DAY 6: Tuesday March 5th 2019 CHOBE RIVER, NAMIBIA – KHWAI CAMP, BOTSWANA

This day ended up providing us with a succession of superlatives.

In our post dawn and final trip on the Namibian section of the Chobe we managed to get the very best conditions for photography with a glassy calm river and a soft pinkish post dawn light. 

Reflection on the Chobe River

Reflection on the Chobe River

Bird life was prolific and in one section, perched on the river-bank reeds there must have been a thousand or more barn swallows. Intermingled with the swallows were several male and female red bishops. The male’s vermilion colouring was stunning in the morning light. The female entered the couple’s dangling spherical nest of woven grass and then reappeared unperturbed by our proximity. 

Barn swallows

Barn swallows

Red bishop (male)

Red bishop (male)

Red bishop (female)

Red bishop (female)

Red bishop on nest

Red bishop on nest

Along the way we saw purple herons, little bitterns, southern musk weaver birds, copper tailed coucals and lapwings.

Great egret

Great egret

Long-toed lapwing

Long-toed lapwing

Copper-tailed coucal

Copper-tailed coucal

Purple heron

Purple heron

We then entered a section of the river where bee-eaters prevailed. The bee-eaters seen included the blue throated bee-eater, the little (green) bee-eater, the white fronted and the carmine bee-eater. These beautiful birds have glorious plumage and perform aerial feats in catching insects on the wing.

Blue-cheeked bee-eater

Blue-cheeked bee-eater

Little bee-eater

Little bee-eater

White-fronted bee-eaters

White-fronted bee-eaters

Carmine bee-eater,

Carmine bee-eater,

Carmine bee-eaters (male & female)

Carmine bee-eaters (male & female)

Carmine bee-eater

Carmine bee-eater

At one point we were photographing a pair of little bee-eaters when suddenly a malachite kingfisher landed between them.

Little bee-eaters & Malachite kingfisher

Little bee-eaters & Malachite kingfisher

Little bee-eaters

Little bee-eaters

Other special sightings included a broad billed roller, a black crake, Allen’s gallinule and a fan-tailed widowbird.

Broad-billed roller

Broad-billed roller

Black crake

Black crake

Fan-tailed widowbird

Fan-tailed widowbird

Allens Gallinule

Allens Gallinule

Allens Gallinule

Allens Gallinule

Jacana (juvenile)

Jacana (juvenile)

water lily

water lily

Black-collared barbet

Black-collared barbet

Whilst on the river we went to the nearby Namibian Immigration Centre and checked out of the country although we weren’t to leave Namibia until two hours later.

Malcolm, Rae, Jak, Corinne & Fabian on Pangolin photo boat near the Namibian Immigration Centre

Malcolm, Rae, Jak, Corinne & Fabian on Pangolin photo boat near the Namibian Immigration Centre

Corinne & Jak on Pangolin photo boat

Corinne & Jak on Pangolin photo boat

We returned to the houseboat for the last time, had brunch and then said our farewells before we re-entered Botswana.

Pangolin Voyager

Pangolin Voyager

Roy Ng, Malcolm & Rae Wells, Corinne & Jak Denny with staff, Pangolin Voyager (Photo credit Alda & Tjaart Smuts)

Roy Ng, Malcolm & Rae Wells, Corinne & Jak Denny with staff, Pangolin Voyager (Photo credit Alda & Tjaart Smuts)

Roy Ng, Malcolm & Rae Wells, Corinne & Jak Denny with staff, Pangolin Voyager (Photo credit Alda & Tjaart Smuts)

Roy Ng, Malcolm & Rae Wells, Corinne & Jak Denny with staff, Pangolin Voyager (Photo credit Alda & Tjaart Smuts)

Map of Pangolin Voyager cruise

Map of Pangolin Voyager cruise

At the Pangolin Lodge we sent messages to home, down loaded emails and contacted family to let all know we were happy and safe despite the lack of communication.

At around mid-day we flew from Kasane in a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan to arrive at the landing strip for Khwai. The pilot was a young woman who showed a very high level of competence and apparent experience. We had to circle and survey the airstrip before landing as elephants and other large animals live in the surroundings. The “airport terminal” comprised a small open two metre square shed holding some fire extinguishers. 

Khwai airstrip

Khwai airstrip

Terminal facilities at Khwai airport

Terminal facilities at Khwai airport

Disembarking from Macair Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

Disembarking from Macair Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

A truck soon appeared with Matt our driver who then drove us for an hour along a rough sandy track to our new home, The Pangolin Khwai Camp.

Bridge to Pangolin Khwai Camp

Bridge to Pangolin Khwai Camp

The four of us are the only guests at the camp at present and after introductions and familiarisation with our safari-tents (glamping!) a tropical down pour commenced. We consequently had a one-hour delay waiting for the thunderstorm to abate and then off we went on our first safari adventure in the open sided but covered top 4WD Landcruiser.

Our room at Pangolin Khwai Camp

Our room at Pangolin Khwai Camp

Our bathroom at Pangolin Khwai Camp

Our bathroom at Pangolin Khwai Camp

View from our deck at Pangolin Khwai Camp

View from our deck at Pangolin Khwai Camp

Storm clouds

Storm clouds

Our first sightings were of baboons and a woodland kingfisher; a bird none of us had seen before.

Fork-tailed drongo

Fork-tailed drongo

Woodland kingfisher,

Woodland kingfisher,

Impala mother & baby

Impala mother & baby

Matt our driver was in touch by CB radio with other groups in the reserve and was made aware that a pack of painted wolves had been located someplace nearby. We drove rapidly along a sandy, twisty and rough bush track to the designated location and sure enough, there they were, five painted wolves. A very rare sight that few visitors get to see! There are now estimated to be fewer than 700 painted wolves in Botswana and most are located in the Okavango/Chobe region. 

They are supreme predators and have unbelievable physical endurance being able to run at 60 km/h for 5 km or more. 

These attractive canines were formerly called African wild dogs and we spent the next hour with these wolves and on occasion were able to get within a few metres of them.

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

Painted wolf

We suspect that the pack of five (2 males and 3 females) had very recently undertaken an unsuccessful pursuit of prey (impalas?) and were now resting.

The encounter was one we’d hope to achieve but realised that the likelihood of seeing painted wolves was a low probability.

Swainson's spurfowl on termite mound

Swainson's spurfowl on termite mound

Swainson's spurfowl

Swainson's spurfowl

We then had sundowners adjacent to a large herd of lechwe before heading back to camp.

Red lechwes at sunset

Red lechwes at sunset

Red lechwes watching us enjoy our sundowners

Red lechwes watching us enjoy our sundowners

Matt preparing G&T

Matt preparing G&T

Malcolm, Tony, Rae , Corinne & Matt enjoying sundowners

Malcolm, Tony, Rae , Corinne & Matt enjoying sundowners

Before dinner we sat around an open fire on the sand under a starlit sky and chatted over pre-dinner refreshments. Our camp hosts are Thomas and Barbara who are formerly from Vienna. Matt our wildlife guide and William our photographic guide joined us too. We all then had a lovely meal with the menu and wines expertly described by Gloria. Then it was bedtime after an extraordinarily busy day of adventure and excitement. 

We had to be escorted along the 200 m walkway to our safari tent because of lions and hippos that live close by!