BOTSWANA


T


he leopard sighting came on our third day in Botswana. We had spent hours trawling the vast,


ever-changing landscapes of the Okavango Delta, Ãi>ÀVhin} >mi` V>moÕy>}i` ÌÀiià >n` «oolà ov Ãh>`i on Ìhi V>no«Þ yooÀ° Ì Ü>à Ìhi ÕlÌim>Ìi }>mi ov hi`i and seek – and the leopard was very good at it. After a while, my eyes started to deceive me. Was that the striking spots of a big cat lounging high up in a sausage tree, or dappled shade thrown from the mid-morning sun? Sights of swishy-tailed zebras, sleeping hyenas and bateleur eagles drifting over the delta on gentle winds tempered the seemingly never-ending search, but the leopard still proved elusive.


waterways, lagoons and marshland are inhabited by more than 400 species of birds and 350 species of mammals and reptiles – earning it Unesco World Heritage status.


And then the call came. A mother and her year-old male cub draped atop the upper branches of a tree, shielding themselves from the baking-hot sun. We sped across the savannah to see the pair reclining, serene and resplendent, in their majestic spotted coats. The good luck only continued. Over the next few days, we saw a female leopard stalking a pair of gazelles, using the long grass and the dimming light of dusk to hide her movement. We discovered a male reclining under the shade of a bush, his heavy panting indicating he had recently eaten – and sure enough, later found him gorging on a red lechwe concealed under the branches of a fallen tree. People had told me wildlife sightings in the semi-arid, landlocked country of Botswana – and, ëiViwV>llÞ] Ìhi }io}À>«hiV>l Üon`iÀ Ìh>Ì ià Ìhi Okavango Delta – were epic, and they weren’t wrong. The unique wetland in northwest Botswana, where


«iÀm>ninÌ m>ÀÃhl>n`Ã miiÌ Ãi>Ãon>llÞ yoo`i` «l>inÃ] is one of the most biodiverse and wildlife-rich regions in the world. The largest inland delta on the planet, its


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The leopard had proved elusive – until the call came. A mother and her male cub had been spotted draped on the upper branches of a tree


Safari experts Abercrombie & Kent is an obvious choice when considering the logistically complex nature of a trip to Botswana. The destination has enjoyed steady growth of luxury product in recent years, but A&K and its sister brand Sanctuary Retreats have been a mainstay here for several decades. Best known in Botswana for Sanctuary Chief’s Camp – the stylishly designed tented lodge on Chief’s Island in the Moremi Game Reserve, the central hub of the Okavango Delta – Sanctuary Retreats operates four camps in key locations across the country’s northern region. This, coupled with A&K’s ability to work with a host of additional preferred partners, means the operator is well placed to create a personalised Botswana circuit for clients. Our journey started in Chobe National Park, nestled on the fringes of the delta, where Sanctuary Chobe


Chilwero (Review, page 94) provides the perfect launchpad for a Botswana adventure. The country’s third-largest reserve, Chobe National Park is characterised by its largest inhabitant: the region is home to the highest concentration of elephants in the world. The sandy banks of the Chobe River were a hive of activity as we traversed the park at sunset. Cape buffaloes, giraffes and impalas meandered along the waterside; a huge marabou stork paddled in the shallows; and baboons ate from a monkey orange tree. But our best discovery came farther up the river, where a pride of 15 lions was languishing sleepily on the cool sand. We watched them for as long as the sun would


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"**"- / : FIRST ROW: Zebras; kudus SECOND ROW: Lions; writer Erica Rich; a lilac-breasted roller THIRD ROW: Elephants FOURTH ROW: Buffaloes; baboons Credits: Jennifer Leska; Harold Lassers, Abercrombie & Kent; Audrey Pietrzak/Abercrombie & Kent Picture Library; Unsplash/Birger Strahl


46 ASPIRE MAY 2024 aspiretravelclub.co.uk


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