An email about Botswana

There was recently a series of emails between Paul and his father which went something along the lines of:

Dad: Are you going to Botswana?

Son: Yes. Why? (Son is thinking that in our travels there may have been some sort of political disturbance and maybe it's not safe to go there)

Dad: I've met a man who has some rellies there.

Silence. And then a few weeks later an email address arrives with very little other information. So we email the niece to see if she has any top tips for the traveller and the reply includes an invitation to stay with her family. You have to love the kiwi connection... and it turns out that this family have a bach just down the road from Paul's parents in NZ.

The Botswanan-Kiwis have a very interesting business. They have a fleet of large trucks to take fuel and supplies into the Okavanga Delta. So in addition to the usual tourist persuits of Chobe, and taking a dugout canoe into the delta for a wilderness camp, we sat in the cab of a truck for 5 hours into and then another 5 hours out of the delta. It was a very cool to see how supplies make it in and had the bonus elements of going through a national park teeming with elephants. We were also invited into the luxury lodge as the truck was unloading and got to see how the other half live.


Elephants in Chobe

Elephants in Chobe


Amy tending the fire in the rain at our wild camp


Paul checking for more rain


Delta views


The way to travel


delta views


Huck Finn


Kermit's homelands


In the speed boat back to Maun, just before being handed an ice cold beer, a far cry from the rains we'd gone out in.


The uber flash lodge


Elephants checking out the truck

Road block