In early 2020, before the pandemic became a “thing” I booked a safari tour in Botswana.  My goal was to see elephants, something that the nature reserves and National Parks there were famous for.  This was a trip I had been planning in the back of my mind for a couple of years and I finally reached the point where I could go do it.  Then…. March hit and with it the complete halt of any movement anywhere.  It was no surprise that my August trip was canceled.  Like everyone else at the time, I thought the disruption would only last a month or two before the world went back to normal.  But we all found out that was not to be and consequently an adjustment to a new way of living was required.  As 2021 arrived and with it, vaccines against COVID, the possibility of traveling also emerged.  The tour operator contacted me in early March to tell me—the trip was on!

Even with being vaccinated I thought long and hard about the risks related to traveling internationally and to areas where COVID was still prevalent and rising.  However, given that everyone who was going to be on the trip had to have a negative PCR test to participate, including the guides, and given that we were going to be out in the bush and backcountry the whole time, away from people, I decided that I was going to go.   If nothing else, dealing with the pandemic has taught us all flexibility and patience and as the itinerary continued to change based on border situations and capacity, I remained resolved to go.

A map showing the Moremi Game Reserve where we spent several days.

Travel during the pandemic is not easy for anyone.  A whole new cottage industry of PCR testing sites has sprung up globally that support those who are traveling.  Kiosks are now located in major airports and countries heavily dependent on tourism have made efforts to create and staff clinics that provide results in less than a day. I took advantage of this fact when my outgoing flight to Johannesburg was delayed by 24 hours causing my original test to expire beyond the 72 hours before departure requirement.  One of my main worries—that it would be next to impossible to find a place to get a PCR test in Botswana within the necessary window to return home- proved to be groundless.   Botswana has made it very easy for tourists to get the necessary and timely tests.  In Victoria Falls, a Swiss couple I met and traveled with to Zimbabwe, even had a physician show up at the lodge on a Sunday morning to perform a test with results promised by the end of the day to support their travel the following morning.

A map of the Chobe National Park. We spent most of our time along the river in the north, which defines the border with Namibia.

Botswana, located just north of South Africa, consists of the Kalahari Desert in the south and the Okavango Delta, one of the world’s largest inland river deltas, in the northwest.  It was the Okavango Delta and the Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve, located within, that were of interest for me.  August is the dry season and consequently the animals are easier to find, drawn to the rivers and standing water holes, making safaris popular during this time of year. While the original itinerary had changed the basic elements were still present. The safari still visited the major game and National Parks as initially planned, so I was guaranteed to see elephants, so my main goal was sure to be met.  However instead of a full mobile camping safari, we were now going to be staying in lodges.  In a way, it was an upgrade for the same price, although I had been looking forward to camping.

The river next to the fish camp. Nets would be left in the morning across the lagoon and picked up at night.

When I finally got to Maun in late afternoon, my jumping off point for the safari, after a 24-hour delay and yet another PCR test upon landing, I met our guide, Shabba.  We stopped by a store to pick up some water and headed to the lodge, located in the outskirts of the city.  After checking and and getting settled, Shabba asked me if I wanted to take a short walk.  Since I was stiff from sitting on airplanes for the last 24 hours, I agreed, and we wandered into the bush that backed up to the lodge.  The land was being used mainly for cattle, goats and donkeys so we did not see any wildlife. Botswana is working hard to separate domestic animals from the wildlife, especially to control foot and mouth disease which can spread from wild buffalos to cattle.  We did pass several fishing camps, which were temporary camps local families had established by the river, to catch and then dry fish for sale at the market.

It was great to stretch my legs and while we walked, Shabba explained how the trip would unfold.  I was really looking forward to the next day because Shabba and I were going to go camping out for one night in the delta, traveling via mokoro, the traditional dugout canoe used to navigate the narrow channels.  After returning from the camping trip we were headed to a lodge in the bushman village of Khwai for a three night stay during which we would visit the Moremi Game Reserve and the private concession owned by the village.  From Khwai we had one day of a long drive up to Chobe Elephant Park, located in the Chobe National Park for another three-night lodge stay.  Our last day would be in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to see the impressive waterfall the town was named for.    I was super excited about the whole trip!!!!!

One of the many beautiful, dramatic sunsets I saw. I never was able to do them justice through my camera.