On the hunt for Wild dogs in Botswana
“Half an hour later, we hit the jackpot as a group of Wild Dogs was simply sleeping in the middle of the sandy track.”
Location: Zambia – Botswana
Accommodation: Zambezi Sun (Zambia), Kwando Lagoon Camp (Chobe, Botswana), Kwando Lebala Camp (Linyanti, Botswana) & Kwara Camp (Moremi, Botswana)
Travel Period: May
Temperature: 32-35°C
Days 1 & 2: Livingstone – Zambia
On Friday, we departed via Frankfurt to Johannesburg, where we continued to Livingstone in Zambia on Saturday morning. As a stopover on our way to Botswana, we decided to take a detour to Victoria Falls. From the air, we had a beautiful view of the salt flats of the Makgadikgadi pans and then a first glimpse of the famous waterfalls. Once we landed in Livingstone, we took a taxi, and half an hour later, we were at our hotel, the Zambezi Sun. This comfortable hotel is quite large, but it has one advantage: you can easily walk to the waterfalls, which we did immediately. The rainy season had just ended, causing the water level of the Zambezi to be very high. This resulted in the water thundering down with such force that it created a huge mist, making the view of the falls itself rather poor. Apparently, the period from October to November is the best time to get a clear view of the grandeur of this natural wonder. In the evening, we had dinner at the hotel, which turned out to be quite expensive. Price-quality ratio was not really optimal.
Day 3: Trip to Botswana, Chobe National Park
Before we were picked up the next morning to drive to Botswana, we were already back at the waterfalls at sunrise. The view was slightly better then, but it was mainly a beautiful rainbow reflecting in all that water turmoil that washed away our slight disappointment.
Around 11:00, our taxi arrived, taking us to Kasane Airport. First, a journey of about an hour, followed by a short trip on a ferry across the Zambezi River. Once on the other side, it was just a short ride to the small airport. There, a 4-seater Cessna was waiting for us for the flight to our first Kwando Camp, Lagoon. It was a beautiful flight over Chobe National Park. An interesting observation: it felt like we were already in the delta, with so much water along the banks of the Chobe River. After a short hour of flying, we landed on the dusty airstrip and were taken to the camp. We had specifically come to Lagoon for the African Wild Dogs, and it turned out they had spotted a group of 17 in the morning. At lunch, we were offered a delicious meal and met Bill and Jacque, two Americans who were so motivated to find Wild Dogs that they might be the perfect company for us. The camp was beautifully situated on the Kwando River. After lunch, we quickly tested our cameras on some photogenic Malachite Kingfishers and Bee-eaters. Around half past four, we finally headed out to find our dogs. Half an hour later, we hit the jackpot as a group of Wild Dogs was simply sleeping in the middle of the sandy track. We let them wake up peacefully, and around 5 o’clock, their typical greeting ritual announced their hunt. Would we witness a Wild Dog kill? We were curious because the dense vegetation of the landscape wouldn’t make it easy to follow them.
The Kwando concession covers 232,000 hectares with various types of vegetation. The upper part where Lagoon camp is located is densely wooded. Our guide, Pete, seemed to have the annoying habit of going into complete overdrive when he chased these creatures. In other words, we embarked on a crazy ride, not suitable for tourists with a hernia. After a wild chase, night gradually fell. We waited until it was pitch dark, and the dogs clearly showed signs of going to sleep. Given the concentration of lions and leopards in the area, it’s logical that Wild Dogs don’t hunt at night and prefer to keep a low profile until sunrise.
Day 4: Kwando Camp Lagoon, Botswana
Early in the morning, it was all hands on deck to return as quickly as possible to where we had left the dogs eight hours earlier. To our great surprise, our predators had already left. That was a bit of a disappointment. We started looking for tracks, a search that took a total of 12 hours. Disappointed, we stood watching a Kudu just before sunset, one of the few animals we had seen in the dense forest that day. And suddenly, we heard a terrible scream. Pete was once again in ecstasy, even worse than the previous evening. This was clearly about a kill. After a 5-minute drive like a bunch of lunatics, seatbelts securely fastened in the open jeep, we stood face to face with the dogs in the midst of an Impala lunch. What a climax after quite an exhausting day!
