Our African adventure rolled on as we cleared the Namibia-Botswana border. We stayed the night in Ghanzi near the villages of another San (Bushman) tribe. The next morning several members of the San tribe took us on a bush walk and showed us the plants they use to cure ailments like back pain, headaches and upset stomachs. They were extremely friendly and communicated with us by using gestures and a translator. None of them spoke English. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience.
Immediately following our bush walked, 
we jumped into the truck with great anticipation for the Okavango Delta. Several hours in the truck and 30 minutes in a wagon pulled by a tractor took us to a lodge on the west side of the Okavango Delta. We spent the next two days exploring the flora and fauna. In the evenings we took a sunset cruise with serene views over the water and beautiful birds resting in the reeds.
During the day, we were taken by speedboat deeper into the delta where we switched to mokoros (wooden canoes). The man navigating the mokoro is called a poler. He uses a very long pole to push the boat forward through he reeds. The mokoros have a flat bottom which allows them to glide over the vegetation underneath. During our two hour adventure, we meandered through the reeds following the hippos trails from island to island.
While the Okavango is considered to be one of the last great wildernesses of the world, we only saw a small piece of it. Our only disappointment was we were not taken farther into the delta where we would have seen more wildlife.
Upon leaving the lodge we drove 4 hours to the village of Maun. Even though it is not a huge city, they do have an airport which focuses on small plane flights over the Okavango Delta. We didn’t hesitate to take a flight in a six-seater plane for $80 per person. The 45-minute flight offered us an incredible view of the wildlife that the Okavango Delta has to offer. We hope to have the chance to return one day and venture farther into the center of the wilderness.
After the flight, we were exhausted. Our guides prepared a huge dinner for us which gave us some energy again. So we went with about half our group to a local Botswana bar. That was a true experience with a local DJ for the music, with the drinks and register behind bars. The locals even joined our group dance circle. It was a super fun!
Our next stop in Botswana is what we consider to be the best game view spot in all of Southern Africa – the banks of the Chobe River. We are blessed that is was our second trip to Chobe National Park and it was just as amazing as we remembered. The first half of the day was spent on a game drive. We saw a tremendous amount of wildlife including female lions with their cubs, a dead elephant being eaten by vultures and a giraffe trying to hide behind a tree.
In the evening we went on a river 
cruise along the Chobe River where the wildlife is plentiful. If you’re lucky, the boat can offer a closer to view to some of animals than the safari vehicle. In our case, the elephants were right along side of our boat pulling up roots for a late afternoon snack. Click here to see the elephants eating. DSCN9900
Just as the sun was about to set, our boat captain spotted two elephants in the water. He took us over to them to watch the gentle giants as they are very good swimmers. But, as we got closer it was obvious that the two elephants were mating. It was quite amazing to see.
Once the elephants moved back to shore, we enjoyed the rest of the sunset in our beautiful surroundings.
The day in Chobe was over when the sun sunk below the horizon. We returned to camp for a meal around the campfire and some shut-eye in our tent.
Next is another border crossing from Botswana to Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls here we come.
Amazing pictures and video! Hopefully you didn’t wake up to find lions licking the dew off your tent!