muckinabout.com: Africa 2013

Botswana

Approaching Elephant Island

Selfie, Okavango style

This was the last pic I took before we almost ran into a huge bull elephant grazing on the reeds. We turned a corner,
and because I was in the front, only I saw him, maybe 10 feet away. I silently motioned for the boatman to stop. The
elephant and I made eye contact. I had the camera pointed and my finger half way down on the shutter, focused and
ready to shoot. It was dead quiet. I was afraid that the click ofthe camera would set him off, so I didn't take it. We slowly
backed off. If he had charged there was no way to escape. Best shot I never got. Am I growing up or what?

Taking a break from the makoro on a little island

Checking for tracks

Lion paw print. These tracks would be as close as we would come to seeing them in the wild.

Shinde's resident lion pride had left the area the week before we arrived due to the fire, which still had hot spots burning.

You can see where the fire burned on the left, but didn't jump the road to the right.

The raised air intake snorkel is critical here in the delta.

Looks like we're in a boat, eh what?

Difficult driving conditions with lots of deep sand and water - our putzy Daihatsu would have gotten us stuck here for sure.

Side-striped jackal

Female Kudu

Back on our porch for an apres safari drink

ABR - That's what the British birder said each time he saw one.
(Another Bloody Roller, cause there were lots of em)

It was nice having our own private vehicle and driver

He escaped an attack by a predator but our guide said that due to the location of the injury, it
probably wouldn't heal.

On safari with ma baby

Our Safari Air plane about to touch down at Shinde's airstrip

The flight back to Kasane turned out to be private too:)

Happy to be headed to Victoria Falls

Sayonara Okavango Delta

If you're not too nauseated yet, check out one of the seven natural wonders of the world