3rd and 4th May, 2017 Morning Game Drive- Simply unbelievable. Walk with the Elephants!

Following the wake up with Coffee delivered to our villa, we had breakfast and then departed upon our morning game drive. We drove through the metre deep water on some roads and swayed through newly finalised dirt roads.   

Not far from the Camp we came upon a large herd  lwof water buffalo, then many Impala. 

Our guide Fred then identifies Leopard footprints and we drive around for some twenty minutes. Fred is convinced that the Leopard has a kill and is dragging it through the undergrowth and is seeking safe refuge to eat its kill. 

Suddenly, Fred points and there is the leopard high in the tree and on the ground beneath the tree is a full size male Impala, which has been torn apart, but remains largely in tact.  There is no one else around and we get to watch the Leopard attempt to climb the tree and bring the impala up into the branches away from other predators, but after a couple of attempts including a lengthy rest, it becomes too hard and she is forced to drop the impala to the ground.  She then has a rest all the while surveying and deciding what to do. She then drags it directly past us and into deeper under growth. 

Just an amazing experience and we do have some brilliant video and photos. 

We then drive on and see elephants, giraffe and suddenly there are lion footprints, but we are unable to locate. We experience nature at its rawest.

The drive is largely quiet after the excitement of the impala and Leopard. 

Yet on the afternoon drive we see very little activity apart from the elephants, the water buffalo and the zebra and impala.  Fred knows that there are lions about but in this area they have gone deeper into the forested areas. 

Dinner is another superb feast of 3 courses. We all remain excited as to the Leopard. We are excited as to the following morning because we are scheduled to complete the "Walk with the Elephants " a special activity where the group meet and then spend some 3 hours walking with the 2 elephants and then having lunch in a clearing which is set up for a full buffet luncheon and the 2 elephants join us for lunch them they engage with us and present to us.

We are in bed at 10.15pm and we hear hippos and crocodiles during the evening. The morning comes quickly and it is another perfect sunrise and we enjoy the breakfast out on the balcony at Baines resort. 

Following our depart, we drive through beautiful Savanna fields, see many animals, but not lions, and eventually come to the area where the 2 elephant keepers, have their 2 beautiful elephants(Aruba and Jabu) who are really refugees from elephant culls and they have been trained and rehabilitated over several years , not to perform as occurs in circus activities, but in the peace and tranquility of their own environment here in Botswana, where there are over 150,000 elements of the worldwide population of 330,000 African elephants.

This is truly a unique and wonderful experience, where the elephants are up close and we engage with them, pat them, hold their trunk, and also they give us a slobbering kiss.  We each walk holding the trunk for a different distance along a defined track, we watch them walk, eat, play and they engage with us. 

Jeanette has wonderful photos and we have memories to treasure. 

Fred comes after we have had the most amazing luncheon, with the keepers and elephants set up in a clearing. The food is a buffet of salads, spaghetti and other assorted items.  We are also inducted into their Elephants club and each receive a "kiss" from the female Arula. He advises that it is time to leave and go to the airport for our flight and subsequent drive to Sanctuary Chiefs resort and lodge. 

Our plane arrives at the bush airstrip, we are loaded with our bags into the small 12 passenger plane and we are off for the next leg of our trip.  At the airstrip on arrival there are warthogs, Giraffes and 2 elephants.  But none goes near the airstrip.  This is a short flight of 20 minutes over The delta with its amazing aerial scenes and amazing glows of water. 

We land and are unpacked and we meet our guide Onks, who provides a run down and we set off on a game drive before we checkin. We see little and the drive is rough with many deep cut tracks in the Kalahari Sand and with all of the flood plains.  We see few animals.  We are inducted into the beautiful Chief's resort and in the Lounge area and enjoy drinks and a detailed briefing.  We are then taken to #7 Merilloand you can only describe it as stunning interns of style and quality of facilities and fit out.  The lounge, dining and bar area is superb,and the accommodations are even better. 

High tea is served at 3.00pm with departure on the late afternoon Game drive ar3.30pm. It is enjoyable but disappointing for the first hour then we get word that a cheetah has been sighted in the open of the savannah. We drive quickly through various pasture and savannah grass plains and then see another land cruiser.  Then we see the cheetah lying in the afternoon sun.  She has been stalking impala and Wilderbeast.  But she is resting.  We stay and watch until almost 5.45pm before she again resumes her hunt.  She is a beautiful animal with a superb coat and is in very good condition.  She crosses directly by us. Just amazing. 

A spectacular day and this only continues with our 55 minute drive back to the lodge in initial late evening sunlight and then under the stars. We are all amazed, we started out looking for Rhino and then come across a rare siting of the Cheetah. 

This whole experience consumes our evening conversations.  The meal is on the outdoor platform in the most romantic environment overlooking The Savannah.

We have enjoyed a magnificent day, initially with the Elephants in Baines and then via our flight and arrival in Sanctuary Chiefs and subsequently seeing the Chhetah.

A remarkable day, which you can only describe as amazing.