Day 17-18 - Chobe N.P.

  Thebe River Safari Lodge, Botswana
Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The arrival day into Chobe National Park was fairly uneventful. We spent most of the day on Ella driving out of Botswana, into Namibia, and then back into Botswana. We were all glad to reach camp at the end of this long haul. Sleep came early for most.

With the rising sun some of us began our day with a game drive through the park. It was an excellent trip and in a way a compact version of all we had previously seen. There were hunderds of animals everywhere and plenty of opportunity to get up close. The massive herd of buffalo was something new and the lions and monkeys were still favorites.





In the afternoon we kicked back and rested. The sun was shining and a few beers were enjoyed. It was a good day and things were about to get better.

As late afternoon approached we all headed down to the Chobe River for a boat cruise. This allowed us to get some amazing shots of the wildlife that hung close to the river's edge. Of particular interest were two large elephants that posed so well that I just had to take dozens of nearly identical photos. Sometimes one just loses control... :)







The cruise ended with one of the nicest sunsets of our trip and, of course, several more photos. Our journey was coming to a close and this had really topped of the whole experience. Now we just needed to enjoy our last campfire and the few remaining hours of David's birthday!