An African Love Affair: Ngoma Safari Lodge, Chobe

Nightdrives Rule

Following six glorious days at the Desert & Delta lodges we took it up a notch. Our last stop in Botswana was the Ngoma Safari Lodge. It is beautiful and utterly luxurious. Our suite had a soaker tub, outdoor shower and plunge pool and we had an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Chobe river and the floodplains. But for us, greater luxury did not make it better, just a different experience. After all we were there for the wildlife, not to soak in a bathtub.

Among the many great game drives both on land and on water, the true highlight of our stay at Ngoma was a nightdrive. Although the aim is to see some night-time action and we saw no big predators, we came across a zebra who had just minutes earlier had a foal. The baby had not yet gotten up and this is the time when it is most vulnerable; several jackals were circling, looking for an opportunity to get to the baby, but the zebra family closed ranks around the baby and protected it until it got up and was ready to move with the rest of the dazzle. It was dark and we were trying to be as unobtrusive as possible so there are no pictures of this but that wild ride is firmly imprinted as one of the greatest memories of our safari.

Just as the lions rule Savuti, Chobe is the elephant enthusiast's paradise. The incredible plenty and variety of species in the Chobe is simply amazing, but it is the elephants, numbering in the tens of thousands, who captured my heart; in particular a mother with a baby and two other youngsters and the way the baby was so obviously being shielded and protected from the gawking tourists. Once they decided that we had "gawked" enough, they turned their backs on us!! served us right.