Xigera Camp in the Okavango Delta of Beautiful Botswana

The sunsets over the Okavango Delta are dazzling.

Africa has the power to shock you, bring tears to your eyes, take your breath away, and leave you with a feeling of awe.  Desolation, destruction, disappointment, vast wilderness, beauty and hope are just a few of the words that come to mind when trying to describe Africa.  

Our first stop was Xigera Camp in the Okavango Delta of Botswana.  The Okavango Delta is considered Africa’s mot incredible wildlife sanctuary and the largest inland delta system in the world with verdant channels, lagoons, swamps and islands.  

Our transportation to the various camps we would be visiting around the Delta was a Cessna Caravan.

View from the airplane while flying over the Delta to our first camp.

After a short visit to Dubai and wonderful visit with friends living there, we flew to Johannesburg and then to Xigera Camp in beautiful Botswana.  We unloaded our things from the small plane and climbed into a jeep. The guide asked what we most wanted to see.  Since I’m never one to keep my mouth shut I said ZEBRAS!  Leaving the dusty airstrip and turning onto an equally dusty road we rounded a corner and stopped!  There were the Zebra’s!  They were beautiful.  They were unafraid!  They allowed us to come close and take innumerable pictures.  They seemed to be posing for us.  Yet, they were ignoring us.  These zebra’s had what is called shadow stripes, which are brown stripes between their black stripes.  The stripe pattern is as distinctive as fingerprints are in man.

Shadow Zebras.

Close up of a Shadow Zebra

After watching the Zebra's we found a family of monkeys playing in the trees.

Then came the Warthogs cruising alongside the road.

We came to Africa looking for big animals.  The Big 5 was certainly Tom’s desire.  We were amazed and dazzled at the quantity, diversity and beauty of the bird life we encountered.  If you are into birds Botswana should be at the top of your travel list.

We saw an abundance of wildlife.  It continually fascinated us to see so many types of animals grazing together.

We spent a morning exploring the Delta in Mokoro's.  In the past they were dugout canoes.  Now they are made of fiberglass.  Our guide was relatively new to the art of guiding a Mokoro.  He was also one of the larger men.  Add that to our size and it was almost a recipe for disaster.  Considering there are crocodiles we didn't feel like going for a swim.  It was close.  So close that my elbow landed in the water.  Fortunately, nothing else got wet except the inside of our boat.  It was a memorable experience.

Our guides lined up with the Mokoro's as we get ready to depart for a morning of exploration.

What a handsome fellow following our progress in our tipsy tiny delicate canoe

Egret

Amazing birds wherever we looked.

This is what we saw from our balcony one day.  Red Hechway and Warthogs.

We visited a group of hippopotamus.  They have delicate skin and therefore are submerged all day to stay out of the sun.    In the evening they emerge from the water to eat.  Wherever they go they mark their territory by spraying their feces on the bushes and paths.

Hippopotamus relaxing in the water. 

We saw giraffe.  They are the tallest land animal in the world.  

Elephants are incredibly destructive as they search for food.  They tear up trees and bushes.  They love the bark around trees.  Peeling the bark off leaves the tree without protection and the tree dies.  Elephants consume several hundred pounds of vegetation a day which includes grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark and roots.  16-18 hours a day is spent feeding.  It is fascinating driving through an area that a herd has come through.  The landscape is completely changed.

Elephants place their trunk against a palm tree and shake the tree hard.   This releases the fruit which falls to the ground.  The dominant elephant eats the fruit and doesn't share.  Here he did this a few times.

Dueling

Flying along the watery road.

Termite mound which is very important in Botswana.

This little frog clinging to a reed is not much larger than a thumbnail.

My, what sharp teeth you have for such a baby crocodile.

Tom received a helping hand to climb out of the tipsy Mokoro.   It was time for tea.

Having a leopard visit camp at night is thrilling.  It also emphasizes the need to be escorted to and from our rooms when it is dark.

A beautiful sight.

A successful morning of fishing.

I awoke early the first morning.  There were loud noises outside our room.  There was a giant elephant rounding the corner and coming right by our front porch.  I whispered "Tom...Tom,"  Then louder "TOM wake up!"  I'll never forget the jittery excitement coming from the pit of my stomach.  This was going to be an amazing trip.

It is exciting when the elephants decide to visit our camp.

Another sunset over the Okavango Delta

Next stop is Duma Tau Camp.