Is there anything as beautiful as sunrise in Botswana? Well, not much, but it can get even better when a hippo walks through the magestic, pre-dawn burnt glow, creating a silhouette only Africa can create in the wee hours of the morning as you set out on your game drive. Pure magic!
Every safari has its breathtaking moments, sometimes several in a day, and that, for me, is the joy of Africa. I like to call them 'joy explosions', those moments when you think your heart might literally leap out of your chest with happiness. My wonderful safari group this year made it yet another magical journey and their depth of appreciation of these moments was such a thrill for me. I can't tell you how much I love sharing my passion for Africa with others, even after three decades of African travels. Seeing people's faces light up when they see their first lion walk right by the open vehicle, or hear a spotted hyena call at night for the first time or see a herd of wild elephants enjoying a mud bath, is just awesome.
On this group safari we had a couple of very special encounters. One occurred at Mokolwane in Xudum concession in the Okavango Delta, a stunning part of Botswana where the recently released wonderful Netflix film 'Living with Leopards' was filmed. In our first evening in this area, after spending some waiting to see if a leopard we'd seen briefly cross the vehicle tracks might hunt an impala, we set up our sundowner drinks and nibbles in an area a little way away. There, in an open grassland, we all paused to watch and appreciate the sun set with an Okavango gin and tonic. While we were all relaxing and enjoying the sky turn peach, someone mentioned that there was a spotted hyena walking past a few hundred metres away.
As we all watched, the hyena stopped and looked at us for a moment, as if considering what to do next, and then changed direction and started walking decisively straight in our direction. All eyes were on it as it continued to walk towards us, closer and closer and closer. The carefree chatting stopped...
I glanced at one of our guides to determine if this was the sort of behaviour that hyenas usually exhibited in this area. He looked very calm as he told me we were fine. Everyone in the group stood perfectly still, which is pretty much what you should do in this situation. In the words of my good friend and author, Peter Allison, at times like this, whatever you do, don't run!
The hyena didn't slow down and continued walking towards our gathering until he was somewhere between five and ten metres in front of us. At that point, the hyena stopped. It lifted its head, probably smelling the biltong (dried meat) in our sundowner snacks, and considering whether it might constitute an easy meal. After about a minute, the hyena decided the small morsels of meat in our snacks weren't worth its time and it turned around and walked away in the same casual manner in which it had come. But wow, what an encounter and what a privilege to be the subject of this amazing wild animal's curiosity at such close range!
One of the things I loved about being in this area was the excellent and amicable working relationship between the Mokolwane safari guides and the film makers who were based there. We actually randomly ran into the film maker and one of the stars of the show, Brad Bestelink, in the bush at Mokolwane, while he (like us) was out looking for leopards!
The predator sightings in this area were outstanding, from African wild dogs at a den, rare sightings of cheetahs, several leopards and lion prides. We were very fortunate to see an aardwolf on one of our evening drives back to camp, a real thrill for me as I hadn't seen one for a couple of decades! A stand-out sighting was seeing two leopards stuck up a tree, under which a pride of nine lions were devouring a freshly killed warthog. The film makers who were there told us one of the leopards had killed the warthog, started to drag it up the tree when a lioness grabbed it off the leopard. The leopards did not look very happy as they were stuck up the tree, prevented from coming down by the lions, who were devouring their own kill right in front of them. Lions don't like sharing!
Khwai Private Reserve also produced exciting days in the bush and this area now has so many elephants. They came out in the dozens on our first day at Sable Alley Camp, walking right beside us as we were having lunch and providing quite a distraction as you'll see in my instagram video @matsonandridleysafaris . The elephants were feeding right through camp that day and prevented a few of us getting back to our rooms after lunch as they provided the kind of road block only Africa knows how to provide! (Watch my instagram video here!)
We topped off the safari with a couple of days at Meno a Kwena Camp where we enjoyed wonderful sightings of the zebra migration and lots of elephant bulls in residence. This is also one of the places to go for the traditional San Bushmen cultural experience. Check out my instagram @tammiematson to see a very cool video of the Bushmen calming a wild scorpion using the palms of their hands and mouths. It's pretty awesome!
Thank you to my wonderful group who joined me in Botswana this year and I know we will meet again in Africa soon!
If you are thinking of going on safari in 2025 or 2026, or would like to join one of my guided group safaris in Botswana, Tanzania or Rwanda, please reach out now to secure your place and to ensure we can find you space in the camps. Availability is always tight in the best areas, so planning a year in advance is the best way to ensure you have a good choice of options in your price range. With three decades of experience in African safaris and conservation, and the experience and personal touch to ensure your safari is unforgettable for all the right reasons, Matson & Ridley Safaris is here to help make African dreams come true.
Contact us today to plan your safari!
"We had no idea what to expect from a Safari in Africa. To say it exceeded our expectations is a massive understatement. We fell in love with Botswana, the people and Safaris. Tammie organised most of our trip and any extra information we needed she always came back with a quick and informative reply. We would highly recommend using Tammie and Matson Ridley Safaris and will be using them again in the future for our next safari. Thank you for an unforgettable, awe-inspiring and extraordinary experience".
Mel, Gold Coast, Australia
"From my perfectly matched roomie to the ideal group size, the epic experiences and community feel within the group. The selection of camps, the guides and staff at each of the camps were amazing. Every detail was well considered, right down to bush-babies to keep us warm. I have never experienced so many 'joy explosions'"
Janet, Cairns, Australia
