Double Rainbow!

Double rainbow@

As we park the Landie outside of Zambia's customs office, the rain slows and a double rainbow appears in the distance. I get the feeling we are going to like Botswana! Customs are a breeze, and we board the ferry to cross the mighty Zambezi. More rains come but upon arrival at the Botswana side, they cease and the rainbow is back. Excellent. We arrive at Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane in time for a sundowner by the fabulous pool. It's lovely, & the many rich pensioners that surround us would likely attest. It's a huge property, and one of the nicest places we've camped thus far.

But the lodge is not the main event – we are here to visit Chobe National Park, the 3rd largest park in Botswana with one of the largest concentration of game in Africa. We arrive in the Serondela Area of the park around midday to avoid the morning rush of the commercial vehicles, and stay until sunset. This area of the park has a lush floodplain surrounding the Chobe River, and is teeming with wildlife. We see at least 1,000 buffalo, 1,000 elephant, a lion, sable, many giraffe, carmine bee eaters, lilac breasted rollers, baboon, dazzles of zebra, many species of antelope... and on our way out we encounter a spitting cobra and angry and trumpeting bull elephant! If that's not enough, we are lucky to enjoy the most beautiful sunset of our trip thanks to the persistence and driving of the South African. Elephants were drinking at the riverfront as the sun set behind them. Incredible. Back at our campsite, we enjoyed hippo, tons of birds, warthog, impala, baboon, vervet monkeys, and of course the very fancy pool & sunset cocktails! One of the nights was Aussie #2's birthday, and the South African even managed to bake a delicious chocolate cake over the fire. The crew votes we stay a few days to soak up the luxury before heading off into the bush and to see what else wild Botswana has to offer!

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