Entabeni

As you drive into Entabeni game reserve, the huge rock that towers above the upper plains comes into view. Though I've been there three times this season, but it's still a sight that fills me with joy... maybe it's the hibernating geologist in me that stirs at the sight?

Usually there is also plenty of antelopes and other game grazing in the area, really perfecting the picture.

The altitude of the upper section of the reserve is a few hundred metres higher than the lower and therefore also a bit chillier, with misty mornings... almost romantically so some days.

Travelling down the 2 km long Yellowwood road the first time is an exhilarating experience and I always get the urge to throw myself off the highest cliff and soar like an eagle down into the valley below. However, since my flying abilities are more like those of a penguin, it will have to wait..? Not all the guests were impressed with the road and actually complained that the bush is too uncomfortable and bumpy!

With this view though, comfort is not the priority I would say.

Descending out of the mist into the more varied vegetation of the lower section, the scenery changes dramatically. Water lily filled dams truly make the beautiful background of the escarpment justice.

As you go up to the plains again, you can't always see more than a couple of metres of the road in front of you, which is rather disconcerting at night, as anything may show up in the dark. One night, as we were making our way back up along the steepest part of Yellowwood, a wildebeest surprised us on the narrow road, but maybe not as much as we surprised him.

I thought he would have a heart attack as he froze for a second in the bright headlights of the game viewer, before rushing past us down hill with gravel flying around him as he went... making MY heart skip a beat.

On a late evening ascent we came across a fairly sluggish puffadder at the top. Guests often ask about snakes and whether they are common, but this was actually my first sighting at Entabeni, on the last drive of the season!

In the cool night, the slow moving serpent was of course the centre of attention while flashes cut through the night, before making our way to a braai under the starry African night sky.

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Reptile rescue

Chobe National park in northern Botswana is probably best known for its number of elephants and large herds. Viewing these large animals calmly feeding on the river banks, as we slowly passed them on a river boat was fantastic.

We also went out on three drives in the park and thereby managed to see four of the big five, but who's counting, right ;-)

Even though I was glad that the guests got to experience the big game on this trip, I think the most photographed creature of our Chobe experience was probably of the smaller variety... at the lodge! Around lunch time one of the days, there was a huge commotion down by the water. Of course one of my guests came running, as they had noticed my fascination with the slithering sort.

This poor dude was just chilling out, hiding amongst the dry leaves on the river bank. But of course someone had spotted the puffadder, as it made the mistake of actually shifting position slightly. As always when a snake is discovered I get a bit nervous that it won't end well. Soon quite an audience had assembled and not only the human kind...

The vervet monkeys at Chobe River lodge are extremely cheeky and also rather aggressive. As I tried to chase one of them away from the lunch table one day, it made a couple of mock charges... but I could see in his eyes that the third time would most probably be very real and I gave up the chase, although standing my ground to defend my food, of course. Eventually it decided to raid another table a bit further away. They don't have much respect for females, no matter how confident you initially feel...

 

The lodge staff had fortunately called the nearby reptile centre and to everyone's delight, they showed up about an hour later.

The puffadder was quickly secured by the reptile guy and and he received quite a round of applause and some cheers. I guess we were all happy to see the snake safely removed by his hands, instead of a shovel...

...Well, maybe the other primates in the audience weren't as appreciative ;-)

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Delta danger II

Before heading off to Namibia I had bought myself a so-called black light, an ultraviolet torch. This is used by weirdos to look for scorpions in the dark of night, so I of course had to get one! Namibia is absolutely crawling with these arachnids in some places, but to my disappointment I didn't find any in the desert, as I had expected. But, as usual, when you stop looking for something – you find it... and not always where you expect.

I was going to bed the second night at Guma lodge in Botswana, on the western outskirts of Okavango, and was conducting my usual bed time routine of getting all the delta's mosquitoes and other bugs out from underneath my mosquito net. I couldn't believe my eyes when I found the smallest scorpion I've ever seen, on the inside of the mosquito net! This creature wasn't more than 2.5 cm long, but had a proportionally large tail and small pincers... and we all know what that means; danger!

I didn't waste any time, but jumped out of bed as if it was on fire and rushed into the bathroom, grabbing a glass and leaping back into bed again. Carefully scooping it into the one glass and covering it with another, I was satisfied to have caught it and thoroughly enjoyed my new toy (the torch) for quite a while, before falling to sleep with my temporary pet in a glass next to my bed.

