Tuesday, June 18, 2024 (continued)
Our first activity at Chobe Game Lodge was an afternoon boat safari.
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| Deck at the boat jetty |
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| Electric pontoon boats for the safaris |
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The calm Chobe River, the last section of the
Cuando River as it flows into the Zambezi River,
lies on the border between Botswana and Namibia |
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| Chobe National Park is on the Botswana side |
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| Papio ursinus/Chacma Baboon drinks from the river (KSS) |
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Crocodylus niloticus/Nile Crocodile; as soon as we
approached, crocodiles would slip back into the river |
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A pod of Hippopotamus amphibius/Common Hippopotami
hang out on the Namibia side (KSS) |
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| Distinctive faces with protruding eyes and nostrils (KSS) |
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| A popular watering spot, especially for elephants |
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| Elephants siphon water into their trunks ... (KSS) |
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| ... then release the water into their mouths (KSS) |
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| Females and babies of all sizes |
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A baboon picks through elephant poop for
undigested fruits and seeds (KSS) |
Today, we would also see banded mongooses, impalas, giraffes, and warthogs.
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| Anhinga rufa/African Darter (KSS) |
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The level of the river rises enough to erode under the roots
of the trees, yet this year there has been less rain than usual |
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| The unique profile of the Scopus umbretta/Hamerkop |
We would also see white-faced whistling ducks, guineafowl, great white egrets, reed cormorants, white-crowned lapwings, African fish eagle, southern ground hornbill, giant kingfisher, grey-headed bushshrike, fork-tailed drongos, African pied wagtails, and yellow-billed oxpeckers.
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| Sunset |
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Red suns and persistent red skies are attributed
to air pollution, particularly from fires |
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Namibian travelers stay on houseboat-hotels and
use smaller boats for safaris (KSS) |
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Today we had a mid-morning boat safari.
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The roof of the electric boats is made
of solar panels |
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| Herd of Aepyceros melampus/Impalas (KSS) |
We would also see baboons and hippos.
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| Tockus bradfieldi/Bradfield's Hornbill (KSS) |
We would also see grey herons, great white egrets, reed cormorants, African darters, white-crowned lapwings, lesser black-headed gulls, a water thick-knee, an osprey, and lesser striped swallows.
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Mokoros, the traditional carved wooden boat that is
poled through the water, on the Namibian side |
Thursday, June 20, 2024
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Our last activity at Chobe Game Lodge
was a sunrise boat safari |
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| This time the hippos are in the river |
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| Namibians pole their mokoros |
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| Vanellus albiceps/White-crowned Lapwing |
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| The river is so calm, the reflection is mirrored (KSS) |
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| A troop of baboons |
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| Breakfast was at the boma/traditional gathering place |
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| Fruits and yogurts, veggies, cheese and cold cuts |
Next: Chobe Game Drives.
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