Africa Day Nine: Botswana: More Wildlife In Chobe National Park

After returning from our cruise on the Chobe River, we had a nice lunch at the Chobe Safari Lodge and I had a few minutes to relax a bit. 

We were soon off to the Chobe National Park for a safari through another area  known for it’s high concentration of wildlife. And it didn’t take long to see why it earned this reputation. I spotted this bird while waiting for our paperwork for admission to  the park. 

And the park entrance  also had a number of these monkeys scampering about, enjoying whatever food discarded by the humans  they can find. 

Once the paperwork was processed we drove along the arid. almost desert like landscape produced by the lack of rain in the dry season in Botswana. 

Still, despite the dry conditions, and it being the middle of the afternoon,  there was plenty of wildlife activity. We encountered many types of antelopes including the beautiful kudu, here is a female.

And here is the stately male. 

We also saw herds of impalas along the road as we continued our safari. 

It is always exciting to see the graceful giraffe, and even more so when striding freely along your vehicle in their environment. Here is a link to video of  some giraffes we saw I uploaded to my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/-LZdb7ylVPs   

This beautiful animal was born free , and will live it’s entire life roaming freely throughout the wilderness of Chobe National park.  These rare and special places must be preserved for all future generations can enjoy this wonderful experience. 

Even though it was mid day I was surprised with the number of birds that were active. And many were so exotic and colorful on the mid day sun. 

I am sorry I forgot their names but here is a link to some more photographs of the birds we encountered on our safari .  https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/africa-october-2016/nggallery/africa-october-2016/Botswana-Africa-Chobe-National-Park-safari-birds-October-17-2016

As were drove the sandy roads we came across the unpleasant sight of a few  elephants that had died, probably from old age or disease. it is part of the cycle of nature. 

And we found some of the living elephants hiding under what little shade they could find to avoid the midday sun and heat. 

As we neared the  banks of the river we spotted a few zebras.

And we were treated to the very rare sight of civet taking a drink at a small puddle of water. These nocturnal creatures are not often seen in the day. This  shy creature lay perfectly still, blending in with the rocky landscape and thinking he had escaped our sight. 

It was getting late in the afternoon, but no one in our group were in any hurry to leave this nature sanctuary with it’s diversity and abundance of wildlife. But  all good things must end and so did our safari. Here is a link to  photographs of some of the wildlife we encountered in the Chobe National Park. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/africa-october-2016/nggallery/africa-october-2016/Botswana-Africa-Chobe-National-Park-wildlife-October-17-2016-

 On our way out of the park we saw one of my favorite trees. I remember learning about them in geography class in grade school and always wanting to see one. I still remember the first time I saw one in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.   The strange looking baobob tree. We  drove back to Zimbabwe, and the lines of trucks still waiting for the ferry. We left Botswana with many experiences that will provide many happy memories for the rest of our lives. Here is a link to some more photos of Chobe National Park. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/africa-october-2016/nggallery/africa-october-2016/Botswana-Africa-Chobe-National-Park-landscape-October-17-2016

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
― Theodore Roosevelt