One of the biggest things that I love about Africa is that you are never far from nature. Seriously, in Botswana you have to slow down on our “highway” for baboons and warthog to cross the road 🙂
For me, moving to the city from the “bush”, being with nature is probably something I miss the most. Things like having a proper garden, being surrounded by thick veld and waking up in the middle of the night because some bushbaby is making a weird noise 🙂 So every year I try and get back to that. (Even though it involves close encounters with Snakes and Scorpions 🙂 )
This Blog is owed to “Beautiful Botswana”. My Heart, my Life, My soul is with this dusty, heat filled country 🙂
This year I want to encourage all people that live in Botswana to also “keep it local”. So often with small towns, all you want to do for a holiday is make a break for it overseas or out of the country. I realised after speaking to so many expats living there how incredibly blessed we are in Botswana, and how much by living there you take it for granted. We have the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Nxai Pans and even the vast emptiness of the Tuli Block we literally are spoilt for choice when it comes to “Bush Breaks”.
Nxai (the x= a clicking sound) Pan is 2500 square kilometer game reserve. It is a large area of very flat savannah/grasslands. I shockingly have never even been there myself!
In Botswana, typically in the rainy season you avoid going on “safari” as the bush gets too thick, but Nxai Pan blossoms. Thousands of Zebra migrate to the area with their young.
It is also the only place you will see both springbok and impala in the same area.
Nxai pan has many different species including: gemsbock, giraffe, impala, springbok, lions (lots of them) cheetahs, leopard, wildebeest, bat eared fox, jackals, honeybadgers, to name a few ! So for all the “mini-breaks” this year why not explore what we have? GOAL FOR THIS YEAR? GO CAMPING IN THE NXAI PANS! Anyone keen to join me?
I love Africa. I love Botswana.
Tuli Block is an area of land in the far Southeastern border of Botswana and South Africa. It acted a barrier between Bechuanaland (Botswana) and the South African Boer Farmers in 1895.In the Tuli block the Limpopo River and the Notwane River converge. Tuli today is made up of multiple private game reserves and private farms/residences. Little of the area is fences and the animals are allowed to roam . This is true Botswana, Red Soil, Miles of Thorn trees and random animals everywhere!
Chobe National Park. Chobe is over 11700 square kilometres of protected area and rated one of the best safaries in Africa it has the largest population of elephants about 120,000. Infact they are causing a bit of a problem in the area ! Its also a bird lovers’ paradise. You’ll also probably get to see the most Hippo’s out of water you have ever seen!
Every December we try to go to Chobe (Kasane). The Chobe River is the border between Botswana and Nambia. There is an island called Sidudu at the border between Botswana and Namibia where buffalos, impala, lechewe, Puku (if you are lucky) and elephants and Hippos graze. It honestly holds some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.
Lets talk more about those skies, In Botswana there is not a single day that passes where we do not see an amazing sunrise or sunset.
During the day the sky is a crisp blue. Some days…..a clear blue sky that goes forever….Other days full of cute puffy cotton ball clouds.
The sky is even more amazing during rain. The thunderstorms here are AWESOME displays of lighting and thunder with enormous clouds looming and you see rain falling kilometers off in the distance.
So Keep it Local Guys, we are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place. For those readers that have never been to Botswana, it will change your world forever 🙂 The people, the culture, the hot air. It gets under your skin and will never leave xx
PS: Two great websites about Botswana? www.gaboronecity.com and www.safaris-in-botswana.com
