Tonight we slept at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe in Botswana, as it is winter, the nights are cold, but we, in our car, were really ok, as we are equipped for any occasion.

This morning we woke up at 6.00 am, before dawn, it is so cold that, if on one side, we are afraid to go out on the other, it is too nice because for us it means African winter and safari.

We drink a quick coffee, close the car and start off, today it is the first day of safari on this trip and we look forward to it.

When we leave, at 6.30 am, the sky begins to light up and soon afterwards the sun rises; this Sanctuary has not only white and black rhinos, but also other species of herbivores and more than 200 species of birds.

botswana khama exploringafrica safariadv romina facchi

We follow the map that we bought at the gate yesterday for 10 Pula and we also use Tracks4Africa to understand the routes; orientation in shrub savannah is not easy as the bushes are higher than the off-road and often there are no reference points; using a map or GPS is always a great idea.

Some pathways lead to the pans, shallow and seasonal lakes, that often, especially at this time of year, are almost always dry; here it is more likely to meet the white rhinos because they eat grass that is right on the edges of the pans; while the black rhinos are easier to spot in the bushy area, as they bake with shrubs and bushes.

We see rhinos, but also giraffes, greater kudus, steenboks, impalas, springboks, red hartebeests and wildebeests, as well as many species of birds including ostriches, Kori bustards, hornbills, breasted lilac rollers, some starlings with an iridescent plumage and many others.

We are pleased to see so many species of animals in 4 hours of safari!

We stop at the picnic area, that is in the shade of some baobabs, and we have breakfast, we have bread and strawberry jam and we drink another coffee.

It is 11.00 am, it's time to leave, we had never been to this Sanctuary before, and I must say that we liked it, even from the landscape point of view; when we are going to pass by here, we'll definitely come back.

Now they are waiting for us a few miles, so we do not have to worry anymore; let’s go!