Botswana on a “Budget”
It took me a year to write this post, I’ve been hesitant to write because I left Botswana feeling disappointed. I had built it up so much in my head and due to a variety of factors and mostly my own expectations, I was a bit let down. I hate that I even have this feeling, because Africa is such a special place to me, but this blog is a place for me to share my experiences and not everything is always rainbows and unicorns. On that note, I still would very much like to go back to Botswana, a different time of year and with a little more planning involved.
Botswana had always been the place I dreamed of going. When I was planning my first safari, I had inquired about a safari in the Okavango Delta, and was told by the company I wanted to book with, that they were unable to make it happen for my budget. I was very disappointed, but knew that I would make it happen eventually. Fast forward to Summer of 2023, I was looking into other options for a Botswana safari at the end of the year. November/December is kind of a shoulder season, and rates tend to be a bit less due to the rains coming. All of the quotes I had received were ridiculous, for a few days at lodges that had all these extra amenities that I didn’t need. When I’m in the bush, I want to be in the bush, I don’t need a spa. Botswana is known for being one of the most expensive places to go on safari, so I was trying to find an option that gave me enough time to see everything I wanted, on my budget (my budget in this sense, is about the same amount I’ve spent on previous trips).
After a google search, I found Letaka Safaris, who specialize in mobile camping safaris. Their trips normally run as a group trip, and for the nine night itinerary I did, start at around $3,800, depending on the season. I wanted it fully private so it ended up being significantly more than that. This is not a luxury trip, you can see on their website what accommodations are like, and you will most likely not have cell service for the entire trip. This was my first trip where we weren’t out on a game drive the entire day, so I did not account for the downtime in the middle of the day. If you’re with a group it’s fine but since I was alone, I spent that down time very bored and very hot. The staff were great, and I was amazed by what the chef was able to make given the limited bush kitchen.
I was initially just going to stick with the nine night trip, but decided to add three nights in the beginning at the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, staying at Camp Kalahari. If you’ve seen my photos with the meerkat perched on my head, this is where that happened. I only knew about this place because Nick Kleer, a well known photographer/guide has a viral video of him with the meerkats, and I knew I had to experience that. The Salt Pans in December were very hot and arid, still awaiting the rains. Camp Kalahari offers a variety of activities, which is a great because the wildlife was a little sparse that time of year. Some of the activities they offer include spending time with the human habituated meerkats, exploring the salt pans on ATV, walks with the bushmen, and horseback safaris. I really enjoyed my stay here and definitely recommend Camp Kalahari or one of their sister properties
After leaving Makgadikgadi I flew to the Moremi Game Reserve, in the Eastern side of the Okavango Delta, to meet my guide from Letaka. Over the course of the ten days we would work our way North from Moremi to Kasane, with stops in Mababe Private Reserve, and Savuti. The landscape of the Okavango Delta is stunning and supports a thriving ecosystem. I was so excited to finally be in this place I had only seen in documentaries.
I should have checked my expectations at the gate. I was anticipating nonstop action, but with temperatures soaring, that made for uncomfortable conditions for both human and animal. This is not to knock Letaka, and I believe it came down to campsite availability, while beautiful, the location of our campsite was so far from where most of the reported activity was, that by the time we left in the morning and reached those spots, the sun was up and cooking, and we were too late. In the Delta the vegetation can be a lot thicker -compared to a place like the Serengeti, with it’s open plains, where wildlife is a lot easier to spot and more prominent- so you do have to work harder for your sightings.
I was desperate to see african wild dogs for the first time, there had been reports so we set off to try and track them my first morning. After searching for a while we caught up with them having a rest, they had clearly hunted and looked as if they were settling in for a nap, when a lone impala calf came walking down the path, having clearly been separated from it’s mother and completely unaware of the danger that lay ahead. The dogs perked up as a free meal walked their way, and in a split second they were up and the chase was on, chase that was over before we could even start up our vehicles to follow. As we came around the corner, the dogs had already dispatched the calf, and from kill to feed, the whole thing was over in minutes. Wild dogs are viscious hunters, who have an extremely high kill success rate, which can be gruesome to see.
With everything being said, I am the one to blame for not having as amazing as a time as I thought I was going to, we still saw a lot of wildlife and species I had not seen before, I was just hoping for more action. I learned a lot on this trip and will be keeping those things in mind when planning future trips.
