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Khwai Trip 2007
In July 2007 13 of us went to Khwai for a short trip. Once again Khwai confirmed its reputation as
one of the best safari destinations in Botswana. With its vast open floodplains bordered by mopane forests, Khwai is one of the most
beautiful places in Botswana as well as being very rewarding in terms of game viewing.
The public campsite at Khwai is pleasantly situated
among the tall trees along the banks of the Khwai River and is frequently visited by animals coming down to the water to drink as well as by the
monkeys and baboons that sleep in the trees above the campsite. Hyena and occasionally Lion visit the campsite at night so care must be taken and
all food items must be kept in the vehicle overnight.
During the trip we saw numerous animals (including Lion, Elephant, Hippo and Zebra) as well as a wide variety of birds such as Ground Hornbill,
Saddlebilled Stork and Yellowbilled Duck.
Scroll down for the trip log and photos:
| Tuesday 17th July | Audi Camp, Maun | |
| Wednesday 18th July | Khwai, Moremi Game Reserve | |
| Thursday 19th July | Khwai, Moremi Game Reserve | |
| Friday 20th July | Xwaraga Campsite, Boteti |
Tuesday 17th July
Palapye - Nata - Maun
After leaving Palapye mid-morning and stopping at Francistown and Nata Lodge along the way
we didn't arrive in Maun until after sunset. Our accommodation for the night was at Audi Camp where we had booked the 10 bed house with 3 extra
mattresses. The house was simple but comfortable consisting of 3 rooms with 2 beds and 1 room with 4 beds with a bathroom and kitchen joined on.
The restaurant at Audi Camp is to be recommended and we enjoyed a tasty evening meal there before retiring for the night.
Distance travelled: 654km
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| Land Rover Td5 & trailer | Toyota Raider |
Wednesday 18th July
Maun - Khwai
The next morning we had breakfast in the restaurant before going into Maun to do some
shopping at Spar and Ron's Fresh Produce. The trip to Khwai took about 3hrs and we arrived early afternoon setting up camp before leaving for an
evening drive east along the river.
The highlight of the day was the sequence of photos below of a hippo which opened its mouth just as I was focused on it. The whole thing
was over in seconds however thanks to the 400D's 3fps I was able to capture the whole thing on camera much to my delight!
After spending time watching elephants coming down to drink we made our way back to camp, passing a herd of Wildebeest, Kudu and Impala
along the way, where we enjoyed a traditional beef stew before getting into our tents and falling asleep to the sounds of the night - Hyenas
sniffing round the tent, Baboons squabbling in the trees above and Hippos feeding in the river!
Distance travelled: 150km
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| Lacklustre Hippo? | Wait for it! |
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| Open wide! | Say Aaaaah! |
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| And again?! | How about this?! |
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| Splash! | All over! |
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| Sunset scene | Silhouetted Grey Heron |
Thursday 19th July
Khwai
The next morning we headed west along the river from the campsite on our only full day in
the Reserve and were rewarded with an excellent sighting of lion - 1 male, 3 females and 3 cubs. The females and cubs crossed in front of the vehicles
before disappearing into the grass, however the male walked along the road before eventually backtracking to join the females, posing majestically for
photos on the way!
Shortly after we headed back to camp for a late breakfast, taking the main road through the mopane forest which yielded Zebra, Impala and Warthog
along with numerous birds such as Redbilled and Yellowbilled Hornbills, Redbilled Woodhoopoe and Forktailed Drongo.
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| Lioness on an anthill | Male & Female Lion |
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| Lioness | Lion cub |
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| Close encounter | Male lion |
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| Posing on an anthill | Head study |
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| Burchell's Zebra | Red Lechwe |
After breakfast we just stayed around the campsite until just after lunch with some deciding
to go into Khwai village to buy soft drinks at the semausu. The tall trees along the river make it a very relaxing spot to rest as well as being
a good place to watch birds - we saw Pearlspotted Owlet, African Fish Eagle, Saddlebilled Stork, Bearded Woodpecker, Kurrichane Thrush and Arrowmarked
Babbler in the campsite to name a few. Vervet Monkeys and Baboons are regular visitors too and you have to be vigilant if you want to prevent
them stealing food from off the tables or even out of boxes!
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| Khwai Campsite 6 | Trailer with tent |
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| Mum on Khwai bridge | Beware of Monkeys! |
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| Vervet Monkey | Vervet Monkey |
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| Pearl-spotted Owlet | Bearded Woodpecker |
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| Kurrichane Thrush | Arrow-marked Babbler |
After lunch we decided to head to Dombo Hippo Pools taking the direct road through the mopane
forest before making our way back to camp along the floodplain later on in the afternoon. Most of the hippos were resting in the sun when we arrived
at Dombo however it wasn't long before they entered the water again with the usual grunts and snorts. One hippo took the performance a step further
and rolled right over in the water with his legs sticking up in the air!
On the way back we passed a number of herds of Elephant which had come down to the river to drink as well as numerous herds of Impala, Lechwe,
Wildebeest and Zebra. On one of the roads we came across an African Wild Cat sitting in the road whilst further on 3 Ground Hornbills were foraging
close enough to the road for photos. As the sun set we headed back to camp with the prospect of a sumptuous braai drawing us - spare ribs, chicken
pieces and boerewors!!
Distance travelled: 50km
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| Hippo, Dombo Hippo Pools | Hippo antics! |
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| Elephant | Elephant |
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| Elephants, Khwai floodplain | Impala |
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| Zebra & Anthill | Ground Hornbill |
Friday 20th July
Khwai - Xwaraga Campsite
On our last day in Khwai we spent most of the morning packing all the tents and equipment
before heading back Maun, arriving early in the afternoon. We had lunch at Riley's Hotel in Maun before heading further south
towards Xwaraga campsite our accommodation for the night. We arrived just after dark after having some difficulty getting the trailer
through the deep sand between the tar road and the campsite! We had booked into the self-catering chalets for the night however when we arrived we
found that the chalets were in a state of disrepair with both of them having leaking toilets, poorly kept bedding, beds propped up with bricks and
lights that didn't work not to mention the numerous holes and gaps in the flyscreens! After complaining to the management we finally got them to agree
to allow some of our guests to stay the night in two A-frame tents at the main lodge at a reduced rate.
Distance travelled: 250km
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| Boteti waterhole | Elephant, Xwaraga |
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| Whitebacked Vulture, Xwaraga | Whitebacked Vulture, Xwaraga |
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| Kudu, Xwaraga | Xwaraga campsite group photo |
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| Inflating the tyres | Last Chance Tuck Shop! |
Saturday 21st July
Xwaraga Campsite - Palapye
Early the next morning we went on a walk down to the river and found a waterhole where
Impala, Wildebeest, Zebra and two Elephants were drinking. On the way back we saw Kudu and Bushbuck just by the campsite as well as numerous
Vultures circling round.
After rejoining the tarred road we inflated the tyres (we'd deflated them to navigate the sand) before driving back to Palapye, stopping along
the way at Last Chance Tuck Shop for drinks and Granny's Kitchen in Letlhakane for a hearty meal!
Distance travelled: 470km
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