Going bush in BOTSWANA

In the open campsites of the Mababe Zokotsama Community Development Trust, which borders the Chobe and Moremi national parks, you are not only part of the natural ebb and flow of feeding game, but, says SA4x4’s Anton Willemse, you also have to be on the lookout for other natural hazards.

- Anton Willemse

My first article about an overland trip was supposed to be about the bush, the animals and the family around a campfire. Although all of this was amazing and memorable, I learnt a couple of lessons on my recent trip to the Okavango Delta in Botswana that could help future overlanders.

It was very early that Saturday morning when we took to the roads on our way to Botswana. For me, this was a dream come true − for years my folks would return from their bush trips and share their adventures with us, and I’d always said, “One day…” Well, on that early Saturday morning, my day came.

Dijara is a small campsite just outside Mababe village, about 150km north-east of Maun. It is, basically, right on the doorstep of the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, and consists of 13 campsites on the banks of the Khwai River. There are no fences around the reserve or the park, and our five-night stay at the campsite was made very interesting by nightly visits from hyenas and hippos, and a regular presence of elephant during the day.

Pitching at Dijara 

We had our trip tightly planned and had organised an activity or destination for every day, so after a sleep-over in Maun on the Saturday, we arrived at Dijara on the Sunday. After being welcomed by the owner-manager, who showed us our campsite, we excitedly pitched camp and started the adventure. The spacious campsite hosted three tents and an off-road caravan comfortably, and, although very basic, was well equipped with the necessary amenities – including ablution water straight from the Khwai River.

Campsites in the area mostly lack fresh water, and a warm shower is a luxury, so we quickly started a fire and placed a couple of Jerry cans about a foot or so away from the fire to warm up. It took about 45 minutes, and we found that two Jerry cans of water was enough for all of us to have a fairly warm shower.