The tiny creature was passed around the dinner table next evening, before we went out in the dark so that I could show off my black light and explain about the fluorescent chemicals in the exoskeleton, etc. I realize I should have taken a photograph or two, but for once in my life, I was too fascinated to think of it, so I'm borrowing a picture, to give an idea of what they look like in ultraviolet light; awesome!

Me and two of the rangers spent over two hours each, trying to identify the creature, but didn't get any the wiser. We finally agreed it was probably a Deathstalker, or a relative thereof. Could there be a better name for a scorpion?! Of course I released this little guy, sneaking away to do so, in case someone hadn't bonded with him and wanted him gone.

Some guests were a bit confused as to why a person walks around with an ultraviolet torch... Me? I'm just questioning the fact that I didn't buy one ages ago.

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Delta danger I

Mokoros these days are made out of fibreglass, but look real enough not to irritate the crocodiles too much. Apparently crocs aren't keen on modern looking canoes and sometimes attack them!

Each Mokoro was to be whisked through the papyrus jungle by a poler. When this word was first used, I immediately had a couple of worrisome associations...

The trip started with an adrenaline kick, as we set out in a small speedboat and quite soon came to a halt when the shallow canal we were travelling on was found to be blocked by dead reeds and papyrus. The captain didn't say that we were going to go through, he said we would attempt to; probably just a trick to make it more exciting... but it worked!

As we flew over the obstacle and then continued speeding through thick vegetation, I half expected to find myself being chased by a villain from a James Bond movie, surreal.

I've dreamt of going into the Okavango delta for many years and once there, it actually felt rather dreamlike. Quietly we were poled through the fairytale beauty of the canals covered in water lilies. Bee eaters, comorants and Jacanas were everywhere with Fish eagles over-looking our progress.

The morning in the delta was awesome, with a light breeze keeping the mosquitoes at bay. Once in a while tiny lime green frogs hitched a ride, but jumped off just before I had a chance to get a great picture. The spotted one was a bit more co-operative and hung around until I promtly evicted him.

When the breeze subsided a few hours later, both the heat and the mosquitoes started to become a bit of a nuisance. Fortunately one of these could easily be partly relieved, as I had brought an umbrella... I did feel rather colonial though.

The miniature vampires of the delta had a splendid day. That evening I'm not sure if I gained or lost nutrients and calories by going to dinner, as I apparently have the sweetest blood on the Swedish buffet. I didn't know it at the time, but the irritating little buggers had also left me a present...

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Dusty in the desert

The main reasons I fell in love Namibia is its eerie beauty. This vast and sparsely populated country really grabs hold of me; I was hooked even before I first visited fifteen years ago! Maybe it is a bit weird having a favourite type of landscape, but I kind of like a setting that punches you in the face with its presence.

As we left Windhoek behind and travelled south, the more desert-like our surroundings grew and reminded me of how it felt the first time I was here. Once again the condition of the roads impressed me, just as the German straightness of them... not too sure that the group shared my point of view though.

One thing that most aren't prepared for is the absolute vastness of this country, twice the size of Sweden, with only about 20% of its population; road trips here entail many hours in a vehicle. Our trusted Dusty, a rattling and uncomfortable old truck, pushed on, deeper into the hot embrace of the Namib Naukluft.

Two nights here is not enough, but if you're on a tight schedual, I guess it'll have to do. In the evening I decided to give my new toy, a black light (torch with ultraviolet light), a go... disappointment! I didn't find even one scorpion and gave up after overturning stones like mad for half an hour. If any of my guests saw me, they were probably contemplating calling for medical help.

 

We set out before daybreak the first morning, to be able to watch the sunrise at Dune 45, as you're supposed to... and as most people who come here do.

Climbing the 170 metre high dune though is breathtaking in more than one way and is definitely not for everyone, as I soon discovered. Maybe not the sort of activity you normally think of when conducting tours for 60+ groups! Some did however surprise, showing off antelope-like leaps up the entire height of the sand mountain.

The desert of the Namib Naukluft Park is a photographers dream, with its contrasts between the deep blue sky and the reddish dunes. One should probably stay from sunrise to sunset to make the most of it and capture the scenery in different lighting, but this trip didn't make laziness like that possible, onwards!

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