Today, we started our morning with a great first meal to give ourselves enough energy to be out from 10:30 am until 8:30 pm. After breakfast, we ventured into the city area of Chobe and shopped at local vendor storefronts. There were numerous homemade goods and hand-carved wooden structures that resembled many of the animals living only meters away. These included a majority of the Big 5 (Africa’s most dangerous animals when hungry) lions, leopards, water buffalo, elephants, and rhinos. Here, we had the opportunity to ship gifts for family and friends back home. We also had an amazing opportunity to get our heads wrapped with traditional Botswanan scarves and techniques.
After shopping, we had lunch at a beautiful neighboring hotel and safari park and tried multiple new types of pizzas. After eating, we headed back towards Chobe’s “downtown” strip where we were to meet our guides for our river safari at sunset! We started off cruising along the river slowly and learning about the history of the Chobe River, including the diplomacy required by both Botswana and Namibia in order to maintain stable relations for the treatment of the Chobe River, which serves as part of the border for the two nations. Our first animal spotting was a large Nile Crocodile that appeared to be 7-8 feet long! We pulled up only meters away from it on the boat as it sunbathed on the shore.
The remainder of the river safari proceeded to be one of the most amazing safaris and animal encounters I have ever experienced! After spotting a herd of elephants on shore from a distance, we proceeded to find numerous large lumps moving around in the water near the island separating Botswana and Namibia. We ventured their way, thinking they might have been hippos. But they appeared to be eight large male elephants feeding on the water weeds! Our double-deck boat allowed us many exquisite views of these beautiful creatures. We moved around the herd for some time, watching them eat and play in the water together, at one point getting roughly 15 feet away from them! It was truly a remarkable and once-in-a-lifetime experience! Throughout the rest of the safari, we also spotted hippos, water buffalo, and numerous native colorful birds. The river safari ended with an absolutely beautiful view of the sunset on the horizon before saying goodbye to the Chobe River’s wildlife for the last time.
