We are in Botswana and this morning we left from the Moremi Game Reserve at the Okavango Delta, we entered the Chobe National Park from the Mababe Gate and we arrived at Savuti in the early afternoon.

Savuti is one of the most remote areas of Botswana and it was a long time that we wanted to come here, but in our African travels we had not yet had the opportunity, also because we never trusted to come alone by our Dr. Livingstone; in fact, in several places, both to reach and to turn around Savuti, there is a lot of sand and in these situations we prefer to travel at least in two cars as in this trip.

The Savuti areais very particular, with the alternation of the seasons and from year to year its appearance can change drastically and consequently also the presence of the animals varies a lot.

During the rainy season, from November to April, Savuti is a very green area, with prairie and water meadows areas, even the river, that runs through the whole area, almost always has water; during the dry season, from June to October, Savuti becomes a more arid area and, based on the years, the water is more or less present, the river is not always present, sometimes it flows for years other times instead, like this year, it disappears and becomes an expanse of sand.

In the area some artificial ponds have been built to allow the animals to find water in a drought situation or they would face certain death.

When we leave the track from which we arrived, we enter the Savuti area and find ourselves near one of these waterhole; there will be about fifty elephants and they are all males, some drink while others spray mud or sand, as always they make noise and confusion and some challenge each other to decide who can drink before the others.

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Not far away there is a lonely giraffe watching the elephants disconsolate, as long as they are at the waterhole it does not approach to drink, so it remains there impaled in the sun to wait, but not only the elephants that are at the puddle do not leave, others arrive; poor giraffe it risks having to wait a few hours, the fact is that, with this year's drought it does not have many other alternatives and therefore it is forced to wait and hope that sooner or later the elephants will go away.

After a while we decide to continue our safari and arrive at a plain that reminds us of the Serengeti in Tanzania but more arid, in this area we could see cheetahs, so we look for them but we are not very lucky, though we know the safari it is like this, luck is a fundamental component; we also pass in an area where many bushes are found, this seems to be an island that, during the rains, remains exposed, here we could find lions and leopards hidden in the shade to shelter from the sun.

We continue our exploration and head towards another artificial waterhole to see if there is any animal in search of water; in the distance we see an unmistakable profile: it is a male lion!

When we approach we see that it is not alone but there is the whole pack, including some puppies that play with one another or take milk from the mother lioness.

These lions are part of the famous Marsh Pride, protagonist of the NatGeo documentary The Wild Kingdom, and it is the herd of Sekekama, a lion that has become a legend.

botswana savuti exploring africa safariadv

We see three females, 5 puppies, Sekekama and its brother that lives with the herd because it submitted to its brother; although it is no longer very young, Sekekama is gigantic and powerful, it is not difficult to understand why it has been the king here at Savuti for years and its sons are at the head of the North Pride, the other large pack of lions present in this area of the ​​Chobe National Park.

When we arrive there are no other cars, we are the first to see them and we also manage to get a little closer to a lioness that is nursing three cubs, what a tender scene; however, we try not to bother it too much as it is a delicate moment both for it and for the little lions.

We see some very beautiful scenes with puppies interacting with one another, but also with lionesses and with Sekekama; they are illuminated by the sun and the light begins to be warm in the late afternoon, perfect for taking photographs.

At a certain point a lioness rises and walks, oblivious to the cars that in the meantime have gathered here to admire them, it crosses the road and goes to the waterhole to drink; immediately afterwards three puppies follow it and they drink and play a bit.

The light is perfect and the scene we are witnessing is magnificent.

botswana savuti exploring africa safariadv

Shortly afterwards Sekekama's brother also arrives at the waterhole while the lioness moves away, followed shortly by the cubs; in the meantime, on the other side of the road, Sekekama entertains itself with a lioness, well done make other puppies!

At some point we no longer know where to look and where to photograph, everywhere we look there are lions and they are active, and this is quite a rarity, they usually spend their days sleeping while they are active during the night.

The sun is setting, we would like to stay here again but we must be at our camp by 6.30 pm, a time when we can no longer walk around the park, so we wait until the last moment and then we leave and, at a little sustained speed, we go looking for our camp.

The location is beautiful, the camp is at the foot of a granite hilland all around there is a sandy plain; it is really suggestive.

We arrive that the sun has already set and is already getting dark, we change quickly and go and sit around the fire; we are a bit tired but we are happy, today was a long day, but tonight's lions were amazing.

We spend a pleasant evening, the dinner is delicious and the Amarula-based after dinner is felt, at a certain point we begin to ring a series of pearls, obviously unrepeatable, and we laugh as if there were no tomorrow!

botswana savuti exploring africa safariadv

Data di inserimento: 
Sunday, November 17, 2019