Botswana
On December 12 we land as planned in Johannesburg. For Michael it is the first time ever in Africa but not for Karin. She has spent six months in Stellenbosch a few years ago. Here in Johannesburg we pick up our 4x4 camper, do some shopping to fill up the fridge and hit the road. Our plan is to just get out of town and find a good camp site on our way to Botswana.
The first night we stop at the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve which is well equipped and we do our first Braai right away. The second night, still in South Africa, we find a sign with the Limpopo Bird Paradise. As it sounds good and we don't have any information about camp sites in this region we follow the signs. For us it really turns out to be a paradise. We can camp directly at the Limpopo surrounded by a vibrant wildlife. The adventure has started already.
Today we finally get to the border to Botswana and our first of many border crossing adventures is about to start. We are not supposed to bring in meat or milk products, have to sign many different papers and pay a road tax in local currency. A currency which you can only get when you are in the country. However, after about two hours of queuing up and doing all what is needed we make it through and are the very first time in Botswana. Was not that bad after all. ;-)
Our first Braai on the first evening in the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve.
Michael is very happy with our new home for the next four weeks.
Camping directly at the Limpopo river.
The adventure has begun already.
Very comfortable camp site with a big pool in Francistown.
We are really impressed by the size of the termite hill.
On our way north we come across the first elephants next to the main road.
The roads here seem to be endless.
Karin making friends with a tame wart hock.
On the other side is Zambia already.
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From here we drive for a few hundred kilometers. The landscape is dominated by bushland not really changing much. After some time it can get a bit boring and so we are happy once we arrive in Francistown. Here at the Marang Casino Hotel + Camping we find a very luxurious site including a big pool. First thing we do is jump into the pool. So far the camp sites are really good and we hope this will continue.
One of the things we wanted to visit is the Nata Sanctuary in the Nata Delta. According to our guide book this should be a great place to watch a lot of birds at this time of the year. As we come there it looks as it has not yet rained and so there is no water. No water means no birds.
In the end we decide to drive further north towards the border to Zimbabwe and Zambia and find a camp directly located at the Chobe river close to Kazungula. Yes, there is much more to see in Botswana, especially the close by Okawango Delta must be breath taking. However, it is very expensive to get in and we decide that we will do this another time.
