Week 56 May 1-8 Part IV: Camp Okavango, Botswana

Our final stop in Botswana was Camp Okavango in the middle of the delta.  This was the founding camp of what has now become the eight camp conglomerate of today.  Because the camp was established in the early 80's, it was time for a renovation.  We were fortunate to be some of the first guests to stay at the newly renovated camp.  The lodges were amazing.  Desert and Delta spared no expense to make the site luxurious and eco-friendly.  Built entirely on elevated boardwalks and run completely on solar power, the lodge attempts to make as little impact on the environment as possible.  And the accommodations themselves were spacious and comfortable.  You often felt guilty of being too dirty from the day's adventures to enter your own room.

In terms of activities, Okavango was different yet again from our previous experiences.  There were three options to pick from: a "mocorro" canoe tour, a game walk, and a delta boat ride.  We were led on these adventures by our guides Moffat and Kops.  The canoe trip was peaceful, with Kops guiding us with only a long pole to propel and steer.  With the exception of beautiful frogs, we did not see much wildlife up close, but it was a relaxing ride.

A peaceful delta

Chris, Andy and Moffat

On the game walk, it was great to get to stretch our legs, but also a bit frightening to not be in a vehicle.  In the end, most animals stayed pretty far away from us, but it was fun to get a slower perspective on land (and get a little exercise).  The boat trip was very similar to the one we had experienced in Moremi, but with more papyrus lined canals than open water.  One of the most memorable experiences at Camp O was the star gazing.  As mentioned before, the night sky in Botswana is so clear with no light pollution present.  Stars, planets, and galaxies are easily visible with the naked eye.  We had already enjoyed the experience of looking up with wonder after dark at the other camps, but Okavango was unique.  With the new renovation, they added a boardwalk that went straight out into the grasslands.  Once you were out on it, there were no trees to block your view.  On our last night at camp, Moffat led us out to the end of the boardwalk, and we all turned off our flashlights.  It was the most open and unadulterated view of the night sky we had ever seen.  We stayed staring in awe until our necks were too sore to keep looking up.

Stretching our legs

But watching for lions!

Moffat made Tyler a necklace out of a water lily

Another amazing sunset

The final topic we haven't yet discussed throughout our safari adventure: our fellow travelers.  Each camp had a maximum of 24 visitors at a time, and we were 4 of those.  You interact with all of the other guests at each meal time, and we were paired with another 2-4 people for all activities.  Needless to say, you get to know a bit more about your fellow travelers than your average hotel stay.  We quickly learned that we were the youngest and least wealthy safari adventurers.  Most of the other guests were staying for multiple weeks in Botswana on a semi-retirement tour.  Most were not American (Australians and Germans seemed to dominate and sometimes conflict).  And all of them had interesting life stories that they were willing to share.  The degrees of wealth and fame got us a bit too excited about who we might possibly rub shoulders with at the dinner table.  When checking out at Moremi, Chris happened to see that one of the next guests arriving was only noted by one name: Adele.  After long breathless moments of waiting to see the diva descend the bush plane steps, it turns out this Adele was not the one we'd hoped.  In the end, we met some very interesting and enjoyable people from all over the world, and interacting with them was a bit of an unexpected highlight of the trip.

And just like that, our safari adventure was over.  We packed up at Camp Okavango, and we started the very long journey back to real life.  We never expected to travel to Africa at any point soon in our lives.  And when Chris and Andy pitched the idea to us, we had come up with a lot of reasons not to go.  Looking back, we can't believe that we ever doubted the idea for a second.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget.  It was made even more unforgettable by getting to have that experience with our best friends.  Getting to talk and laugh with those guys anywhere in the world would have been enjoyable, but we were fortunate enough to get to do so in one of the world's few remaining preserved natural environments.  In the running for "Best Trip Ever," this one is going to be hard to top.        

Links for the future safari adventurers of the group!
1. Conservation Safari Company - We booked our safari with Jamie Thom and Conservation Safari Company.  He was awesome and designed the perfect trip for us!
2. Desert and Delta Safaris - Other than Victoria Falls, all of the safari camps that we visited were owned  by Desert and Delta.  We loved the staff, the facilities and of course the animals!  We enjoyed living in the lap of luxury in the middle of the bush.
3. Victoria Falls Hotel - Great hotel within walking distance of the falls.