Wake up calls at 5:30 followed by coffee and snacks before we loaded up the safari vehicles for the morning excursion. What an amazing number of animals and birds we saw - elephants (100s), giraffes (dozens), cape buffalo ( dozens ), impales (many 100s), kudus ( dozens ), hippos ( dozen ), a mongoose (one kind, and then a herd of a second kind), a genet, a jackal, many zebras, many warthogs, hundreds of baboons, many buzzards, cormorants, African Fish Eagles, Tawny Eagle, Kites, Guinea Fowl (so many they are known locally as Chobe Chickens ) and, most exciting, a pack of 15 wild dogs which passed within feet of our vehicle. Our guide, Mr. Bean, told us that they only see them once or twice a month.
I'm sure there were others but we lost track. It was exciting just to see them. Back to the lodge for breakfast, then onto boats for a Chobe River safari.
Once again - totally amazing, Elephants and impala (cautiously)drinking from the river near crocodiles lazing on the bank. Even more birds and animals including most of those we saw in the morning, plus swallows, storkes, louries, ibisis, etc.
A large number of elephants crossed the river to Namibia while we watched close by. Elephants without Borders, says Mr. Bean.
After lunch, a brief rest, re-application of sunscreen and insect repellant and back to the safari vehicles.
Wow! what an afternoon! I can't begin to give a complete list, but there were lots of birds - the most beautiful was the Lilac Breasted Rolleo, and then there were Maribou Storks, Vultures, Black Stilts, African spoonbills, Egyptian Geese, Openbilled Stork, and so on.
Of course thousands of guinea hens, many many elephants, lots of giraffes and baboons, warthogs, kudus, impala, pukus, Chobe Bushbuck and Ta Da, Ta Da... a lioness.
I chose that moment to mess up my camera settings, but Larry was able to fix them, and get a great photo, even at about 100 metres across the water.
Mr. Bean had been about to serve us wine and appies on the sunset beach when he got a call about the lion, and so we raced westward to the vantage point.
What a thrill!
So we missed the sunset party but were more than amply rewarded.
Then back to the lodge for dinner and bed.
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