Day 5: Trip to Kwando Lebala Camp, Botswana
After our second night in Lagoon Camp, we decided to go on an all-day game drive, driving straight to our second camp within the Kwando concession, Lebala. The vegetation became thinner and thinner, and wildlife sightings improved significantly. There was also a sharp increase in the number of animals. So, if you don’t see any dogs in Lagoon, there’s very little to experience there. Here in Lebala, within an hour, we saw elephants, a Brown Snake Eagle, large herds of zebras and wildebeests, many birds, and three male cheetahs. After our drive, we quickly deposited our luggage at the beautiful tented camp and then headed back to the cheetahs, hoping they would go hunting. However, we knew they had eaten an Impala that morning, so the chances of them hunting were slim. Suddenly, near the cheetahs, a mother warthog appeared with her kids, spontaneously chasing the cheetahs away. After a short charge by the warthog, the cheetahs chose to settle down in the setting sun. Suddenly, they were startled again, this time by two Wild Dogs chasing an Impala. We once again chased after these two dogs like madmen, but it didn’t yield much result. When the sun had long disappeared, we were treated to a trumpet concerto by a group of elephants trying to chase away the dogs.
Day 6: Kwando Lebala Camp, Botswana
After our first night in Lebala, we quickly came across three lionesses trying to lure a wildebeest into an ambush. How that hunt ultimately failed remains a mystery to me. What a missed photo opportunity! A little later, a beautiful male lion emerged from the woods, and the quartet settled neatly next to our jeep on a small hill. During the afternoon game drive, we returned to the lions, but they were gradually entering an adjacent concession (Selinda), so we could no longer follow them. Just before sunset, we stumbled upon a group of lechwes crossing a waterhole, which resulted in some beautiful photos against the orange evening light.
Day 7: Trip to Kwara Camp, Okavango Delta,
Botswana
After a morning game drive without noteworthy sightings and bidding farewell to our American friends Bill and Jacque, they picked us up shortly after noon for a flight to the Okavango Delta. For the next two days, we stayed in the Kwara concession, in the camp of the same name. This area borders the famous Moremi Game Reserve, which gave us hope for two days filled with wildlife. For the first time during our stay in Botswana, we felt like we were in a watery environment. Larger areas were flooded, but I had imagined it to be even more spectacular. Quite often, we drove around in a completely dry and dusty environment. Along the way, we saw a very beautiful saddle-billed stork and, shortly after, came face to face with a very relaxed leopard. In the dark, we also spotted a porcupine and a genet.
Day 8: Kwara Camp, Moremi Game Reserve
We had just left the camp and took a detour to the airstrip. They were busy building dams there to keep the airstrip dry, which suggested that the water was gradually encroaching on the area. Suddenly, in the middle of a narrow sandy track, there was a lioness. And a little later, we discovered another group of lions hidden in the dense bushes, feasting on a warthog. A bit further, a group of waterbucks stood in the middle of a pond. They allowed us to approach quite closely, resulting in some nice photos. Shortly after lunch, we set off again, this time by boat. What began as a beautiful journey along a flooded area ended somewhat sadly when the heavens opened above the delta. And when you’re on an open boat and still have to sail back for over an hour, you get wet. Drenched. But despite the rain, it was still a nice change from all the jeep rides. Due to the rain, our evening game drive was somewhat dampened. There weren’t many drops falling anymore, but the dark, cloudy sky didn’t provide the best light for taking photos. On the way, we encountered 4 male lions belonging to the “magnificent seven.” These 7 lions often seek each other’s company, but for a large part of the year, the group splits up.
Day 9: Last Day at Kwara Camp, Botswana
We started the day with a long search for a leopard that had been briefly seen in the tall grass. Unfortunately, he outsmarted us, and we continued to our two lionesses that had apparently been spotted. That turned out to be true, and they were still on the hunt, despite the fact that it was already quite warm. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a group of warthogs that were immediately surrounded. Would we finally witness a real kill during this safari? The tension rose, and the ambush was optimized. After minutes of silence, you could only hear those pigs eating. One of the lionesses suddenly lunged forward, but the prey managed to escape. No kill. The lionesses then settled on a nice termite mound, which provided a few more beautiful snapshots. After that, we had to quickly return to the camp for our flight to Maun. After bidding farewell to the camp staff, we headed for the airstrip. On the way, our tracker thought he smelled something suspicious. So, we went off-road for a moment, and to our great surprise, a male lion was sleeping behind a bush, one minute from our camp. A nice last sighting to end this safari. During our flight to Maun, we finally got a picture of the delta as we know it from documentaries. Large areas completely submerged in water. With a green layer on top, with a trail of hippos in between. And large groups of water lilies here and there. If we ever come back to the delta, I want to be right in the middle of it, even though you can’t move around so easily.
All in all, a beautiful safari with the Wild Dogs as an absolute highlight. As for the environment, you can best compare the area to Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania. But of course, it’s a lot less flying.”
Stijn Cavens
