Off we go to our last tent camp, Rra Dinare. https://underonebotswanasky.com/botswana-lodges/rra-dinare-father-buffalo
Rra Dinare means “Father Buffalo” in the local language. Fitting with all the Cape Buffalo we saw thoughout the area. It was a very short flight cross the Okavango Delta from Khwai to Rra Dinari. By this time, after three previous flights, I wasn’t leaving imprints of my fingers on the seat back in front of me.
Ken, Lynne and Kay waiting for the plane.
Our stewardess as usual sitting down, not serving her customers.
On the way to the camp we saw an ostrich and a herd of the ubiquitous impala. Our guides were NT, assisted by tracker Michael, and Paul who had tracker Lake with him.
The camp was possibly the most luxurious of the four, if not, close to the top. The staff was excellent, managed by Andy.
On our afternoon game drive we saw an active pride of lions.
A magpie shrike
How about a mongoose or two.
Late in the afternoon we passed a helmeted guineafowl.
and another kori bustard.
And finally a giraffe.
The African sky was always beautiful in the evening.
After another fine dinner and some quality time visiting, we retired for a good evening’s sleep. Up and out the next morning, we saw this roan peering out at us from the bushes.
and another giraffe, a stately creature.
We saw an African Wildcat running across in front of us, but this is the best picture I could get.
A Southern Ground Hornbill, but in a tree.
That afternoon, we saw some of the destructiveness of the elephants, with this guy tearing up a tree outside our tent.
A little later, a kudu wanted a snack.
Back on our afternoon drive, we saw two zebras strolling to graze with impalas and warthogs.
A young warthog.
Continuing our love affair with birds, a little ground feeder, a blue waxbill.
This impressive bird flew overhead.
Nothing to do with airplanes, but I have to remark on a study initiated by our fellow traveler Cynthia. Due to her curiosity, we learned a lot about how to identify scat from the various animals. Fascinating.
Scenes from our further travels:
A curious cape buffalo.
Another eagle in flight, a bateleur.
“It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog (lion)
It’s been a hard day’s night, I should be sleeping like a log ” (Courtesy The Beatles)
We can’t leave without a picture of the ubiquitous anthill.
And, Aslan and the anthill. (Hint: Narnia)
African Fish Eagle and impalas.
A hartebeest.
Back to birds, a southern white crowned shrike.
And the last of the big cats we saw, a leopard. He was focused on a nearby impala. I continue to be amazed at how acclimated the cats were to the vehicles around them, just ignoring them. I asked for volunteers to get out of the jeep and walk around to see if that got their attention, but no takers.
On our last morning at Rra Dinari, we declined an early game drive, and instead took a leisurely drive to the airstrip. The ride was kind of like the ending a Disney movie, driving by a giraffe, then an elephant walking out of a thicket to say good bye. We spotted two female lions resting under a tree, and a male under a tree behind them. We drove past them, and up to the male, who raised his head and in a first, growled. TJ, our driver, pulled around behind the tree and stopped to give us a view of the male. Faster than you could say Lion King, the male charged our jeep, right at the side where Ken and Gina were sitting. Ken hit the floor, Gina leaped into Kay’s lap, and TJ hit the accelerator. A little excitement to end our stay. Â
At the airstrip, we saw one of our planes coming in for a landing. You see the problem below.
An elephant ambled across the airstrip, forcing the pilot to fly around again. Saying a sad goodbye to Beautiful Botswana, we flew to the Maun International Airport, and boarded a regional flight to Johannesburg.
The trip was wonderful, the scenery was great and the animals exciting. The best part, however, were the people we traveled with. Our leaders, Janet and Byron, Sig and Ellen (Precious,) Ken and Cynthia, Roger and Leigh, Kay and her friend Lynne and last but not least, the mother and daughter team, Leslie and Shelda, the Kentucky girls. We could not have had better traveling companions.
A stop overnight in Joburg, then another long trip home. The floor in the Orlando airport was very hard.
