August 3rd, 2016

Day 125: The Okavango Delta – Day 2

We had a 5AM wake-up call for our morning game drive. Since it was still dark and we are not allowed to walk from our tent alone, the staff knocked on our doors to wake us up at 5, then returned at 5:30AM to bring us to breakfast. After some yogurt and coffee, we hopped into our private safari vehicle with our guide, Katy, and drove off just before sunrise.

A herd of zebra graze as the sun rises over the Okavango Delta

A herd of giraffes appear in the mist

 

All the giraffes are at attention! Our guide, Katy, knows this is a sign that a predator is nearby – sure enough, when we follow their eyesight, we spot a mother lion and her two cubs! We start to follow them, until a pair of loud roars in the bushes scares the lions off – apparently this threesome is new to the area, and a male and his mate were warning the newcomers to back off. We searched for the dominant pair, but lost them in the bush.

 

More animals grazing on the delta grasses – a lone ostrich and a solitary elephant

 

More lions! This female and her two cubs are regulars in the area. The cubs are about 2 years old – the male is starting to grow a nice mane!

 

Yawning lions

 

Brother and sister lion play-bite a little, before settling down together

 

A family of lions, enjoying the beautiful morning

After viewing 6 lions (and hearing another 2), we already thought the game drive was a smashing success, but Katy wasn’t done yet! He got an alert on the radio that a pair of cheetahs had showed up next to the Kadizora camp! Since we were about 2.5 hours into our game drive, we were not close to camp – Katy apologized in advance, “I don’t usually drive this fast, but we have to catch those cheetahs!” What followed was the craziest, speed-demon drive through the bush we could have imagined! It’s like we got an African rollarcoaster ride as a bonus to our game drive! Katy got us back to camp in under an hour, and we were rewarded with a magnificent view of two cheetahs.

 

A pair of cheetahs looking out over the plains

 

This cheetah is still waking up

 

We could have watched them for ages, but the cats eventually got hungry and got up to start hunting. We would have followed them, but Katy was worried that the safari vehicle would scare off their prey. Since the cheetahs looked like juveniles, he thought it would be better for their wellfare to hunt in peace.

 

It’s only 10:30AM, and we feel we’re had a very productive day! Time to relax at the Kadizora Camp

 

After a delicious al fresco lunch, Lindsay decides to catch up on her book and take a dip in the (freezing!) pool

 

Igor can’t sit still that long, so he and Katy head out to the riverbank to try some fishing. If you ask Katy, a hippo caught the line and dragged the safari vehicle into the mud – that’s how it got stuck and needed to be towed. Oh, and I guess we are supposed to believe a crocodile ate Igor’s fish, too?

For our afternoon activity, we joined two other couples on a motorboat ride along the river for some bird watching. The Okavango Delta is home to 400+ types of birds – a bird watchers paradise! Igor and Lindsay like birds OK, don’t get us wrong, but we couldn’t quite match the enthusiasm of our fellow tourists. Hopefully we weren’t being too rude with our snarky attitude.

 

Lots of birds. White ones and black ones.

 

Marabou Stork (part of the “Ugly Five) and Saddle-billed Stork

 

A regale Fish Eagle, some type of goose, and another stunning Lilac-Breasted Roller

 

More storks.

 

CROCODILES! Now *these* are interesting! Especially when the guy in the water snapped at one of the storks.

 

Lindsay and Igor just can’t get *that* excited about birds – unike the rest of the group. All the birds are just standing there…it would be so much more interesting if something scared them and they all started flying away…gee, what would happen if Lindsay jumped up and suddenly raised her arms?!? Ooops! Did I do that? J

 

Sundowner drinks on the Okavango Delta

 

The sun turns the sky red, and slowly sinks behind an acacia tree – breathtaking

 

Back at camp, Benjamin the elephant wanders by at dusk – yup, we need an escort back to our tent!

Turn-down service, complete with hot-water bottles in our beds! LOVE this camp!