The conversation went something like this: Me:  I would like a quote [... Time-lapse Botswana]]]> I am a budget traveler, but I have to tell you, Botswana wasn’t a budget experience.  As we were preparing to plan for our trip there, there was just too much to see.  I came across a great website, Drive Botswana, and gave them a call.

The conversation went something like this:
Me:  I would like a quote on a self-drive tour that possibly could include the entire country of  Botswana,seeing not only the Big 5 animals, but all of them.  Oh, and I would like to keep this as inexpensive as possible.
Andy:  No problem, when would you like to come?
Me: In three weeks.
Andy: Choke! Wheeze!  Cough!  Three weeks!?  We’re normally starting this process at least a few months beforehand…but I’ll see what I can do (now that I’ve caught my breath).

Boy did Andy come through.  The price, well let’s just say…not inexpensive, but, as the commercial goes, the experience was priceless!  He had asked me to call him back a couple days later, then sent me a tentative itinerary.  We worked out some of the kinks like my having to visit Tsodilo- the one and only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country, and voila!  I was ecstatically embarking on a new continent, new country, and an entire slew of new and exciting experiences. At this point, we trusted Andy with our entire trip.  He set up our rental truck, accommodations, food, and some activities.  When we were on site, the people there all knew Andy quite well and if there was a question of what was included or how to pay for something, they didn’t bat an eye.  He is well-respected at all the places and we, in turn, received right royal treatment.

Our itinerary went something like this:

Fly to Livingstone, Zambia to visit Victoria Falls.  Wet, hard to photograph, funny bamboons, wet, beautiful birds, hilarious people, gorgeous, awe-inspiring…oh, and wet!

Andy then sent a hired van to pick us up, take us to the river crossing, then drop us off in at Kubu Lodge in Kasane, Botswana at our first accommodations.  There we picked up our truck and were basically on our own for the remainder of the trip. While in Kasane, we took an evening Chobe river cruise, something that I’d read mixed reviews about online. Therefore, I was a little apprehensive about it, but it turned out to be one of the best wildlife viewing excursions of the trip.  We also drove through the next day, which in retrospect, I wish we had allotted more time, because the abundance of wildlife was astounding.  We even saw lions, albeit they were covered with flies from eating their lunch, so they weren’t as majestic as I had imagined.  I loved the camaraderie of the fellow drivers as we shared info on this sighting and that sighting. 

From Kasane, we moved on to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia for only one night.  Again this probably would require more time, but if you don’t have the time, don’t bother.  The best part of the drive were the views, and the best view was from the customs house border crossing. 

After our brief jaunt into Namibia, we drove to Seronga.  This was one of the most out-of-the-way, and hardest places to get to.  We had to try and get gas and then take a ferry over.  Once there, we took a tour of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro.  These squat, kakhi-colored boats convince you that you could not possibly be closer to the water.  Our guide was a funny man that had lived in the delta his whole life and told us story after story about the peope and animals found there.  At one point, he took us to where a bloat of hippos liked to hang out.  Apparently, he had made friends with one of the more curious females.  He took his pole and slapped the water to call her, and she came to visit.  A male, her male, the male…anyway this guy didn’t like her behavior and anytime he felt she was getting too close called her back.  I don’t think his language is fit to print, but I have to admit, I didn’t really like her getting to close either. I was just as happy that he kept her back where she belonged, safely out of reach.

The next day we were headed for a camp way out in the bush.  At this camp, we could do another delta boat ride, or drive to Tsodilo.  Because this World Heritage Site is so far off the beaten track, we only saw one other group the entire day.  The San people that run the site and museum, were friendly and knowledgeable.  I asked question after question, and our guide was more than happy to answer.  The area driving up to the site is flat and dusty, but the Tsodilo hills appear and you can see why it became such a spiritual spot for the San.  Here, where its been inhabited for over 30,000 years, you can see tons of rock paintings.

Our next stop was Mankwe Lodge.  Talk about luxurious!  I think this ranks up there as one of the few in all of our travels.  Needless to say, we loved be pampered and we loved the camp director, Christopher.  Around the campfire, he regaled us with stories about everything from leopard encounters to his stint in the British SAS somewhere in Indonesia. While there we also had a couple of guided safaris, one at night and one in the daytime.  Then upon leaving, we drove ourself throught the reserve.

One of the final things we did was stay at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.  We were looking forward to this stop, because we had only seen one rhino before this, and were anxious to have a better look at them.  We were more than rewarded when right away we sighted a female white rhino and her calf.  As this was really our last stop in Botswana, we had driven and driven and driven.  We took a couple rides on the tracks, but then spent an entire day at one of the pans. It was like watching the live version of the “Lion King”.  Taking turns, all different kinds of animals came to the pan to drink.  If the previous slurpers weren’t quite finished, the next ones would wait quietly in the brush until the pan was vacated.  Other drivers came up and saw us there, asked us what we had seen, waited for a few minutes, then left without seeing much.  In one day, we saw everything!  Amazing! It was a great goodbye to this beautiful country.

