side of the road as I near Chobe National Park, so when I saw this one I tried not to look surprised. Oh and just as a clarification, we took this from our van, and cars do drive on the left side of the road (most of southern Africa does), but out of respect/safety we pulled over to the right to appreciate it.
We were fortunate enough to go on two boat safaris where we saw soo many animals! The water ways of the Chobe allow one to explore and venture very close to animals. This elephant, one of the over 1000 (no I didn't add on an extra zero or two) I saw was about to cross the river from his day of feeding (oh and how do I know it is a male? Besides anatomical features, I know that it is a male because elephants are part of a matriarchal society and the older males wander around solo).
We got super up close and personal with these elephants. Every morning we would see their fresh tracks around our camp. This one decided to say hi to us as it passed us on the road.
I'm not going to lie. After my travels, I have become to become a mini bird nerd. It is actually super fun not only spotting these feathered flying friends, but also identifying them. This gorgeous one is the Lilac-breasted Roller and is the national bird of Botswana (and Kenya).
Vultures posted near a dead elephant carcass waiting for there turn to feed. After the lions feed, then the hyenas crush and eat the bones, and after the vultures pick up the scraps, then bugs finish off.
Doesn't get much better than a sunset over the Chobe.
Maybe a little better while watching Impala feed...
And only better if you are watching elephants as it sets.
Four corners! In the water behind me is a point where 4 countries meet - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia. There is no bridge to Zambia (the other side of the river) so smaller boats carry individuals across, but there is only one "ferry" to take freight trucks across. Which means there is a major back up even when the ferry isn't having mechanical problems (which it "frequently does") or when it is not stuck on one side due to too strong a current. The alternative for shipping goods into Zambia is going through Zimbabwe, which costs way more and can take nearly a month to cross, one of our guides said. I found out why it took so long when I crossed to visit Victoria Falls, when I saw the huge line of trucks all waiting in a line which lead up to one man at a wooden desk, this was Zimbabwe's lone customs agent.
The two most important locations to know while crossing the boarder.
Victoria falls with some of my friends. Katie is on the left, she goes to Swarthmore and is from NY. Patricia is next she is our friend/mentor/assistant teacher who grew up in Manyana, then me the dashingly good looking traveler followed by Cameron who is from Pitzer. Oh and the photo looks so hazy due to the extreme amounts of mist the the falls create.
Victoria Falls really is one of the most amazing places on earth! Although most of the actually falls are in Zambia (when it is low season, you can walk out on the river and even swim in some of the pools on the edge, look up images of 'devils pool' of google), but the best viewing is from the Zimbabwe side, which faces nearly all of it. The enormity of it is astonishing; its length is amazing and so is its power. We saw it while it was nearing its lowest point, where the waters can get to a little as 4% of the max flow. When it is flowing at the high season the mist can be seen/travel for miles around.
Zimbabwe's failed currency. The biggest bill ever created was 100 trillion... I think in February they discontinued printing. What is crazy is that I saw a 500 Zim Dollar bill printed in 2006 and since then their currency's value has imploded and become worthless. Now everything is done in US dollars and sometimes in Pula (the name of Botswana's currency, which directly translates to "rain" showing how important the rain actually is to the people). Another interesting note about Setswana (one of the two official languages here, that and English) is there is no word for weekend, which actually makes a lot of sense. It shows a lot about their lifestyles prior to Europe's influence along with the introduction of the monetary system and the 5 day work week. Hopefully soon, I will write a piece about the language because it is truly fascinating.
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