Okavango Delta 2 Xugana Island Lodge Botswana

Our guide Frank Mochaba(photo above)at Camp Moremi was assigned to take us halfway by boat to Xugana lodge which is a 3 hour trip. We traveled through sometimes narrow channels of permanent swamp and open waters surrounded by dense stands of Bulrush,Common reed,papyrus, and dotted with blankets of Day waterlilys and Water Chesnut along the channel fringes.


It is believed by geologists that the Okavango River once reached the sea. Tectonic movement created a series of parallel faults (Graben faults)collapsing the earth which led to the formation of the inland delta or alluvial fan.(1) The Okavango delta is one of the world's largest inland water sytems at 16,000 sq. km.

Along the way we observed many new birds and insects as the channels narrowed bringing us within close view.


The African Darter(Anhinga rufa)or locally called "Snake bird" because of its habit of swimming with only the neck and head above the water.


The Little Bee-eater fly's off its low perch on Papyrus to snatch butterfly's and other flying insects and is one of the many striking and beautiful birds seen in Africa.


The Woodland Kingfisher is a summer migrant from central Africa that doesn't fish as the name implies but rather preys on large insects and small reptiles.

At midway we were met by our next guide named "Losty". While saying farewell to Frank I caught my only glimpse of the unmistakeable Pel's Fishing Owl as it glided out of and quickly into dense canopy across the channel.


Losty slowed down when his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something that blends in well with its background. An example is this large Crocodile floating on the waters surface.


Water Monitor is a large aquatic lizard that feeds on just about anything it can handle including crocodile eggs,frogs,crabs,etc.


The African Jacana has extremely long toes which enables it to walk on aquatic vegetation such as water lily leaves giving it the name "Jesus" bird.

We arrived at our destination on a small island greeted by the the staff of the Xugana lodge with warm smiles, moistened towels and a cool drink.

After a brief orientation we were led to our room overlooking the water where we had time to relax,write notes and take in the many sights and sounds.
That afternoon we went out on another boating excursion to look for more wildlife.
We passed through very narrow channels that are maintained by Hippos and some by the staff at the lodge.

It was a beautiful sunset on this evening and we were surprised by a special dinner setting that the host's prepared for both Kimberley and I celebrating our year of "Big" birthdays.

Our trusted guide "Losty" proved that he could dance with the best of them and ignite the urge in all of us with the help of the wonderful beat of African music.

The next day we explored the delta in the rain and visited a small island and saw the large African(Cape)Buffalo,Elephants and Vervet Monkeys.

Later in the afternoon the sun came out and we saw many more beautiful birds including this splendid Great White Egret perched in a tree along the water.

In the evening we were enthralled at the sight of several Hippopotamus keeping a close eye on us.

This Bat was determined to be a Tomb Bat (Taphonzous mauritianus) and was photographed roosting near the dining area. Other bats were observed flying out from under the eves of our room at dusk.

We walked around the lodge area before departing observing many birds and a Marsh Mongoose. This Greater Blue-eared Starling was dazziling to look at and posed briefly for this photo.

It was a brief two days at this unique setting on the waters edge of the incredible Okavango delta. We barely scratched the surface of its many wonders but
the memories will linger as long as we live.
Thanks to the dedication of all the warm and friendly staff we had a great adventure and enjoyed excellent food and accomodations.

Some of the Staff at the Xugana Lodge.(Arnold,MPHO,Obie and Candy).

References: Butchart, Duncan. 2000. Wildlife of the Okavango,
126 pgs. Struick Nature.
Sinclair,I. et.al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa.
Struick publishers.

Okavango Delta at Camp Moremi

On the 21st of March we left Deception Valley Lodge on a Bush plane for a 45 minute flight to our next lodge. Within minutes we could see large areas of water and marsh below. We landed at Camp Moremi which is situated in the Xakanaxa lagoon in the heart of the Okavango delta at Moremi Wildlife Reserve. This area was the first to be set aside by tribal people rather than colonial pioneers. We rode in a Toyota Land Rover for 15 minutes, sometimes through flooded roads to Camp Moremi where we stayed in fancy tents on wood foundations overlooking the riparian woodland. On our first game drive we felt that we had come to the land of Oz with animals we both had only seen on TV or at Zoos previously. Here they were wild and free in their natural habitat.

