Makgadikgadi Pans National Park morning safari

Breakfast at Boteti River Camp

We take an early breakfast at the camp this morning before going out for our first safari in Botswana.

A selection of meats and cheeses plus freshly cooked pancakes is placed on the table, and there is also a buffet containing fruits and cereals.

I wasn’t expecting to be offered a hot breakfast as well!

Feeling very full, we are eager to get out there and explore the national park. From the lodge there is a very short distance, over a dry river, to reach the national park entrance.

I'm ready for whatever nature brings me today!

Makgadikgadi Pan National Park

Makgadikgadi means “dry dry”, and it is easy to see how it has got its name. Initially we see no animals, just a few birds.

The Grey Go-Away Bird – so named because its call sounds like “goway goway”.

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Yellow Billed Hornbill

Cape Turtle Dove

African Fish Eagle

Gabar Goshawk

A lone impala is the first animal we see

African Red-Eyed Bulbul

Marabou Stork

White Backed Vultures on their nest with a chick

Some extremely noisy Egyptian Geese

Crimson Breasted Shrike

Pied Babbler

The ever-present Meve's Starling

Red Billed Spurfowl

Southern Grey-Headed Sparrow

Lilac Breasted Roller - one of my favourite African birds

Yellow Billed Hornbill

Yellow Canary

Some Blue Wildebeest make an appearance.

One of the youngsters has a mangled-looking rear leg (badly broken?), hampering him while running.

Greater Kudu

With a Red-Billed Oxpecker

Black-Backed Jackal

Shake it, baby, shake it!

There are three of them!

It seems they are not all friends

Blacksmith Plovers

Elephant carcass

The place is teeming with Little Bee Eaters

A magnificent male Kudu

And some curious females

Running in every direction

At a nearby waterhole

Burchell's Sandgrouse

A number of them are gathering on the ground

With some flying off in unison

Soon the sky is full of them. The "whoosh" sound they make as they fly over us is mesmerising.

Other little waterholes are full of Burchell’s Zebra

An adorable little foal

More zebra make their way towards the water

Tea Break

We step out of the vehicle to stretch our legs and enjoy a cup of tea while watching the Crocodiles and Kudu with their beautiful reflections in the perfectly still water.

Red Crested Khoran

A Yellow Mongoose sneaks by

We see a couple of large male elephants in the distance and head towards them.

This one is not so sure how he feels about us

The ubiquitous Yellow Billed Hornbills are everywhere - they are affectionately known as "the flying banana"

Steenbok - like some other small antelopes, these mate for life, and one of the most interesting facts about them is that they bury their poo in the same way as cats do, to reduce their scents and avoid predators.

Scaly Feathered Finch

Marico Flycatcher

Mr & Mrs Masaai Ostrich

Stuck

As we make our way along the basin, the soft sand gets the better of the vehicle and we get stuck, with the wheels just spinning.

Moscow (our fantastic driver-guide) gets out to assess the situation.

He is fully prepared and extremely experienced in these matters and carries a large jack for just such an occasion. He tells us it usually happens at least once on every safari.

It's hard work!

Having raised the chassis, he digs out the soft ground under the wheel.

Moscow then goes off to find some logs and other bits of wood to put under the wheel.

Meanwhile, David and I act as lookouts for dangerous wild animals. On one side it is open and should be easy to spot any would-be predators, whereas to our left is a sandbank with bushes on top which could be a suitable hiding place for any big cats looking to pounce on unsuspecting tourists.

Having repeated the same thing on the near-side rear wheel, Moscow hopes to be able to drive out of the sand.

No joy. Back to square one: jack up the front left, put wood under the wheel, repeat with the rear wheel. Attempt to drive out of the sticky situation. Move a few metres, then stuck again. Start all over from the beginning.

Thankfully on the third attempt, by which time Moscow is absolutely exhausted, we manage to slowly inch our way from the hole we found ourselves in.

Well done, Moscow!

Lilac Breasted Roller

Pearl Owlet

Burchell's Zebra
There are zebra (and wildebeest) everywhere we look.

And a cute little baby for good measure

A couple of Black Backed Jackals join the party

Lunch

What an amazing place to stop for a picnic, surrounded by zebra in every direction, and serenaded by their incessant braying. Totally surreal!

Boteti River Camp has done us proud, with an amazing selection of food for our picnic!

I love the way the side of the vehicle not only assists in easy access to the truck with its inbuilt steps but is also useful as a table for picnics. Bushways, the local agent here in Botswana, obviously put a lot of thought into the planning of the vehicles, which have been specially designed and built for them.

What a spread! Cold meats, potato salad, coleslaw, sausages, bread and butter, mini quiches, and packets of Cheddars. We are certainly not going to go hungry today.

That sees the end of our morning game drive. We relax with a cuppa in the van before setting out for the afternoon safari, which will feature in the next blog entry.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations and the local teams for organising this amazing Great Africa Trip 2024.