Rra Dinare and the Okavango Delta

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.

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Our stewardess as usual sitting down, not serving her customers.

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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.

Ostrich

Herd of impalas

The camp was possibly the most luxurious of the four, if not, close to the top.  The staff was excellent, managed by Andy.

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On our afternoon game drive we saw an active pride of lions.

Pride of lions sleeping

Two lion sisters l

A magpie shrike

Magpie shrike

How about a mongoose or two.

Mongoose

Late in the afternoon we  passed a helmeted guineafowl.

Helmeted guineafowl

and another kori bustard.

Another kori bustard

And finally a giraffe.

Giraffe in the later afternoon

The African sky was always beautiful in the evening.

Beauriful african sunset

Tree in sunset

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.

Roan

and another giraffe, a stately creature.

Another giraffe

We saw an African Wildcat running across in front of us, but this is the best picture I could get.

African wild cat

A Southern Ground Hornbill, but in a tree.

Southern ground hornbill

That afternoon, we saw some of the destructiveness of the elephants, with this guy tearing up a tree outside our tent.

Elephant outside tent

A little later, a kudu wanted a snack.

Kudu outside tent

Back on our afternoon drive, we saw two zebras strolling to graze with impalas and warthogs.

Two zebras strolling to graze

A young warthog.

Young warthog

Continuing our love affair with birds, a little ground feeder, a blue waxbill.

Blue waxbill

This impressive bird flew overhead.

Big bird

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.

Cape buffalo

Another eagle in flight, a bateleur.

Bateleur 3

“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)

Lioness yawning

We can’t leave without a picture of the ubiquitous anthill.

Ant hill

And, Aslan and the anthill. (Hint: Narnia)

Aslan and The How

African Fish Eagle and impalas.

Fish eagle and impalas

A hartebeest.

Hartebeest

Back to birds, a southern white crowned shrike.

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.

Leopard 2

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.

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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.

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A stop overnight in Joburg, then another long trip home.  The floor in the Orlando airport was very hard.

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