Does the wilderness ever call your name? I often hear my name. Today I am answering the call and feeling fortunate to be looking at a packed Afro Trek Safaris vehicle with open air seats and a canvas roof. By 8:30 am our group of eight is ready to head from Maun to Moremi Game Reserve for a three day safari. Qani, Shaka, Shylock and Allan are from Botswana, Trevor is from England, Kelly is an Australian and I am from Canada.
The first 25 kilometres are tarred road, Before leaving the tar we stop along the road to buy firewood, Another 50 kilometres of gravel road brings us to South Gate, one of the Reserves main entrances. While Shylock, our guide, registers the vehicle and occupants we stretch our legs, warm ourselves in the sun and have a cup of hot coffee, We are heading to Khwai, our campsite for the next two nights, The road becomes more a worn trail and often we are holding on to a railings because of the dips and ruts. Heavy seasonal rains have caused considerable damage, The trip is now a game drive and impala. kudu and giraffe are spotted along the way.
Camp is pitched close to the River Khwai. The tents are erected in a semicircle facing our vehicle, portable kitchen and chairs. From time to time our attention is drawn to the peaceful grunts of hippos enjoying themselves in the river. After a light lunch and brief rest, we are ready for the afternoon game drive.
Our camp is in a mopane forest. Elephants like to eat mopane trees for roughage and it is not long before we come upon two elephants feeding themselves as they make their way through the forest, Elephant spore or huge balls of dung are regular occurrences in this kind of habitat, The river is starting to overflow its banks, We explore some of the plains areas that run off the river, Soon the plains we are travelling will be closed off to vehicles by the increasing annual flood. The soft afternoon light gives us a beautiful sighting of a small herd of impala. They are relaxed and grazing quite close to the vehicle. Moving further around the edges of the floodplain we meet 5 or 6 wildebeests - the clown of the plains. They tend to be more animated than other large antelope and often entertain with their characteristic canter and toss of their head and horns.
Getting back to camp at twilight, everyone is pleasantly surprised to see that Shaka has setup our chairs around a bright fire and has refreshments waiting for us on the dining table. Allan, Trevor and Kelly sit together by the fire and reminisce. They last met as a group 25 years ago in Australia, Our safari is part of celebrating their reunion.
Shaka has prepared a tasty curried chicken dish. The stories of these old friends flow around the table, like the quality South African red wine that is washing down the gourmet meal. A bottle of whiskey appears after dinner and the stories become more animated and comical. I feel quite honoured to be sharing some of the highlights from the lives of good friends, No doubt, our safari will become part of the stories of future reunions.
