Namibia 2018

Safari Jeep that met us at airport

After 2 days in Johannesburg we flew north to Botswana and transited by safari Jeep and then boat into Namibia to Chobe Safari Lodge - only accessible by boat. Due to heavy rains up north in Zambia, the Chobe River was in flood and some of the resorts along the river were closed due to flooding. Fortunately our lodge only had to close one villa, however if the flood waters kept rising their staff quarters would be flooded and they would also have had to close. We had 3 days at that lodge and it was the most amazing experience for the four of us. 

Our individual chalets were all located on the river's edge, and due to the floods, the water was only inches from our front patio at one place. The chalets housed a queen size bed with a bed net to keep out the mosquitoes. We weren't keen to contract malaria, so we sprayed with DEET regularly and used the bed nets each night. At any one time, there were usually only 3 chalets occupied - ours, Jenny and Peter's and one other couple which ensured very personalised service. Our hosts joined us for most of the evening meals, and often joined us for breakfast too. Between 5.30 pm and 7 am we were unable to walk to the villas without a guide with us, as hippos and other animals roam the camp overnight to eat the lush grass. We were collected from our chalets and escorted to the main building to board the safari boat each morning, and escorted to our villas after dinner each evening.

Various views of inside and outside our chalet

Each morning at 6am we boarded a safari boat to see the sun rise and watch the animals come down to the water. Hot tea/coffee and snacks were available on the boat to tide us over until we returned to the lodge at 8am for breakfast. We would get off the boat and walk straight into the dining area to order our hot breakfast. Then each evening at 4 PM we boarded the safari boat and headed out with our choice of drinks (beer, wines, spirits, soft drinks) on board and several tasty snacks. For 3 hours we would watch animals as they came down to drink in the river. We saw elephants, hippos, Impala, monkeys, kudu, crocodiles and numerous birdlife. Around 6.30pm we would sit and experience an African sunset before heading back to the lodge for dinner. 

Dining area

The open air dining room looked out over the Chobe river and was a most delightful setting for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They switched it around a little and one day served us lunch with table service out by the pool area and then one evening we had dinner out under the stars. Very memorable. Wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks were readily available for lunch, dinner and anytime in between. 

Aboard boat heading out for sunset safari

Sunset safari

We could have stepped out on the shore 

We  had the opportunity to visit a local village - one of our staff came from that village. It was very basic, with no electricity apart from an ingenious set up from a battery terminal, and some solar charging of mobile phones. The floods had caused many adobe huts to be evacuated and the inhabitants were camping in makeshift shelters on higher ground. The children went by canoe to school a few villages away.

Jenny is handing out gifts to village children 

Canoe ride where the bird life was prolific

On our last full day at Chobe, we were sitting having lunch with our hosts Andre and Anne Marie when we mentioned that we had yet to see giraffes. The host was surprised and pointed to the opposite bank of the river on the Botswana side, saying that they often saw giraffes over there. With that, Murray’s beady eyes picked up movement on the far bank and sure enough, the movement turned out to be giraffes. The hosts invited us to pop into the boat and motor straight across the river to check out our first sighting of giraffes in the wild. We were stoked. There were several giraffes and a herd of impala - the animals are often seen together, as they are look outs for each other. We had a great introduction to the African wildlife at Chobe, and the Safari Lodge laid it all on for us. 

First giraffe sighting...