Our Cessna Grand Caravan EX touched down on the dirt runway near Camp Moremi. An elephant could be seen near the end of the runway, and he made our pilot, Junior, nervous. But the elephant slowly ambled away and we disembarked.

We had already flown from Johannesburg, South Africa to Maun, Botswana via commercial plane earlier in the day. The Cessna holds twelve passengers, and as the name implies looks like a minivan with wings attached. Flying low over the Okavango Delta we saw scattered herds of zebras on the ground.

We met our guide Rodgers and loaded our bags into the Land Cruiser, followed by a light lunch and a gin & tonic (medicinal of course, in case the Malarone we’re taking wasn’t sufficient to ward off malaria). We then set off for our camp. The deeply rutted trail was no problem for the Cruiser, and we looked for game as we passed. A large bull elephant was eating a tree just off the trail.

We passed impala and zebra and exotic birds. The night before our arrival a lion had killed a zebra, and we stopped to watch the feast. One of four young lions was gnawing on the carcass, one watched nearby and two were lolling in the grass. The mother, swollen from her recent meal was stretched out napping, looking like a pregnant cat.

We arrived at Camp Moremi just as the sun was setting. After settling into our cabins it was dinner time, with lamb and fish eaten al fresco overlooking the Delta.

Tomorrow promises an early start for more game viewing, but it’s all very civilized. Back for lunch and a siesta, then more driving around the Delta looking for game.