Botswana – Overlanding & the Okavango Delta

Last summer, I joined a 27-day group camping tour with G Adventures through Africa. We started the tour in Johannesburg, South Africa and then headed north to Botswana where we would spend the next several days. During the first part of this journey, we experienced long drives, our first border crossing, and the incredible Okavango Delta.

Our First Long Lando Ride

We were up before sunrise to start our long overland journey on the Lando, the overland vehicle that we would become very familiar with by the end of the tour. On our first full day, we had an 8-hour drive as well as a border crossing to experience. The Lando was fairly comfortable at least, and we stopped for bathroom and snack breaks every couple of hours to break up the monotony. The landscape was pretty boring, and the only “exciting” part of the day was seeing lots of cows on the side of the road (right beside the highway). I was glad we had a driver that knew how to avoid hitting them.

Cows crossing the highway

Before long we were at the South Africa-Botswana land border. There were tons and tons of semis lined up; we learned that most of these drivers were passing through to Zambia. Some of them will sit at the border for up to a week waiting for a visa! There were many makeshift stores by the road selling food and other items for the truckers. The crossing itself was uneventful, except that each of us had to step on a wet sponge to prevent the spread of hand, foot, and mouth disease (I’m not sure how that helps, but okay). We were officially in a new country!

A very long line of trucks at the South Africa-Botswana border

Eventually we arrived at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Serowe, Botswana where we got our first glimpse of the Lando’s capabilities.  Several cars in front of us had gotten stuck in the deep sand, and we had to wait for them to be pulled out before we could move. Thanks to our expert driver Philip, our vehicle made it through to the campsites (we all had to get out to lighten the load, though). Once that excitement was over, we learned how to set up our tents for the first time. I struggled with mine since it was my first time camping, but my tent-mate and I were eventually successful with a bit of help from our guide. We had a stir fry for dinner and then had marshmallows around the fire while getting to know each other a bit. We went to bed early since we had another early wake-up the next morning.

Rhino Warning – Not a sign you see at most campgrounds!

A Rare Rhino Sighting

The next morning we went on a sunrise safari drive in the rhino sanctuary, where we saw wildebeest, jackals, zebras, elks, and a giraffe. The drive was really cold, and people on the edges of the vehicles kept getting hit with branches (myself included). The drive was worth it, however, because towards the end we saw a white rhino with her baby! These are quite elusive, so we were all very excited to see one so close. We learned that white rhinos are less dangerous than black rhinos because they tend to run rather than attack – what a relief!

After the safari, we packed our lunches and got on the road around 9 AM. It was another uneventful ride with lots more cows on the side of the road. We set up camp at the Sedia Hotel Campgrounds in Maun and enjoyed the pool and the WiFi. The hotel served a really good buffet for dinner, and we all enjoyed getting to know each other further. We also packed a small daypack which would be our only luggage for the next day’s overnight excursion.

Into the Okavango Delta

We had a slightly later start to the morning and were picked up by small safari vehicles to head into the Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world. The ride was around 2 hours long and felt exactly like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland – bumpy and jerky. I was glad I took Dramamine! After that adventure we switched to mokoros, which are traditional canoe-like vessels. We sailed through the reeds for what felt like ages. The ride was surprisingly peaceful despite being so low to the water. We saw a group of hippos from afar as well as a small crocodile.

A mokoro ride through the Delta

Our friendly mokoro poler!

Eventually we made it to our bush campsite, where we would have no utilities or running water for the night (we were instructed to each bring 5 liters of water). We were introduced to our bush toilet which consisted of a seat, a shovel, and a hole in the ground. They at least included toilet paper which was a nice surprise! We had a quick lunch and then took a short mokoro ride to a swimming section of the delta. The water was freezing, but it was a fun time. Some group members even tried to steer their own mokoro which made for a good laugh.

A very fine piece of plumbing

Swimming in the Okavango Delta

Later that afternoon, we went on a walking safari and saw antelope, zebra, giraffes, and leaping impala. We also saw a group of elephants. It was interesting being on foot (and just a little bit scary). On our way back we heard a hippo in the nearby lagoon that sounded like it was laughing – so creepy!

We had dinner and then fireside entertainment from our mokoro guides. After a fun evening we headed to bed, but not before our guides taught us about hippo safety and how to avoid any attacks from these dangerous animals. Their two pieces of advice were to stay in your tent unless it’s an emergency; and, if you really needed to get up in the night, look outside for any red eyes first. If you see any, slowly zip up your tent and stay put. Easy enough…

Thankfully I was able to remain in my tent throughout the night. I was, however, woken up by nearby hippos. If you’ve never heard a hippo before, look it up! They are extremely loud. A group of them were playing around in the water throughout the night, and I was woken up every hour until morning. At one point I heard the loud stomping that our guides warned us about, meaning that they were actually walking through our camp. They would take a few slooowwww stomps, then pause for a minute, then repeat. It was absolutely terrifying knowing how dangerous these animals are, but it was also an incredible experience. Looking back, this was probably my favorite memory of the whole trip! Our time in Botswana was off to an unbelievable start.

Our campground at sunset