Our African Safari in Botswana

Wake up at 6am before the sun rises - not my typical idea of a fun holiday routine. But, this was no ordinary place and no ordinary trip. This was the realisation of my lifelong dream - an African Safari.

A group of nine friends hired a private guide and explored three different conservation areas of Botswana. After a flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg, we transferred planes and continued onto Maun, Botswana. Our guide, Gavin, met us there and we all took a light transport plane to a landing strip near the first camp in the bush.

While driving to our first camp in the Okavango Delta, Jacana Camp, Gavin suddenly veered the open 4x4 Land Rover off road and told us to all be quiet - my first adventure! He pulled alongside a tree and pointed up. A leopard had recently made a kill and the severed head of the Tsessebe (also known as a Tobi) was balanced on a tree branch, with the leopard eyeing us suspiciously.
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The safari was also about the raw beauty of nature. Each day began with a sunrise over the plains and ended with a sunset unrivalled anywhere in world. In the 16 hours spent awake, surprises came routinely. That noise? Oh, it's just two Impala wrestling around. Oh, you mean THAT noise? Those bubble sounds are actually elephants passing gas. No kidding.

When you spend most of your life in a big city, it's hard to imagine what the wild is truly like. All the animals were amazing to see; in a typical day we would encounter a range of monkeys, birds, lions, elephants, zebra, impala, giraffes and kudu.

Many of my favourite memories are the experiences with baby animals. We watched a baby monkey drinking water next to his father, a lion cub making his first few attempts at running, baby zebra learning how to survive, and baby elephants playing in the water.

I gained a renewed respect for Mother Nature. Each animal had a unique beauty, whether it was its stunning colours, its grace while running, or its quirkiness. The impala scared easily and would tear away at breathtaking speeds as soon as we approached. They also feared water and instead of treading through 3-4cm of water, they would leap meters into the air as if to clear an invisible fence.

Every day was also a lesson in evolutionary biology. We learned that when baby zebras are born, their legs are nearly fully grown and it's only their bodies that will grow over the years. The reason relates to how zebras protect themselves.

When attacked, they gather together and run around in a circle, with their stripes dazzling the attacker. If a baby were to have shorter legs, his body would stand alone below the rest of the zebras - and the attacker would target him.

Are you thinking about going on a safari? There are many questions to consider. One fundamental question is what type of experience you want to have. Are you excited by the prospect of meeting new people and all going on safari together - or would you rather have a small group of friends hire a guide and stick with those you know you like?

How eco-responsible should you be? It's difficult to know the real impact of tourism on a trip like this, unless you're intimately familiar with the issues (and I'm not). So my group decided to choose a company with a solid reputation for "high quality, low impact." I particularly like that they have a comprehensive programme to work with local communities for sustainable tourism, both the native people and the environment. While I'm sure there are many suitable companies, I would certainly recommend the company I used again (Wilderness Safaris).

What to bring on safari? Not a lot! Total baggage is limited to about 15kg - including luggage and any camera equipment. I brought two change of clothes and took advantage of the free laundry service at each camp.

We used clothing that already had bug repellent embedded in it - and retains it for many washes. We all used "Ex Officio Buzz Off" clothing (shirts, trousers, and hat) and were very impressed. Bring a camera, nice zoom lens, and a good carrying case. I brought a tripod with me, but didn't need it. Some people in my group had a monopod, which helped them stabilize the camera without the bulk of a tripod; I would try that next time. I was pleased with my camera equipment, which was a Canon EOS 400D with a 70-200mm zoom lens with image stabilization. (If you don't have image stabilization on the lens, you will need a monopod or tripod to steady your shots.).

Make sure to visit your GP well in advance (3 months at least) of your safari. You will want to get appropriate immunisations (shots) and malaria tablets. There are different types of tablets and the GP will recommend which one makes the most sense for you. The differences seem to be around how long you take the tablets for once you're back, and how expensive they are. And of course.. bring your enthusiasm! This is truly the trip of a lifetime.

I wrote this article and it's also available on the UK MSN Travel site under the title of Botswana African Safari.

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