Ok, so the question is, what animals did we see?  This is not a comprehensive list, but here goes:  elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions, crocodiles, antelopes galore (everything from bushbuck to kudu), a myriad of birds (bee-eaters to fish eagles), buffalo, mongoose, warthogs, wildebeest, ostriches, hippos, and zebras.

This was a fantastic mix of following the trusted route that Andy set up for us, having wonderful accommodation along the way, and yet being able to spend more or less time, depending on our own style, wants, and needs.  We loved it.  We can’t wait to go back.  Botswana, for me, ranks up there as one of my favorite trips…ever! 

I would love to hear from any and all of you that have done Botswana on a more budget basis.

This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old [... Time-Lapse Mongolia]]]>

Riding shotgun...

This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old Russian military van. We booked the trip through Bobbi at the UB guesthouse in Ulaan Baator (UB) via email. She was extremely helpful and tailored our trip to our exact requirements. For instance, we preferred staying in a hotel before and after the trip so she arranged that as well as the airport transfers. Typically, the van trip requires 5 people which allows for a driver and a guide and the passengers. We were able to set the trip for our group of six and one driver who acted as our guide. The driver, Jack, was phenomenal, he really made the trip for us. Your trip cost is based on the number of passengers, if you are travelling alone or with a friend, Bobbi will pair you up with other travellers to fill a van and you then divide the total cost among all passengers. So even if you wanted to go with only one or two other passengers you could, provided you pay the total cost of the van between you.

We stayed with families that had a few extra gers (aka yurt) they use for travellers. It was a fantastic experience and we really felt we were getting to know a little about the people, customs, and traditions of the nomadic people of the steppes and Gobi. We went on the trip in mid June with a limited amount of time so the Lake regions were not an option. On our next trip, we’ll plan on spending more time in central Mongolia and then into one of  the Lake areas.

One thing many people are concerend about when contemplating this trip is safety and security. I really don’t think you need to worry about being kidnapped or anything like that. Everyone we met along the way was curious and friendly; or at worst, too busy to pay us any attention at all. You will have at least one vehicle break-down in one of the most remote spots on earth, and you may wonder just how long it will take the vultures and wolves to find you, rip the meat from your limbs, and leave your bones to dry and bleach under the relentless sun and blowing sand. But don’t sweat it, go for a little walk, and give the driver time to work his mechanical magic. Even if he can’t fix it (which would be rare indeed) another van, horse, motorcylce, truck, or whatever, will come by sooner or later to offer assistance. If you still think this trip is for you read on for further advice and notes from our experience.

If you go on the same route we took then you won’t be washing clothes anywhere along the trip and you won’t even be washing yourself very often. Shower houses are only in the large towns and there aren’t many towns (large or small). We had a shower stop about every third day, I can imagine that is what you should expect. It is basically camping so you should consider bringing your sleeping bag, too. None of us did and it wasn’t a real problem. The families had blankets for us at the gers but Corinne and I were very happy to have brought along our own silk sleeping bag liners, they made all the difference. Clothing wise, anything you would wear camping is good. A good idea would be zip off pants/shorts because it will get hot during the day and it will definitely get cold at night. So a decent light jacket (or windbreaker with a fleece) and good layering will be needed. Additionally, a good hat and sunglasses/sun screen are a must.

The families will feed you a small breakfast (tea and cookies) and a hearty dinner of meat and noodles or meat dumplings and of course more tea. We were on our own for lunch, though. We brought a good supply of trail mix, beef jerkey, granola bars, and dried fruit. Bring a decent size bag of stuff like that and maybe some extra for sharing with the driver/guide and families along the way. Your van should stop on the way out of UB at the grocery store where you can stock up on a few snack things and some other items to supplement the dinners if you want it (canned fruit/vegetables, other snack items, etc). But most IMPORTANT, buy a case of water there. Oh, and maybe a roll (or two) of toilet paper if you didn’t bring any…

You will need water. The families we stayed with boiled water for tea and we used it with no problems but aside from that you will need to bring water of your own. Don’t worry too much about the food, don’t think about what animal the meat is from, try things and share with the families, and you will have a fantastic time! Oh yeah, I would recommend bringing some small things for gifts for the kids. Small toys, small writing pads, pens, pencils, color pencils, toiletries, hair ties, berrets, bracelets, beads, magazines (there are a few teenage girls along the way that were surprisingly western savvy and they begged for fashion magazines or catalogs). Use your imagination but be careful not to pass it all out at once! We never ran in to anybodby who was demanding or pushy about these things, but they definitely loved getting the few things we gave out.

Don’t be shy about asking the driver/guide to stop when you see soomething interesting. If it has been a while he’ll probably be grateful for the cigarette break. Remember to smile at everbody, be friendly and sharing and they will treat you the same. Be careful in the city/towns, they have a real frontier feel about them, I think you’ll pick up on that. Hopefully your companions will be fun and adventurous and friendly. Most of the other groups we met along the way seemed like decent people, I don’t think too many jerks like to travel to out of the way places like Mongolia so there’s probably a natural selection process going on in the background.