The Hippopotamus with eyes, nose and ears protruding above the waters surface watched us closely as our vehicle drove slowly by and paused for a photo.

These huge aquatic mammals play a significant role in maintaining the many channels in the Okavango delta. The Okavango was teeming with wildlife and our knowledgeable guide (in photo) Frank Mochaba gave us our “money’s worth” which added greatly to the experience that was beyond our greatest expectations. Red-Billed Hornbill was one of the many birds that got our attention. Exotic birds everywhere, unfamiliar sounds reminiscent of Jurassic Park and the Elephants that we have become so familiar with from our early childhood days appear as never before like some giant prehistoric creature out of the past. African Fish Eagles with their snow white head and chest and rust brown body are conspicuous as they perch on large branches in trees overlooking the water. The Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large "shaggy" antelope with short legs and a white rump ring and long heavily ridged horns with points that curve forward. The African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a common resident of northern and eastern Botswana in islands and estuaries and grasslands. Savanna Baboons in small troops appear in the open wooded Savannah. The female in estrus shown here was pursued by the dominant male below.

A female Greater Kudu above. The Lodges that we stayed at served the meat of Kudu and Impala but the Kudu is not as common due to habitat loss and hunting. The Impala were the most numerous antelope we saw and the rutting season had begun. During the rutting season the male establishes territories and spends much energy chasing off rivals who vie for females in the herd. We were thrilled to get close to a pride of lions in the late afternoon and watched them lying lazily in lush grass licking their fur and paws fastidiously. At night the loud "contact" calls of the Spotted Hyaenas woke us. While awake we were entertained by the deep grunting sounds of the Hippopotamus that come out of the water to feed after dark. It was a symphony of African sounds and we lay in the dark enjoying the music. The Nile Crocodile lay resting in the evening light not far from the waters edge. A family of Banded Mongoose appeared near their den in a large termite nest. Banded Mongoose(Mungos mungo) are highly sociable living in packs of up to 40 and are active durning the day when they forage for insects,mice,reptiles, amphibians, ground nesting birds and their eggs. It was time for our "Sundowners" and what a perfect place we thought to sip a glass of wine, relax and realize that we were actually in this wonderful land of Africa so far away from the redwoods and our cats. Next blog: Xugana Island Lodge.

Kalahari,Botswana part 2

On our last night at Deception Valley Lodge (Deception comes from the mirage affect seen when looking at the dry surface of a pan from a distance giving the appearance of water until one approaches more closely) we went on a walk with two San Bushman. We watched them demonstrate survival methods used by their ancestors and talk in their native language dressed in their traditional clothing of animal skins and plant fiber. Archaeologists believe that the San people lived in the Kalahari over 50,000 years ago making them the oldest race on earth. We were taken back in time as we watched them dig deep in the Kalahari sand to reach the root of the Bie plant. They chipped away small pieces from the root then squeezed water out of it. They demonstrated how an Ostrich egg was used for food and water storage. After the egg is scrambled in the shell by using a stick through a half inch hole the contents are poured onto hot sand where it cooks. The egg is filled with water and plugged with a plant (Kalahari Currant) which acts as a preservative. The egg is buried a foot deep in damp sand and marked so that they can find it at a later date. The bushman used poison on their arrows which is obtained from the pupae of a “Flea” beetle. It requires 8 pupae per arrow head and “can remain active for 50 years”. The Aardvark hole is often used by African Porcupines and Warthogs which the Bushman hunt for food. The Bushman stand outside the hole with sticks probing inside and making noise to irritate its occupant. When the Porcupine is irritated enough it comes out of the hole while the Bushman wait to spear it. We watched mesmerized in the evening stillness while the sun slowly disappeared below the horizon as the Bushman demonstrated how they started a fire by friction of stick to sand and stick using straight pieces of Corkwood and dry grass. After the fire was going they danced to an ancient rhythm and hand made musical instruments.
Today only about 3000 out of a population of 95,000 San continue to follow a totally traditional lifestyle of gathering and hunting.
Land that the San used to hunt is being increasingly lost to cattle grazing by farmers. Wildlife that the San depend on are changing their migration patterns due to the fences constructed to protect cattle.
The issue of fences is very contentious between the cattle farmers and environmentalists and San people.

