‘Wake up. It’s your turn’. It takes me a moment to remember where I am. It is only when the small campfire comes into focus that reality hits me – I am on a Primitive trail in the Okavango Delta.
There are few places in the world that one can still call wild, and even fewer that are not overflowing with viewing vehicles and tour buses. Kwapa is one such place. This private concession lies North West of Maun and is part of one of the most unique areas in Africa, the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta lies in the north of Botswana where the Okavango River ’empties’ into the Kalahari desert. The 20,000 km² river delta not only is one of the seven natural wonders of Africa, but was also listed by UNESCO as the 1000th world heritage site in 2014. Kwapa lies in the South-Western part of the Okovango Delta, and as it isn’t a permanent swamp is ideal for walking safaris.
It’s 02:00 and my turn to be the night watch, because on a primitive trail there are no tents – you get to sleep under the stars. It is dead quiet, except for the soft snoring of my fellow hikers. At first, I wasn’t very keen on the idea of having to keep watch all alone in the middle of the night armed only with a flashlight and small fire, but as the days passed this hour became a precious time to reflect on the day.
As the light from my flashlight glided over the long grass, my mind involuntarily wandered. What a special day we had. Waking up to the call of Spurfowl while watching the sunrise from your sleeping bag is a special experience. After a breakfast of coffee and oatmeal it was time to pack up camp. ‘We only leave our footprints behind’, our guide Massimo Rebuzzi reminded us as we packed our few belongings into our bags. And Massi, as most call him, is serious about this. Even the campfire ashes are mixed with water and soil and scattered into the bush.
With everything we need to survive in the bush, on our backs the day’s walk began. About ten metres from where we slept Massi stops to show us a track in the sand. ‘Can you guess who walked past our camp last night?‘, Massie calmly asks. He points out the cushion marks in the sand. A big male leopard. A chill runs down my spine. ‘When we walk here we are part of the system. The animals do not see us as a threat,’ Massi reminds us. His calmness and deep connection with nature (and the weapon he carries) provides us all with a sense of safety. With more than 20 years experience Massi is a legend in nature conservation in Southern Africa. He started African Bush Company in 2017 and since then has been taking groups on primitive trails across Southern Africa.
With photos of the leopard tracks on our cameras we headed out. Although it is early is already very hot and we are grateful to linger in the shade of a large Hardekool or Knoppiesdoring tree every now and again. Just when fatigue threatens to overtake us, three Bat Ear foxes emerge from the long grass, raising everyone’s spirits. Although these grasslands are home to many of Africa’s iconic animals, Massi focuses on more than just the Big Five. He points out interesting plants, teaches us the difference between the tracks of Aardvark and Porcupine, and explains the importance of each species in the ecosystem.
After a long afternoon siesta in the shade of a sausage tree we make our way to our campsite for the evening. Suddenly Massi signals to us to move behind a fallen tree. We run to cover just in time to see a huge elephant bull plod past us. He is magnificent and not bothered by us at all.
It’s just before 3am and time to wake up my neighbour for her watch. I do a last sweep over the flood plain. A movement catches my eye. Less than 20 meters from where I’m stood there is a pair of yellow eyes. A lioness, and she is not alone. While the other three pass, she stops. And the two of us look at each other for what feels like an eternity. My brain tells me to ‘move your flash light and keep an eye on the other three‘, but I can’t take my eyes off of her. It’s difficult to describe what I felt in that moment. It was not fear. Words like ‘awe’ or ‘respect’ come to mind. Eventually she joined the other lions. As I wake the rest of the group the lions settle down about 100 meters from our camp and through our binoculars we see that they are mating.
After all the excitement it’s time for some shut eye. The stars above me are too many to count. Between the roars and growls of the lions I hear a Night Jar calling. Despite feeling exhausted I force myself to stay awake for just a few more minutes, because I don’t want this sacred moment to end.
xxx
Photographs: Fay van Eeden & African Bush Company
