The Bushmen

My first day in Botswana was not very interesting, after breakfast at the Windhoek hotel we headed towards Mamuno Control, which was where we crossed the border, it did not take long (about 30-45 min to pass the two borders) and from there we spent the rest of the day in the bus until we get to Ganzi.  A lot of time on the  road and the last part was really bumpy.

 

The accommodation at Ganzi didn´t have electricity at night, so after seeing some traditional Bushman dances we went to bed. I was grateful to be sleeping in a bungalow and not in a hut. That night there was a horrible storm, with a lot of wind.The next morning we took a little walk with the Bushmen.

The San were one of the first settlers of the planet and they inhabited mainly the southern zone of the African continent. They are characterized by having a lighter colored skin and are short. Their descendants still live in areas of Namibia and Botswana.

 

They have a very curious language, their main peculiarity is that among the sounds that we would normally recognize as words, this language introduces clicks of different types made with the tongue ... as if we were harnessing a horse. When read, those sounds are expressed with symbols like ≠,!, // ... each one is different and gives a different meaning to the words.

 

The tribes are well-known for the profound connection they have with their land, for their intimate knowledge of the natural world, and the delicate balance they have maintained for millennia with the environment.

During the tour we were shown different plants that used to relieve pain, fertility ... it was an interesting walk.

 

After the walk we headed to Maun where we arrived before lunch. It was a quiet day and we spent the afternoon to enjoy the pool of the accommodation and connect to the internet in the bar, we also prepare the luggage for the next 2 days in the Okavango Delta.


Tips

No electicity during the night

Nice common area and decent internet. A lot of bugs in the room

 


Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is a unique pulsing wetland. (Kavango) River, which flows from the Angolan highlands, across Namibia's Caprivi Strip and into the harsh Kalahari Desert. .

 

The scale and magnificence of the Okavango Delta helped secure the position of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, which was officially declared on 2013. On 22 June 2014, the Okavango Delta became the 1000th site to be officially inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

 

Mama G (our guide) had already told us that during all the time we had been traveling and that the next 2 days were going to be on vacation. We headed towards the airport as one of the advantages of traveling in "accommodate" was that in Okavango we would have a fly in and we could see the Delta in all its glory.

 

It was not an easy trip, we were 10 people in a small plane, and it was very hot, I have no problem flying, but in this trip my stomach was upset down . Even so I enjoyed the breathtaking views from the air.

Once we landed they came to pick up  us and after a short trip with the boat we arrived at our accommodation where they were greeted with the entire staff singing at the Camp's dock in choir formation. We had drinks and they showed us our rooms.

During our stay there, we had several boat rides where we could discover wildlife that live in the Delta. Especially remarkable the great variety of birds, but also crocodiles and hippos. While we were going with the boat we saw two, I had always thought that the hiccups were quiet animals, but underwater are quite dangerous, they get to hold up to 5 min underwater and dive at high speed. When we saw someone from the boat, the guides took care to keep some distance.

Another day we took the typical Makoros  and navegate through narrow canals And on the way back to our hotel we asked our guide to look for elephants, we had not have much luck with them since in Etosha we only saw one. He started to look for traces and to follow them, "they are cool" he told us, he went with the yeep from one side to another and in the end we managed to find them, the first thing we saw was 2 adult elephants followed by a smaller one than when running after They stumbled, we followed them some distance until we met a herd of about 50 Elephants, it was amazing !!! Unfortunately it was dusk and we had to leave quickly there as we did not want to navigate the river having already gotten dark.


Tips

Our rooms were standalone fancy "glamping" style tents- equipped with beautiful ornaments, furniture, lights (solar powered) and running water (heated via solar). The beds were very comfortable and there was fan overtop and mosquito net.The chef took great pride in her work and announced the menu to all of the guests every night. There is a bar with a nice selection of liquors and usually a few wines to choose from. There was a fire pit every night which made the evenings very relaxing. Given the remoteness of the Camp's location there is nothing but the silence of the Delta.