David Young Xcursions: My first Land Rover safari in Botswana, July 1988
Five on board and full to the roof on a long trip. The Golf back seat detached and went in as second row. Start was delayed when we had to recover the caravan stove from an eager contractor.
First night out between Serowe and Orapa gave us a flat battery, but passers-by got us running in the morning, after which the mantra "switch off the fridge" whenever we arrived. Vine-covered bushes near the Boteti riverbed
The tar stopped at Serowe, with small patches in Orapa and Maun, and started again at Kazungula
Second night out was the pan between Mopipi and Rakops. Rakops has the finest sand you ever came across, and my camera jammed with it.
Pause on a sand road. Paul and Richard. Towards Makalamabedi, the sand had offset dips slightly out of sync left-right. One result was the uht milk boxes rubbing each other slightly to the point where the milk was sound and tasted good but had thickened.
Paul Dixon, Karen, Richard, Paula and David Young
Day 1 Sunday 10th
Gaborone 0.0km. Tar stopped at Serowe (340km). Gates at 417km & 424km. Camped 430km along Serowe-Orapa road after delayed get-away from Gaborone (retrieving the camping stove a foreman thought he got to keep during alterations).
Rock martin sparrow
Crowned plover
Tree squirrel
Hippos
Saw duiker (1 left, 1 right), many black crows, 3 manmade holes in road.
Dinner Minestrone soup & pizza. Dessert canned peaches.
Day 2 Monday 11th
Puncture. Battery flat in morning; New song to learn for every stop: “unplug the fridge ”. Passing traffic helped with jump start (4 people and 1 driver: land rover was not going anywhere in the sand) Set off 9h45. Makoba quarantine gates 477km & 483km. Pan 554km.
Lilac breasted roller
Grey hornbill
Pied kingfisher
Crocodiles
At Orapa (579km), puncture repair and shopping.
Saw jackal (626km), palm trees 1 mongoose (661km). Stopped for night between Rakops and Mopipi (674km). Dust storm.
Dinner: Soup, Pepper steak, mushrooms & chips. Dessert stewed peaches.
Day 3 Tuesday 12th
West African boubou
Blacksmith plover
Duiker
Springbok
Departed 10h43. Richard found a good can crushing technique for keeping refuse volume under control. Paul took a cold shower screened by umbrella, and disturbed by dusty wind. Slow sand road via Rakops (712km) 10h43 was later to be named dust capital of Botswana. Stamp your foot and the dust is immediately at eye level.. DAY camera jammed soon so limited photos this trip. Fork in road (719km)
Saw many crowned plover in the dry pans. Creepers covered bushes (748km) along the Boteti river (picture). Soft sand delayed us at (770km) Quail (771km). Aux tank (804km) Lunch stop (807km). Gate (825km) Main road (837km) Moremaoto (830km) and Makalamabedi (877km) to Maun (933km) 15h50., where we stopped at Sitatunga camp site (943km). Hot water and bucket showers.
Dinner: T-bone, peas & chips. Dessert Guava & yogurt
Day 4 Wednesday 13th
Lunch at Rileys Hotel (burgers). Croc farm. Shopped for groceries (9 shops). Played snooker and darts in pub overlooking currently dry Boteti river. Bird watching. Cheeky monkeys. Squirrels, rabbits.
Black eyed bulbul
Fish eagle
Great white egret
Zebra
Dinner 4: Sausages, carrots & rice. Dessert stewed fruit. (Author says sausages cut up and cooked with onion & tomato is Uncle David specialty).
Day 5 Thursday 14th
Maun to Okavango Fishing Lodge, Shakawe.
Jacana
Blue waxbill
Elephant
Kudu
Refuelled at Maun, (998km). Left Sitatunga camp at 9h30. Toteng 68?km, Sehitwa 1001???km. 118km brace of ostriches. Tsau 147km? End of Norwegian tar 1200km. Gumare 1255km. Lunch stop 40min 1267km. 1275km road forks. 1288km road forks. 1314km junction for Seronga and 1320km for Tsodilo. Sepopa 1332km. 1381km Tsodilo turnoff again. 1383km turnoff for Okavango fishing camp.
Shakawe village 1396km. Hippos on Okavango. 2 crocs.
Dinner: Beef fillet.
