soccerdad72
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- Oct 23, 2012
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After a short 40 minute flight, we had about a 30 minute jeep ride to the next stop, Camp Xakanaka. We arrived, got settled in and went right back out on an afternoon game drive / sundowner. Maybe 5 minutes outside the camp, we came across a family of elephants. We were so close that we had to back up the safari truck to let one go by. A very nice afternoon drive with a lot of other animals as well. One thing we hadn’t seen yet were any of the big cats, like lions, leopards and cheetahs. That would change the next day.
Wonderful dinner again - one of the things we loved about the camps is that you are at large tables with many of the same people you’re on game drives with, so you really get a chance to meet others.
Next morning, same routine. Early morning wake up, breakfast and game drive. Early in the drive, we spotted a leopard who ended up walking right by the vehicle. We literally could reach out and pet it (obviously, that wouldn’t have been a good idea
). Turns out, that wasn’t even the highlight of the morning. A little after that, we watched a couple female lions sitting on top of a grass mound. We were like 10 feet from these lions. Towards the end of the drive, our guide spotted another female lioness, this one coming towards a herd of lechwe (deer-like animals). The next 20 minutes, we watched it creep closer while the herd watched her approach. For some reason, they didn’t all scatter right away. Turned out to be a big mistake for one of them, as she went from walking to jogging to full out running and dove and took down the lechwe, then dragged it by it’s neck back to her pride. It was both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. And also something that few get to experience. Others in our group said they’ve been on numerous safaris, but never seen this before.
In the afternoon, they added a sunset boat drive on the river, which was a nice change. We got a chance to see things from a different angle, including an up close look at an elephant who came down to the water to feed. And when we returned, we got to see Oscar, the resident hippo who walks through the camp just about every day. They’ve learned that he’s pretty docile, but make sure everyone gives him a wide berth, just in case.
We didn’t end up having a morning drive the next day because our flight to the next camp was earlier than usual (9am) but it did give us a chance to sleep in a little, so that wasn’t so bad. I’ll try to post a couple pics, but by this point, I’ve just about stopped taking many, since my family has informed me I’m not very good at it
Next up: the Savuti marsh region of Chobe National Park (Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge)
Wonderful dinner again - one of the things we loved about the camps is that you are at large tables with many of the same people you’re on game drives with, so you really get a chance to meet others.
Next morning, same routine. Early morning wake up, breakfast and game drive. Early in the drive, we spotted a leopard who ended up walking right by the vehicle. We literally could reach out and pet it (obviously, that wouldn’t have been a good idea
). Turns out, that wasn’t even the highlight of the morning. A little after that, we watched a couple female lions sitting on top of a grass mound. We were like 10 feet from these lions. Towards the end of the drive, our guide spotted another female lioness, this one coming towards a herd of lechwe (deer-like animals). The next 20 minutes, we watched it creep closer while the herd watched her approach. For some reason, they didn’t all scatter right away. Turned out to be a big mistake for one of them, as she went from walking to jogging to full out running and dove and took down the lechwe, then dragged it by it’s neck back to her pride. It was both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. And also something that few get to experience. Others in our group said they’ve been on numerous safaris, but never seen this before.In the afternoon, they added a sunset boat drive on the river, which was a nice change. We got a chance to see things from a different angle, including an up close look at an elephant who came down to the water to feed. And when we returned, we got to see Oscar, the resident hippo who walks through the camp just about every day. They’ve learned that he’s pretty docile, but make sure everyone gives him a wide berth, just in case.
We didn’t end up having a morning drive the next day because our flight to the next camp was earlier than usual (9am) but it did give us a chance to sleep in a little, so that wasn’t so bad. I’ll try to post a couple pics, but by this point, I’ve just about stopped taking many, since my family has informed me I’m not very good at it
Next up: the Savuti marsh region of Chobe National Park (Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge)
. Seriously though, from all that I've researched, it's quite lucky to get to see that on a drive. I've been watching 
