Submitted by SafariADV on Fri, 2019-11-15
We are at Maun in Botswana, today our mobile safari begins, that will take us in the coming days to discover the Moremi Game Reserve, the Savuti and the Chobe River Front at the Chobe National Park.
We are thrilled to spend the next few days in the bush; it's not our first time at Moremi and at Chobe, but it's the first time we participate in a mobile safari in Botswana.
To be able to enjoy the whole day of safari at Moremi we leave early from our campsite, the Maun Rest Camp: at 4:00 am!
We are by two cars: our Dr. Livingstone, that will follow us throughout the itinerary, and the safari car that we will use these days; while the staff car is already waiting for us at the camp where we will sleep tonight, which is located at Kwai or North Gate.
First we recover what will be our local guide for the whole mobile safari, he's called B or Bee, this is the diminutive of its real name, that is really hard to remember or pronounce.
Then we go to Maun to retrieve our friends who are staying in the city, we get fuel at the Engen station and buy ice for the cool box, at this time, given the cold air there would be no need, but when the sun rises it will be essential.
We leave Maun at around 4:30 am and we head towards Shorobe; by the safari car, that is open, there is a good air but we are prepared and we have the fleece, the scarf and the wool hat.
It takes us two and a half hours to reach the South Gate of the Moremi Game Reserve that allows access to the Mopane Tongue; finally here we are! Our safari is about to begin! What an emotion!
We pay the entrance fee but before proceeding we need a coffee: we take our tank, the Nescafe, powdered milk and biscuits and we seat at one of the tables next to the gate and prepare coffee for everyone; we deserved it!
After coffee, it's time to start our mobile safari and explore the Moremi Game Reserve!
What is a mobile safari?
The mobile safari is one of my favorite ways to travel and to go on safari.
You travel aboard a safari car with a certified local guide who knows the places, the parks and the reserves, he can identify the tracks to find the animals and is able to tell a lot of useful information and related curiosities not only to the animals, but also to the plants and the geology of a place.
Another staff car precedes us and mounts the tented camp and the kitchen, in the staff there is also a cook who cooks meals, both those that are consumed at the camp and for the various picnics that are made in the savannah during the day.
In my opinion this is the best way to experience the safari, a full immersion in nature: the thrill of sitting around the fire with a glass of wine and reliving the day of safari, watching the starry sky that almost seems to be touched, sleep in tents and hear the typical savannah noises like a distant roar or the clattering of the hooves of some herbivore or the typical calls of the hyenas
Last but not least, the mobile safari in Botswana has accessible costs, unlike the various luxury lodges and camps that have really excessive prices.
