Our time in Botswana is winding down. Here’s a shot of our group dinner around the campfire on the second-to-last night:
Later that evening it gets so cold that I leave my tent at midnight to take a hot shower at the nearby ablutions block. It brings my body temp back down to normal so I can finally fall asleep. Desperate times…
On our final full day in Botswana we visit the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Palapye.
Our group splits into two vehicles and we depart in different directions. The sanctuary isn’t the size of a national park, but it’s still pretty big and we don’t run into many other cars while traversing the dirt roads in search of wildlife. While rhinos are the prime species to see here, there are also leopards, giraffe, zebras, and other big game. We all keep our eyes peeled.
For the first hour, we see nothing of note. Some impalas, birds, zebras, and a singe giraffe… but no rhinos. At one point I have my cell phone out to jot down a note and my tour mate Klaus from Germany teases me, “Are you texting the rhinos? Tell them to come out!”
Funny story: my German friends pronounce rhino like the city near Las Vegas. Get it? Rhee-no. I think that’s adorable.
Here are the (less impressive) wildlife shots I get during the first 90 minutes of our game drive:
Even though these animals are less exciting than at other African parks we’ve visited, it’s still quite a peaceful drive. I’m sitting next to Renate and Klaus and the scenery is tranquil. I’m very happy to be here, rhinos or no rhinos.
Our drive is maybe 75% over when we spot our first rhino, WAY off in the distance.
Two adults and two babies!
Our driver must exhale a sigh of relief at this point, as when your job is to bring people around a Rhino Sanctuary they often have expectations of seeing rhinos. The zebras are a fine opening act but they’re not why we bought tickets. He maneuvers our vehicle closer to the headlining species.
Here’s some video footage:
We’re happy campers now.
Actually, the other vehicle saw a leopard earlier so they are especially satisfied with this game drive… WHY DO I ALWAYS PICK THE WRONG VEHICLE?!
We pass by a protected area on the way out. This rhino is in captivity because they plan to breed him with a visiting female (if I remember correctly).
The next morning we get up shortly after sunrise and the light is lovely. I walk around snapping photos before breakfast.
One last shot of our Nomad Tours truck, Tommy:
And one last group shot:
Later this afternoon we’ll reach Johannesburg, South Africa, and my 30-day tour from Nairobi to Joburg will officially conclude (that links to my highlights post of the tour — very much worth checking out if you haven’t seen it).
Thank you, Nomad Tours! This has been the trip of a lifetime.
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.
