A magical moment in Botswana

First the introductions:

We’re the parents, Lionel and Sabrina, well into our forties, and the children, Hélio and Adélie, teenagers yes, but not very rebellious!

No, we don’t know Africa, and our 4×4 driving experience is non-existent.

We contact Julie from TAWANA in the summer of 2019, to help us organize a 3-week trip to BOTSWANA. We tell her what we want and, above all, inform her of our zero driving experience. She was reassuring, and suggested an itinerary compatible with “our level”, and we agreed to mix self-drive in Chobe, in the salt pans, the CKGR and guided safari in Moremi, the area we were most afraid of because of the water.

Due to COVID, our trip, scheduled for July 2020, has been postponed until July 2021. A few weeks before the deadline, of course, we had a lot of questions about the air travel situation, which was becoming more complicated, and the doubts generated by the crisis. At the beginning of June, 1 month before departure, we set off and confirmed our arrival to Julie!

It’s now the end of August, and we’re already back…

The overriding impression is that of having experienced an enchanted interlude in these troubled times. The constraints associated with COVID added stress and formalities, but the sense of freedom and fulfillment we felt once in the parks more than made up for these initial frustrations.

For a first self-drive experience, the advice given by Julie and Vincent and the road book prepared by them were invaluable aids. Both of them were there from start to finish, helping us out at every turn, and making the whole adventure so much easier!

Because that’s the impression we’ve been left with ever since our return: that of having lived a wonderful adventure, sometimes trying and frustrating, but ultimately moving, exciting and full of unforgettable and incredible moments.

All their advice helped us to tackle the first few kilometers with greater confidence, and to prepare as well as possible for the days when we had to be self-sufficient in water, fuel and food. After the first few dozen kilometers, driving the 4×4 on the track became more and more enjoyable. We had the impression that our Toyota Land Cruiser could take us to the end of the world, and in fact we went there several times: to Kubu Island, to Kahalari, to Baine’s Baobab, to Nata Bird Sanctuary.

And then, the 4 of us learned to observe, to savor moments spent in the wild, to know almost all the names of antelopes and above all we were moved and overwhelmed by this sunset near the elephants, this shy and worried giraffe, these funny warthogs, this so beautiful leopard, these powerful lions, the night cries of hyenas, baobabs, salt pans, night campfires, starry sky…

Our trip ended with a guided safari in Moremi, accompanied by Lets, our guide and driver, and Tsiamo, our cook.

Life in the camp organized itself naturally, and we found it a very complementary experience. We enjoyed chatting around the campfire, the experience of our guide and Tsiamo’s excellent cooking – because, yes, eating well is important!

The guided safari was also an opportunity to let ourselves be led and to experience a camp in the heart of the wilderness: taking a shower, while the elephants visit the camp, what a memory!

Even today, these moments seem so close and yet so far away, the stuff of an unattainable dream, but one that the 4 of us lived together, with the help of Julie and Vincent.

Published on: 26 August 2021