Il
20 giugno
Elephant
Valley Lodge
Botswana
In
order to get back into Botswana, we had to once again go through two
border crossings; lots of papers to fill out and stamps in our
passports. After a lovely lunch at the Chobe Safari Lodge, we were
driven to the Elephant Valley Lodge, located in the heart of the
Kasane Forest, adjacent to the Chobe National Park. There are twenty
Meru-style tents, beautifully furnished with private showers and
bathroom areas and most are overlooking a waterhole which is a
constant source of animal activity. The Chobe region is home to the
largest population of wild elephants in the world and, after checking
in and getting settled, the five of us got on the jeep in the hot
afternoon sun.
Since
we had already seen literally hundreds of elephants plus great
numbers of giraffes, zebras, cape buffalo, impalas, kudu, sable
antelope, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos, and baboons galore, our
main goal on this drive was to find some cats. It was towards the end
of the drive when we arrived at what seemed like an obscure watering
hole that there, lounging about and relaxing in the afternoon heat,
were eight lions-female adults and juveniles and a couple of
cubs-male and female. We weren't very far away from them and Zambo,
our fearless guide, kept repostitioning our vehicle to get us even
closer. Watching the lions was memerizing and got even more exciting
when a few sable antelope approached the watering hole. Two of the
lions got in stalking position and it only would have been a matter
of time before they attacked. We held our breaths in fascination as
the antelope, keenly sensing danger, ultimately took off into the
hills. It was then getting close to curfew and we needed to get out
of the park quickly so Zambo “floored it” and we held on tightly,
the wind and dust blowing in our faces, as the jeep seemingly flew
over the dirt roads. We celebrated at dinner (roast kudu steaks
outside under the stars, our table facing the waterhole) with plenty
of wine and Italian chocolates; a dessert that I just happened to
have in my suitcase. Hyenas howled and an owl looked down upon
us...to say that it was an extaordinary day in Botswana doesn't come
close...
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