Tags
Africa, Animal safari, Botswana, Chobi National Park, elephants, game drive, giraffe, monkey, Ngoma Safari Lodge, Safari, zebra
A dream come true!!
After our visit to Zimbabwe and the spectacular Victoria Falls, my friend Jenny and I made out way over the border to Botswana where we stayed at the fabulous Ngoma Safari Lodge overlooking the Chobi Plains [but more on that in another post].
We had arranged a game drive and were collected one morning where we hopped into a large open air safari vehicle with a few others. The vehicle was not full so we were fortunate to be able to sit on a side each which afforded us each a great uninterrupted view of the plains and animals. So I must say I was incredibly excited and could not wait to see an animal; any animal really, but in particular an elephant and if I saw one crossing the road it would be bliss…guess what I first saw…magical!Then a little way along the side of the road, our driver stopped and we saw giraffe; and plenty of them – again what an amazing sight.
We drove a little further and entered the park and first up saw elephants; this time not along the roadway but eating leaves just nearby – I can’t believe I didn’t have tears as it was truly magnificent to see such a huge animal living life as it should (no cages, no real boundaries). They were really quite close and I had to remember to look at them with my eyes rather than through a camera lens!
The next animal we saw was a huge tortoise; so cute!
Then some very sweet baboons with their babies…so nice to see and so many of them.
And one very cute little baby playing on the branches…
Along the way we saw some lovely birds; all beautiful colours but flying too fast for me to capture well but I did capture a magnificent vulture in a tree…waiting for some prey I guess..and how unusual is this tree – would hate to see it at night alone!
And then zebra; boy are these a striking animal…
And buffalo…
We then drove down near the Zambezi River and saw a tower of giraffe (no wonder a collective is called this).
And along the way there were many (many) Impala and it was so lovely to see all the babies – unfortunately these animals are the prey for the carnivorous animals – circle of life I know. And we also saw another large horned animal that I can’t recall the name of.
We stopped off near the end of our drive for a cool drink and some snacks prepared by the lodge and had the opportunity to view the sun set; magnificent!
What a day – words really cannot describe how magnificent this was for me.
So pretty.
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This sounds like a fabulous experience and dream come true. Am I correct to assume there are no lions/tigers in this park, since you were in an open air vehicle?
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Beautiful. Save the animals! (Or just leave them alone.)
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What a memorable experience Sue – the animal hoots are amazing.
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I share your excitement, and I share your thoughts Sue. Seeing those lovely creatures living a life with no cages and boundaries is truly magnificent. Thank you.
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Very cool! And the new camera did nicely. 📸
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Reading such a happy post makes me smile and feel joyful myself. You make us feel your own emotions so well and share the joy! So great that you get to live your dream and see so many animals at once! Xxxx happy for you !
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Thank you for stopping by. It was a great visit.
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Yes there are but we didn’t see any. Our guide was told they were in the west side and we saw them the next day. Post to follow. Still in an open vehicle. They had just eaten a large animal so we felt safe.
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Totally agree John.
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Thanks as always Marion.
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Lovely to hear your views too Isabelle.
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Ah thanks so much. Very kind.
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Welcome
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I am loving each of your posts on this trip Sue. You had some amazing sightings! The large horned animal after the Impalas was a Waterbuck. Great pictures and story to go along with them! 🙂
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So many animals, so unique! Truly magnificent!
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Magical encounters! It must be so much better than seeing them in zoos
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I bet you feel excited and a bit nervous? I would be very nervous then excited after haha!
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Humbling to see these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. Great series!
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Thanks Sophie for such a lovely comment. Xx
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I love how you knew that Mavis. I was going to write that in my post asking you to let me know but I didn’t want to be presumptive. You certainly know your critters (as you do fondly call them). Thank you for your lovely compliments.
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Thank you so much. Pretty special aren’t they.
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The magic of an African safari stays with you forever. Fabulous photos.
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That’s an incredible trip! You’ve covered most of the big 5! That elephant crossing is super lucky!!!!
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https://theemunyakigezi.wordpress.com
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Exactly. Exactly.
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Yes bit nervous definitely.
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Thank you very much. Humbling is a great word.
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Thank you so very much.
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Thanks Joyce. Only animal I didn’t see during my whole trip was the Rhino.
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Sue, I’m so excited for you (and my good friend is named Jenny, too!) The Safari trip was amazing and your fun comments really highlighted your emotions! The baby zebra, the Masai zebras with irregular patterns and that vulture stand out in my mind! 🤗
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Thank you so very much R for such truly lovely comments.
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Wow! I’m craving for some wildlife trip and there’s nothing planned. Thanks for taking me there virtually!
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Magnificent! Can’t imagine being there watching these creatures. Thank you for sharing, Sue!
I so love these captures. 🙂 ❤
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Thanks for stopping by too.
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Very lovely of you to comment. Thank you Amy.
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You’re welcome for my comments, but truly your close up safari was wonderful! Thank you, Sue.
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