Beautiful Botswana Safari - Red Sands and Silent Nights. Part 1.

Following our trip to South Africa 18 months ago we decided another trip was in order. We arranged to hire a 4X4 and do an overland trip through Botswana with Den's sister and brother -in -law. Never say never we thought!! Not really into "wilding" it would be a big trip for us and with Den's "special birthday" looming, we thought we would take the plunge and do it while we still were fit enough.

With the help of Fiona and Harry in South Africa the Avis bakkie was booked, no turning back then. It looked sturdy enough and Harry did a reccy to check everything out, if he was happy with the vehicle then so were we.

The pictures were scary enough. Note the loo and the outside shower, we were obviously in for excitement of some kind. At least the sun would be shining. With thoughts of being eaten by lions we set off!

After the long flight to Jo'Burg and a restful sleep we were ready for the van. Den and Harry went to fetch it and we were soon packing our new found friend, a Ford Ranger, Den named him Elvis....who knows why? Harry was also making friends with his new super duper bakkie, complete with ceramic flushing loo, numerous fridges and freezers and a large comfy roof tent. Ours was a more modest affair but perfectly formed with freshly laundered bed linen, towels and everything we would need for an extended trip in the wilderness. I was pleased to note that we could get up in the roof tent without going outside, could be a handy feature with animals about. We were pleased Harry and Fiona were going with us, we are not brave enough to go solo. Strangely enough we did meet other loan European travellers on the road though much younger and braver or more fool hardy than us!

To be fair to Avis the van looked the part and packing it was a straight forward job.

Harry is an experienced over lander and had planned a route through Botswana booking all the sites. You would expect this to be relatively easy but Botswana is very hot on animal conservation and seriously restricts the number of tourists allowed onto camp sites and in conservation areas. Harry had spent the best part of a few months just booking sites. We also had to make sure that all the documentation was correct for going through the Botswana border crossings. Newbies take note, a first trip to Botswana would be best done through a travel company, there are lots of options. Also in some areas you have to be travelling with another vehicle to be allowed in. A brilliant book which really tells you about everything you need to know about Botswana is The Shell Tourist Guide to Botswana. Don't leave home without it, you will also need Tracks for Africa. with a hand held Garmin. We were lucky as Harry was very well prepared and Fiona had the medical kit, she was a trained nurse.

We also had available a satellite phone for emergencies, no use trying to find a wi-fi connection in the Kalahari, McDonalds were not exactly on every corner.. Insurance comes with the Avis package, we used our bank insurance for medical cover ( check safaris are covered ) Also be aware that Botswana is in a red malaria zone so suitable precautions are needed. We decided on the Malarone, expensive but effective although you do need to spray your clothes and cover up at dawn and dusk. We did not find the mozzies a problem but it was extremely dry. To be totally self sufficient you also have to take all your water, fuel and food. We found  no water in the Kalahari but were fine with the 100L of water we carried, Harry carried 200L, at least we wouldn't die of thirst, although hair washing had to take a back seat. The currency for Botswana is Pula, not available in the UK.  Once were suitably packed we were ready for the off.

On the move we headed for our first destination the Red Sands Lodge still in South Africa on the border of the Kalahari at Kuruman. Our first day took us through some interesting scenery for around 600 k. Lots to see on the way including ostrich and the fascinating farms in the transveld. Harry showed us the farms he grew up on. We were still amazed by the numbers of people walking along the busy roads. The contrast between poverty and affluence.

From shanty towns to government housing.

In Africa everyone is walking.

Our trip to Kuruman was rather eventful as we had to stop enroute to get our batteries fixed as we had some loose wires.Gosh, that town is like the last frontier,  Also our freezer wasn't working, so we were not best pleased with Avis, if we had been on our own we would have had to have got it fixed as life in the desert without a fridge and freezer would have been impossible. A little battle to be taken up later! We paid for the wiring to be fixed but decided to live without the freezer. The fridge worked enough to keep drinks coolish. The temperature was creeping up to 40 C, so anything below 10 C  was a bonus.

We arrived at the Red Sands Lodge at around 4.00 pm A lovely place to stay which lives up to it's name, everything was red. We had a lovely room and a great meal in the restaurant.

The lodge also had a camp site. The next morning we set off for the long sandy drive to the Botswana border and on to Mabuasehube Pan in the Kgalagdi Transfrontier National Park and our first taste of "proper wilding".

The next days driving proved somewhat challenging. Yes this was a proper road! We made the border crossing into Botswana at McCarthys Rest. Not too stressful at the border but they did ask Den for his driving license, though they didn't look at it! 300 Pula for insurance and a quick search for illegal meat supplies by the border police and  we were through. The tomatoes we had brought with us were not strictly allowed but they let us through and reminded us to bury the tomato seeds when we had finished with them. It's amazing how strictly the border is patrolled with constant veterinary checks, tyre and shoe disinfectant dips and monitoring of vehicles.

Eventually we arrived at our first real camp site, it turned out to be a true wilderness spot, no water and no loo. Lots of cute little meerkats though, african honeybees and birds in abundance....no lions, though we did find some evidence they may have been around. The Kalahari is truly a stunning place incredibly silent at night and the stars are amazing. We slept in peace.

A day time visitor.

Morning has broken.

The Kalahari is probably one of the last few real wilderness places and a beautiful place, but so dry. The rains were late and when we left, everyone in Africa was waiting for water. The pans were bone dry.

The lack of rain meant a lack of animal life. We decided to move on after two silent nights. We were lucky however that the meerkats kept us company.

We said goodbye to this beautiful place, we had enjoyed it's beauty, serenity and even a shower in the great outdoors. The only camp site visitor we had was a huge hyena that came one night, sadly Den and I slept through the nocturnal visit. Harry and Fiona said it was the biggest hyena they had ever seen!