It is hard to put into words how spectacular today has been. We took a morning gaming drive through Chobe National Park and saw elephants, hippos, a leopard, giraffe, baboons, and lots of birds. It is amazing to be on the water as all the wildlife migrate to it at some point during the day to drink. Chobe National Park has no fences so animals are free to wander in and out of the park. Our guide was wonderful and we were happy to learn that he an go home at the end of the day and be with his family. At the other 2 lodges the guides work for 6 weeks with 2 weeks off or 3 weeks with 1 week off. All of our guides had families so being away from home for so long is heart wrenching.
We also walked from our lodge to town to see some of the local scene. Most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday but we met a few vendors as well as hit the grocery store for some water. The local currency is the Pula and right now it is about 8 Pula to 1 dollar.
The afternoon we all boarded a boat that took us by river to the Chobe National Park; morning game drive by jeep and the afternoon by boat. We had the entire boat to just our party of 25 people. This boat drive was the most amazing experience I have had in Africa. The elephants that come to water and the islands are amazing...whole families congregate and swim from the land out to this island. It is quite funny to see the their trunks in the air just like a snorkel. At one point, the mother elephant in charge led the family across and the were all holding all with their trunks and their tails almost single file. Our guide says that Chobe has 60,000 elephants so you are assured of seeing lots of them during your trip.
The abundance of wildlife on the shores of the river was amazing. Birds of all kinds, crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river, giraffe on the shores, tons of families of hippos sunning themselves and then hunkering down on the shores in the mud, baboon families, antelopes, waterbuck, cape buffulo,....INCREDIBLE. A wildlife extravaganza of a magnitude that I have never witnessed before. With our boat we could pull right next to all the creatures and with the sun glistening on the water it was truly magical.
We watched one last elephant family crossing and turned to see the sun setting over the horizon. The beauty in this landscape takes your breath away. Nature living in harmony is an amazing thing to see. Chobe National Park is certainly a special place to visit.
Our boat had a top deck for viewing in the sun and a lower deck with seats and shade. Of course, there was a full bar so kids and adults were happy with cold beverages during the ride too.
We all decided this was the highlight of the trip and I know I will remember the beauty of this day for many years to come.
Botswana is wonderful and the Chobe River Lodge is spectacular. The monkeys and warthogs roam free all over the property, the food at the buffet is abundant and delicious, and the outdoor areas allow for spectacular views of the river,
Ah...a great day!
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