Travel to Botwana

We flew from Johannesberg to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and then drove 2 hours to our lodge which is just outside Chobe National Park in Botswana. We traversed a portion of the park to get to our lodge and saw a herd of elephants, cape buffalo and a pair of giraffes on our way. Out camp overlooks the Cube river into Namibia. We were greeted by the staff with singing and dancing. It was amazing how quickly we were in the wilds of Africa.

Sunset on the Chobe River, Botswana

Botswana is about the size of Texas and has about 1.7 Million people. Only 2% of the country is arable, about 50% is used from grazing of cattle. The major industries are mining (52%), tourism (44%) and beef (4%). Hoof and mouth disease has dramatically affected the cattle industry, they can no longer ship to the European Union.

Tomorrow will start what will be our usual plan for the day. Wake up at about 5:45 or 6:00, with a quick breakfast (hot oatmeal is especially appreciated since it is usually in the mid-40s since its winter). Off on our game drive by 7:00 AM, we'll stop somewhere for tea and coffee, returning about 11:00 AM. The afternoon is free until tea time at 3:00. Then we're off to the afternoon driver or perhaps a river cruise. We'll always stop for refreshments about sunset (5:45 PM) and then either quickly return or have a night time game drive to see the nocturnal animals. Dinner about 7:00 or 8:00 followed by bedtime.