By Doris Gallan –
I never gave much thought to the African country of Botswana. Probably couldn’t have found it on a map.
Little did I know that this is the home of the Kalahari Desert and the tribe once known as the Bushmen (they prefer the term ‘San’) that was made famous by the 1980 movie
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The Gods Must Be Crazy. It’s an area also known for the Okavango Delta where much wildlife still lives.
As we planned how we would travel through Africa we discovered that this was a part of the world we just had to see. And, we decided, the only way to see it was by overland tour.
These tours – which are popular in Africa and South America – consist of a truck outfitted for back roads and no roads, a kitchen, a driver, a guide, tents and sleeping mats. You travel with about a dozen fellow travelers usually of all ages. What makes them popular is the fact that you generally stay away from cities (except to resupply provisions) and stick to the bush where you see all sorts of wildlife.
Our first of two overland tours in Africa started in Namibia—near the inaccessible and richest sources of diamond in the world. We were soon in the Okavango Delta, in the northwest corner of Botswana, much of which is protected and attracts hippopotamus, elephants, a few human settlements and a great variety of birds.
The best experience in Botswana was a two-day, overnight camping trip on a small island reached by canoe with a pole man pushing us along the delta as we kept an eye for charging hippos. It was a most peaceful couple of hours of passing though reeds seeing little but the blue sky, birds and water lilies as we floated by.
The sunsets on the river were magnificent especially as we watched from the front porch of the lodge drinking cold beers and planning the next day’s outings.
Doris Gallan is the author of The Boomers’ Guide to Going Abroad to Travel | Live | Give | Learn and a travel coach. She has been to all seven continents and 50+ countries. Daily travel tips and hilarious stories about her exploits are available at http://www.babyboomerstraveling.com/.