Following an afternoon nap and refreshing dip in a swimming hole, our group climbs into the mekoros (dugout canoes) for a sunset wildlife walk. Our polers (men standing on the back of the mekoros) push us further down the river to a new location. Everything is bathed in golden light.
Before long we stumble upon a bachelor elephant in the bush. Can you make out his outline below?
The elephant moves off and we silently pull into the reeds to track him at a distance on foot.
We stand silently for quite awhile (maybe 20 minutes) as the elephant munches on trees. But he’s so far away and the bush is dense so we can’t really see him.
I get a little bored and snap photos of the acacia thorns above me.
Once the elephant shuffles along we are cleared to continue after him, giving him plenty of space.
While my sister and I have stood next to baby elephants in Kenya, this is the first time I’ve been in proximity of an adult male elephant on foot (i.e. without the protection of a safari vehicle). These guys can be unpredictable so I get why our guides are so cautious.
As the sun drops, we give up tracking elephants and walk back towards our mekoros, pausing on occasion as our guide tells us more about the Delta wildlife and environment.
He’s telling us about elephant diets when he reaches down and picks up a handful of pachyderm dung. My first thought: was that really necessary? Oddly enough this is not the last time I watch a tour guide pick up animal dung with bare hands, barely pausing to give it a second thought. Then he explains that if we’re ever lost in the wilderness and can’t find a water source, we can always squeeze some out of elephant dung because there’s so much water in their droppings. I’ll go thirsty, thanks.
Elephant tracks in the mud:
Our view is too obstructed to fully witness sunset, but the guide promises we’ll have a better vantage point tomorrow. Regardless, the sky is quite pretty.
Back to camp!
Just before dinner Amos brings around buckets of hot water (freshly heated over the fire) so that we can take showers.
The view from my tent:
It’s even pretty from inside:
I walk over to our meal tent just before dinner, eager to snap photos of the mekoro canoes under the dusky sky. This is my favorite shot:
Our guide Soliwe has prepared an outstanding dinner: steaks cooked over an open fire with sides of mashed potatoes and spinach with peanut butter, the latter of which is a popular dish in her home country, Zimbabwe. We eat every last bite of it, confirming my long-held suspicion that everything tastes better with peanut butter.
My very full plate of steak, PB spinach, and mashed potatoes. I go through half a bottle of wine during this meal too.
At night we sit around the fire chatting for awhile before turning into bed.
I step back from the group to play around with night photography. Here are my two favorite shots:
This has been a pretty perfect day and we still have another 1.5 days left in the Okavango Delta. I’m in love with the quiet beauty of this place.
I visited Botswana on a 30-day Nairobi to Joburg tour with Nomad Tours. They discounted my tour in exchange for blogging and photography; opinions are my own.
