The first lions and an elephant water crossing

June 22, 2013

We went on our second game drive with our guide at Chobe, Chika.

The morning drive was amazing.  We saw elephants, giraffe, impala, zebra, and more.  And then we saw the lion.  Actually, three lioness and two cubs.  They were sitting in the shade watching over their recent kill of a giraffe.  I was amazed at how close we were able to get to them without them giving us more than a glance. 


The animals in both Chobe National Park and our next stop, the Okavango Delta, are not threatened by the jeeps, nor do they see us as prey.  Of course, there are rules that we need to abide by: don't stand up, make sudden movements or attention getting noises, and speak softly.  This way, they see the vehicle as one, non-threatening entity instead of several people inside.  We watched the lioness and cubs for awhile before heading back to our lodge.

When we sat down for lunch, a train of elephant walked by the lodge.  Lunch was make-your-own-pizza with a seemingly endless supply of toppings.  I was sure the day could not get any better, but it did.

Instead of an evening game drive, we went on a boat ride along the Chobe River.  The Chobe River divides Botswana and Nambibia.  I realized on this boat ride that I was able to see my sixth country of the trip (from Victoria Falls, we saw Zambia).

On our boat ride, we watched a couple family groups of elephants come together to the same area of the river.  Some adolescent males from different families sparred, and when a third group came to the watering spot, there was a great amount of trumpeting.  The trumpeting was so intense that it seemed to vibrate inside me.


We then began to watch a matriarch who was deciding whether or not to cross the river to the island across the way.  After a cautious wait for most of the boats to leave the area, and after we were served some cocktails, the matriarch and a baby began to cross.  Soon, the rest of the group followed.  Some swam directly across; others played a bit on the way.  It was fun to watch how effortless their swim seemed and to see their trunks held in the air for their easy breathing.  The scene was enhanced by the almost full moon beginning to make its way across the sky.  This was one of my favorite sights of the trip.