Kalahari Desert, Botswana, Africa

After 2 days of flights from San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany then on to Johannesburg, South Africa totaling over 20 hrs. in the air we landed in Maun, Botswana.
It took us only 10 minutes to go through the line showing our passports then a quarter mile walk to a Bush plane where we were met by the Pilot and his Co pilot.

Bush Pilots
Within an hour of flying over arid and semi arid land below we landed on a small dirt airstrip near the Deception Valley Lodge in the Kalahari desert.
It is situated in a landscape so vast and untouched by civilization or as another author wrote “one of the last places on earth to be corrupted by humans”.

It is not a true desert but rather a semi-arid land covered by drought resistant plants such as the dominant Acacia Thorn bush and several grasses.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the only guests during our 2 night stay. As a result we were treated like special guests by our guide Adriaan his future wife Wanda.

Our room was reached by a boardwalk and had an enclosed outdoor shower and a deck overlooking the water hole 50 yards away.

Just outside our room I photographed exotic birds never before seen by either of us.

Crimson-Breasted Shrike


Fork-Tailed Drongo


Shaft-Tailed Wydah
On our first evening we went on a “Game drive” in a beat up Toyota Landrover with Numsi a Sans Bushman descendant as our point guide/tracker.

Numsi sat in a small seat mounted in front of the Landrover where he astutely looked for tracks and listened for sounds that would alert him of something nearby. Adriaan a South African of Colonial descent and ex professional Cricket player told us that he always wanted to be a guide and here he was in his prime proving that he knew his subject well.

We stopped at a large water hole for our “Sundowners” (South African Sauvignon Blanc). I had just sipped my first taste of the wine when Adriaan said “Get back in the Land Rover, Lions!”

I quickly sucked the entire glass of wine as I scrambled back into the vehicle to grab my camera. Kimberley calmly got back into her seat with full glass in hand filled with joy and excitement to see her first Lions in the wild.


Before us less than 20 yards away were two huge Black manned adult male Lions. According to Adriaan they were 7 year old brothers. They sauntered by us on their way to drink side by side then came back and lay down to relax and were completely oblivious to our presence.

What a beginning we both thought of what would turn out to be a continuing adventure of a lifetime.
On our return to the Lodge we saw a Nightjar in the middle of the road and stopped to get a closer look.
Rufous-Cheeked Nightjar
We were in the vehicle when a heavy rainfall hit and lasted for about an hour.
While enjoying good food with our hosts a large African Porcupine entered the dining area giving us a chance for photos.


The next day our expert guides were attracted by the sounds of alarm calls by birds that told them something was up nearby.
It turned out to be one of the most poisonous snakes in Africa and it was apparently not welcome by the birds. I photographed it as it slithered up into the bush.

The Boomslang is active during the day and feeds mostly on birds and chameleons.


Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) Large green eyes indicate juvenile

Helmeted Guineafowl
The Guineafowl were plentiful usually on the road and would run fast (25 mph)in front of the Landrover for well over 2 minutes before escaping into the grass.

Tawny Eagle
We were never without a new bird or mammal to look at or photograph. I was snapping away at every opportunity but would find out later that many of my photos were out of focus despite the fact that I was using a lens with optical stabilizer and usually automatic focus. Fortunately I did manage to get a few good photos.

Southern White-Faced Scops Owl
I am particulary grateful to the owner of The Deception Valley Lodge for pointing out the owl that was perched during mid day near our room.
The water hole near the lodge was visited by Warthogs,Kudus and Impalas.

Greater Kudu

Warthog running with tail straight up are reffered to by the locals as "radio Botswana".
I will continue this in another post soon and talk about the Bushman and our adventures in the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls, Zambia.