 As I was cruising along the David Thompson highway in my Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll” was playing on the radio, the magnificent Rocky Mountains were filling up my windscreen view and I thought to myself, “Welcome to Canada!”
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 What better way to end off a very busy work year and to get some much needed rest & relaxation than to go camping in northern Botswana for about a week? Well, it would seem we had angered the Camping Gods in 2018 and they were not having any of this “R&R” nonsense. It was going to be one of “THOSE” kind of trips and we had no idea what was coming!
 It has become tradition with us that anytime we decide to go camping, something will always turn up or happen that will make the trip that much more exciting or frustrating or nerve-wrecking (or in most cases all three). Our latest trip to Khutse involved fire, rain, magnificent sunsets and an elephant charge!
 Over the past few years that we have lived in Botswana, we have travelled to most of the “main” wildlife/camping areas in the country. We’ve visited the Tuli Block in Eastern Botswana, Kasane and the Chobe river and national park in the north, Khutse in the South-West and so we figured it was about time we went to the North-West and visit the town of Maun, the Moremi Game Reserve and of course, the Okavango Delta!
 “If you go to Khutse alone and unprepared, you will die!” That was the general consensus from all our research as we planned our first trip to the Khutse Game Reserve in Botswana. "One life, live it" was our cheesy attitude and off we went on our 3-day/2-night camping trip to Khutse…and we lived to tell the tale!
 For the outdoor, nature and wildlife lovers out there, camping is a big and enjoyable part of that whole outdoor experience. And most reserves, national parks and lodges have designated camp sites where travelers and overlanders can pitch their tents, relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.
 There's nothing better than setting up your campsite, pitching your tent, getting the fire going and sitting back to relax for sundowners with a cold drink in your hand! The only downside to this is if your camp chair is old, flimsy and causes searing pains in your buttocks and lower back. Time to get a new chair then!
 A road trip around Botswana over the Christmas holidays seemed like a perfect way for us to see the country we live and work in and to quench our desire to be out in the bush, mixing up some camping with some lodge accommodation and seeing what Botswana has to offer along the way. Little did we know how unprepared we’d be for a seemingly simple but exciting trip!
 The Mokolodi Nature Reserve, located a metaphorical stone’s throw away from Gaborone not only has game drives, a quaint restaurant and picnic spots in the bush, it also has a couple of accommodation options including chalets and camping. We spent a couple of nights at a camp site and it truly is a great, "beginner" (if I can call it that) camping experience near the city.
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