Day 1

I woke up before the alarm excited to start our 29 day Safari! Our hostel in Johannesburg still didn’t have any electricity so we packed in the dark. The taxi ride was shorter and cheaper than I expected arriving at the departure point, Boulevard Estates, very early. While killing time walking around, we saw chickens with baby chicks wandering around the lush green grounds. We noticed guests of the estates and figured they must be joining us in the tour. Looking around, it seemed like Sara and I would be the youngest couple on the trip until two college students showed up last minute. We all filled out some paperwork for the Nomad Safari and approached the truck. It was massive! It seats 24 plus there’s room for three up in the cab. There are storage areas under the floor and in the back of the truck creating plenty of space for days worth of supplies. We packed up and hit the road for a full day of driving with a destination of Botswana.

To make the long drive more exciting, Sara came up with a new game. When one of us spot a new and exciting animal (ie giraffe or elephant), that person wins a drink. I know… we are so creative! I think Sara knew something I didn’t because a few minutes later, she spotted our first giraffe grazing a short distance from the road. She won the first beer!

Halfway into the full day of driving, our guide broke the news that we couldn’t go to the original campsite because of a bush fire but he had an alternate planned. Several hours of driving later, we pulled into Sebe Sebe Lodge right near the Botswana boarder. After a short demonstration of how to setup our tent, we were whisked off onto our first game drive. Twelve of us piled into a converted antique Ford F-150 and drove around the reserve for a couple hours. As the sun set, the moon began its slow dance across the sky – combined with all the animals, it was magical. Unfortunately, both Sara and I are still feeling a little sick so we couldn’t enjoy it fully.

Back at the camp, we cleaned up before dinner was served. The tour’s chef, Nash, created a flavorful shepherds pie to start the trip off right! After dinner, everyone gathered around the campfire for introductions while our guide, JoJo, explained what to expect on this adventure. Both JoJo and Nash are from Victoria Falls and have been conducting tours for several years. There were a total of 18 travelers and we learned that this group would only be with us to Victoria Falls: A very friendly couple from Maine, a Swedish couple, British college students volunteering in Malawi, Aussie and British runners that just finished competing in an ultra-marathon in South Africa, a couple on their anniversary trip from Germany, two guys from Prague and an older couple from Australia.

Day 2

The group woke early the next morning for a very long travel day. We had to drive over 800 kilometers to Maun, Botswana. It was a brutal drive, made worse by us being sick. We did stop a few times to view animals or sights on the side of the road, but other than that it was 12 hours straight on the truck. With all the rattling and road noise, by the time we made it to camp, Sara had a terrible headache and could barely help setup the tent. We went to sleep as soon as we laid down after dinner.

Tomorrow we head out into the Okavango Delta!

Female kudu on game drive

Mongoose on game drive

Sebe Sebe Lodge

Male waterbuck on game drive

Tour truck "Jimi" at our lunch stop on Fay 2

View while driving in middle of Botswana

Dry river bed - used to be part of the Okavango River

Sitatunga Camp in Maun

Sitatunga Camp in Maun

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