My Botswana Trip 2010

I like to get away to the bush every chance I can. There is something incredible about being placed in the middle of the wild for a week with no fences, no security and no electricity – that’s life at Megwe Camp in the Tuli Block, Botswana.

Before I begin, lets just get one thing straight here… The zoo is fun. Pilanesberg is cute. Kruger is a little more real. But Botswana… it.  is. the. wild.

That’s why I was so excited when I was invited to join some friends and these fine animals for the past week!

We charged past border control straight into the bush

The moment we drove out of the Pontdrift border post we were viewing game – and it never stopped for six days solid, even when we were in the camp, which was a gorgeous set of four chalets nestled inside a natural wall of trees with a view down to a watering hole less than 100m away. There was a central kitchen area with a lounge and balcony which had a fridge and freezer powered by generator. Other than that there was no electricity available to us.

Each evening the camp was illuminated with lanterns for us and a large fire was prepared for our nightly braai. Of course we added so much wood to it the place nearly went up in flames at least three times. But that’s just life in the bush when you’re a pyromaniac.

Pumba and offspring were part of the arrival committee

Each day we had an optional morning and evening game drive with our personal guide “soccer”. This man was born in the region and lived and learned the land before becoming a certified ranger more than 10 years ago – what a champ. He even took us for walks into the wild and educated us on everything from footprints and nests to carcasses and birdlife.

One evening he took us up a hill to a famous protected area where we hung out by a baobab tree with wine and snacks watching the sun set in the african sky – utter beauty! The area was also full of artifacts from the very first settlers and anything we found was placed on a rock along with other findings from previous visitors to the site.

Cape Town's got NOTHING on this vibe

There is really no point trying to describe this indescribable trip. How do you clearly put across the feeling you get when you’re lying in bed and suddenly all goes silent before you hear the cry of a hyena in the silence of the night crawl down your spine? How do you paint a picture of sitting peacefully when suddenly you hear a dog bark? And I’m not talking about a dachshund. I’m talking about a 100% bloodthirsty wild dog who’s bark is filled with evil!

Well, you can’t describe it all, and that’s why I’ve put together a selection of photos I took using my new Nikon DSLR camera for you (more on that later). I can only hope they convey some of the incredible experiences I had while away.

The vibe at Megwe Camp was remarkable

How small is that baby elephant at the camp watering hole?

Even praying mantis come in XXL in the bush

The Kori Bustard - makes the sound of a beating drum when mating. Legit.

Like Twitter - only the strongest survive in the bush

While others just hide when trouble's around the corner

Some just make a run for it - lucky I had action setting on the Nikon!

Words can not describe this feeling

The big moon. The big sky. The big tree.

The big animal, strolling through Megwe Camp

Some gorgeous little birdie

One big bad-ass eagle

Look at the people on the left for an idea of size

I think we found a new species. Freaky!

The Red Billed Hornbills flew into our window every single morning

The hyena clearly searching for some left-over braai vleis

Even Investec had some ambassadors representing

So in total we saw the following animals:

• Wildebeest
• Zebra
• Elephant
• Hyena
• Warthog
• Impala
• Kudu
• Eiland
• Tortoise
• Eagle
• Bush Buck
• Giraffe
• Vulture
• and a variety of birds and insects

Sadly we did not have the pleasure of spotting lion, leopard, wild dogs or a hippo. Next time.

Have you been to the bush lately? Share your stories with me…