Departure 2014-Mar-14 - 10.00     Arrival 2014-Mar-14 - 14.00

Entering Botswana is not really exciting (and this actually is a good thing!). Many people claimed that boarder-crossings can be time consuming and annoying, especially when bribing is involved. This is the fourth african crossing on my journey and surprisingly every single one has been smooth, with a bit of chit-chat here and there. Having experienced how kind Botswana people are in the Kgaglagadi Park, easy access into the country should not surprise me.

My first stop after the boarder is in Shakave. Here, I wanna find out about road conditions and how the weather has been lately. When I arrive at the campsite of Shakawe River Lodge it rather looks like a little lake or a number of ponds, than a campground; there must have been heavy rain just a few minutes ago. Everything is wet wet wet ...

However, the people can give good advise regarding weather and roads and I even get to spend the night without rain. The sound of roaring hippos and splish-splash of crocodiles puts me into sleep and I am thinking "This feels a lot more like Africa than the other countries before"

Departure 2014-Mar-15 - 10.00     Arrival 2014-Mar-15 - 15.00

Seronga is a secluded place 100km into the delta's panhandle that supposedly doesn't have as many tourists like the delta's capital Maun. So … i take the ferry over the rover and am on my way into the bush.

Not only that roads get washed out by the water but also small rivers turn into impassible ones. Areas of marsh turn into swamps and you need to check which roads are still existing and which ones have disappeared (even though they are marked in the map). I have inquired about the road to Seronga - and people said "Oh - it's bad! There was a lot of rain - but if you get stuck, there will be someone passing by some time to help you" Safe travels ...

The road to Seronga is bad - especially the first 20km. There are big holes and deep muddy ditches, two trucks are completely stuck and look like they will take two weeks to get out. However, the more remote it gets, the better the road gets and eventually it takes 3.5hours for 100km and in the afternoon I arrive in Mbiroba Camp, the poler's trust campground. As usually, there is no one else around besides monkeys and birds. Good ...

The reason to come here is to go on a mokoro-trip. Some people take a week to explore the delta with its islands and wildlife, others (like me) only do a half-day trip. A mokoro is a little wooden boat and the people here use it to navigate through the delta. Traditionally, the poler is standing in the back of the fragile boat, pushing it forward with a long stick. From a distance it looks like a person floating through high grass. The poler's paths merge into bigger paths from hippos, which then lead into lagoons. This area is a paradise for hippos, snakes and crocodiles and all sorts of other creatures!

Now I am sitting in this 'nutshell' going through the Okavango Panhandle for half a day with a guide who will also take me for a walk on one of these islands. Sounds great in the beginning, but when he says "If a snake jumps into the mokoro, do not jump into the water, there are crocodiles!" Suddenly, I am not quite sure if I am the right person for this adventure! Going through this sea of grass is stunning, even though there is plenty of dragonflies, spiders, grasshoppers and everything else you can possibly think of. In the beginning I also don't mind that the sharp edges of the grass are cutting my skin, as this is a truly magical experience...

After an hour or so we slide from a hippo-path into the lagoon - where crocks and hippos spend their days - wait a little while and suddenly one big hippo-head after another pops up to see what is happening up there. Both, them and us are looking at each other … just they make more noise then we do. And it is brilliant!

Once we get to the island, the poler tells me to keep my voice down. "Usually, we see lions, elephants, buffaloes and sometimes leopards here" he tells me while we are walking into the bush. Well, great … but we are W A L K I N G! I am wearing flip-flops and brought some water and my Canon along - that's it! Actually, besides the camera, this makes me being as equipped as my guide. Adventure here I come!

The guide first finds some buffalo tracks which we start to follow but then he bumps into a fresh elephant path that he gets excited about. We are passing mud-holes where it was bathing in, see destroyed trees that it must have been feeding on. One thought constantly goes around in my head "but … what if … this elephant will be appearing behind the next bush! ... or the leopard ... or the lion?!?!?!"

My guide gets a little disappointed when the path leads to the edge of the water. Here, the elephant must have decided to leave this island and go onto the next. Phiu … lucky me! Now I only have to make the walk back to the boat, which is another hour through the heat…. and I do get a little freaked out when we find lions tracks in the sand "They are old .. two weeks, maybe one! Are you scared??" the guide looks at me with surprise. Well, how could I be - with him being so calm and confident.

continue with ... Chobe