Day 6 Friday 15th
Ostrich
Quelea
Marabou stork
Eland
Quelea cloud
Rented boat and went for classic non-guide circular tour. Pure delight for day.
Dinner: Leftover fillet, butternut & mash.
Day 7 Saturday 16th
>Baillons crake
White rumped babbler
Impala
Giraffe
Dinner: Meatballs.
Day 8 Sunday 17th July 1988
Heuglins robin
Swallow-tailed bee eater
Kirks francolin
Leguaan
1412km on to main road Picked up hitchhiker?? Along the way we stopped and inserted card after small rea right window glass was popped out by baggage on one of the many hard-to-see dips in the shadeless white sand road. Sepopa 1461km. Gumare 1536km. 1542km Bird. Vulture at 1635km. Black hawk at 1636km. Sehitwa 1690. Toteng 1722km. Stopped at Sitatunga camp site. 18th July Monday
Dinner: Sausage, rice & carrots.
Day 9 Monday 18th July
Vulture
Black hawk
Vervet monkey
Warthog
Refuel Maun 1797km. Break in road 1830km. Shorobe 1834km. 1844km Fork in road. Buffalo fence gate 1854km. Tea stop. 1863Km sprinbuck. Fork in road right 1870km. Lunch on Mohogelo river bed. Wild cat and elephant footprints. 1873km Santawani airfield note. We lost track, followed slight track and 1875.5 came back to sand road. Then left fork, then right fork. 1878km springbuck. 1881km brown buck? 1882km zebra. 1893km kudu. Milled around, then 1899km Santawani T-junction 10km to Moremi south gate. 1908km Moremi south gate. 1911km giraffe. 1918km warthog. 1926km troop of baboons. 1937km stopped for tea: Karen & Paul went on roof. 1942km large buck? 1983km elephants.
Dinner: Sausage, egg & chips.
Day 10 Tuesday 19th July
Palm-nut vulture
Pin-taile whydah
Night heron
Baboons
In Moremi. 1995km lion feeding on buffalo. 2001km waterbuck. 2012km elephant bathing.
North gate camp: Dinner: Sausages, egg & bacon & chips; Chilli bites.
Day 11 Wednesday 20th July
Crimson-breasted shrike
Red billed francolin
Lion
Waterbuck
2031km departing Moremi north gate camp for Linyanti. 2082km Chobe South park south gate. 2102km kudu. 2138km gate Savuti camp? Steep sand climb westwards from Savuti, then very low traction sand for a distance. Richard walked beside Rover which had fast-spinning 4 wheel drive on diff lock. Lunch at 2150km. Chobe South park west gate at 2163km. Had to fold back side mirrors. Airstrip across track at 2183km. 2194.3km sand ridge. 2196.1km sand ridge. 2205.6km Hunters camp. 2214.2km Chobe hunting camp. 2220km Hunters Africa camp. Sand ridge 2244km. Some difficulties locating Linyanti public camp in the dark, but spotted fire and entered 2265km.
Dinner: Kassler, mushrooms and mash.
Day 12 Thursday 21st July
Secretary bird
Gymnogene
Grey heron
Jackal
Linyanti drive through hunting area. Toyota drivers asked if we had to push on the way from Savuti: honest answer no. 2270.5km not hippo pool. 2285km cheetah.
Camp neighbours were big on hippopootami and candy bars.
Dinner included chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce (had the famous speck of garlic cookbook along) (Author note on dessert: eat-eat-eat=fat-fat-fat).
Day 13 Friday 22nd July
Saddle bill stork
Hoopoe
Mongoose
Buffalo
2275km Departed Linyanti public camp. Richard driving first section (author notes 'very good'). 2311.5km junction Linyanti & Kasane roads. 2345km north gate of South Chobe park. 2347km herd of elephant. Kachikabwe 2930km Basket, groceries. Kasane 2495km.
Day 14 Saturday 23rd July
White helmet shrike
Burchells starling
Junior white-backed vulture
Cheetah
Chobe riverside drive
Day 15 Sunday 24rd July
Bearded woodpecker
Black eyed bulbul
Nogatsaa Kazungula 2507km. Nata Lodge overnight under palm trees 2830km.
Day 16 Monday 25rd July
In morning, visited Sua pan. Back on main road 2854km. Roadblock search: Unpacked a lot, then repacked. Francistown 3030km. Gaborone 3485km