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!

Most of our online research about the Moremi Game Reserve in north-western Botswana, and more specifically, Third Bridge Campsite within the MGR, revealed that this was proper, wild bush camping in the sense that you were in the middle of the wilderness and wild animals will be a common sighting in camp. This sounded perfect to us and thus we went and spent 3 nights of semi-camping at Third Bridge Campsite.

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!

After our last rain-soaked trip to Kasane in northern Botswana, we decided to give it another go, but this time before the heavy summer rains started.  The Independence Day long weekend (end of September - beginning of October) gave us the ideal opportunity, so we invited my dad along, packed up a few items and made the 940km drive up from Gaborone to Senyati Safari Camp, about 17km before Kasane itself.

When the email from the Limpopo River Lodge Reservations office says "We have everything you need, just bring your food and drink", that's literally what it meant. Fully-equipped chalets and rondavels on the banks of the Limpopo River are what you can expect if you take a trip to this small but quaint and almost desolate area of the Tuli Block in Eastern Botswana.

In January of 2016 we had gone to the small town of Palapye for a friend's wedding. We stayed the night at a small but quaint Cresta Hotel and the following morning made our way to the nearby Khama Rhino Sanctuary for a quick day trip. After enjoying that day-visit and not realising the full potential of the place, we agreed to come back another time for a few days and really appreciate what the Sanctuary has to offer. And a few months later, we were on our way, about four hours away from Gaborone, to spend two nights in a chalet at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.