Our next stop in Botswana was another place within the Okavango Delta in the Moremi Game Reserve, only a twenty-minute bush plane flight to the southeast. Camp Xakanaxa is situated in a drier part of the delta, with most of the safaris done using purpose-built, large, four-wheel-drive vehicles typical in Africa. Here also, there was an option to take a boat. The lodge and our room were steps away from the banks of the Khwai River, but having experienced the delta by boat at Xugana, we opted to explore by land. Again, we had an excellent guide. His name was Taylor. He worked extremely hard to get us to see what there was to see. He was very good at taking into account that I like to take pictures. He did his best to give me a good vantage point to get the photo, and he always turned off the vehicle engine, so it wouldn’t shake the camera. Since I like to see it all, it probably made his job a challenge. Most of the game drives, we had him to ourselves, but there were a few that we did not.
On one such drive, after seeing many different animals, we rounded a corner and another guest said, “Oh, look, there is an elephant.” We stopped abruptly. As you can see from the photo above, it was kind of hidden in the shade of a tree beside the road. Taylor (who probably saw the huge animal before the guest) knew we had already seen plenty of elephants, but realized the other woman had not. The elephant was on the same side of the vehicle as my wife was and only a few yards away. My wife raised her binoculars. I snapped a few photos (I never know which ones will be good, or which might have a story behind them) and a few seconds later my wife declared, “I can’t believe I can’t see an elephant.” The elephant, practically within trunk’s distance of her binoculars, grumbled a little (as if to say, Let me help you get those silly binoculars out of your way, I am right here), and my wife replied as she lowered her binoculars with, “Oh, there you are.” She laughed at herself a little.
When we first arrived at the airstrip, we were met by our guide, and he asked us what we were most interested in seeing at Moremi Game Reserve. I said something like, Whatever will make good photos for my website, but we have seen elephants, and I already have some good photos of them. Even so, I am glad we saw that elephant under the tree. My wife’s laughter and the expression on her face when she looked at me made me appreciate that I am a lucky guy. I have a wife that enjoys doing things with me. I had the pleasure of being together with her in a new country, sharing time with interesting people from around the world, who had different life experiences and perspectives. We were all fortunate to have the help of local people, who I believe genuinely loved their jobs and wanted to share their knowledge and hospitality with guests.
One more quick story about another elephant before I give you an opportunity to see better photos than the one above. Near the end of our time in Camp Xakanaxa, our guide saw a big bull elephant scratching his face on a fallen tree. He turned the vehicle off, so we could take some pictures. The bull started walking in our direction with his big ears flared out. Preparing for a potential confrontation, Taylor started the vehicle. The elephant kept coming. Taylor revved the engine a little. The big boy kept coming our way, but not charging. Taylor put the transmission in gear, revved the engine hard and quickly let the clutch out, which spun the tires and kicked up a little dirt. That was enough; the elephant immediately turned around and quickly headed in the other direction. All I could think was, well played, Taylor, as I took another photo of the bull in retreat. For photos of elephants near Camp Xakanaxa, click here. I will try to get another post out soon.