Xhanaxa Camp Moremi Game Reserve 24 July

Lions and an elephant passed through camp list night. People thought the lions might be heading to Jessie's Pool so after a leisurely breakfast, making damper, we went in search of them. The map we had was particularly inaccurate, not helped by roads being closed due to the flooding water, so we promptly got lost. We ended up back near the airfield and went to Paradise Pools where there were a lot of elephant which we stopped to watch for a while. We also saw the rare Sitatunga antelope, but no lions. Deciding on a different route to Jessies Pools, we got very lost before eventually deciding we had got there by the large masses of water. It was worth it though as it was very beautiful with hippo, elephant, buffalo and giraffes and of course antelope. We took a wrong turn on the way back and had to trek through water before eventually getting back by standing on the top of the car and finding an aerial to head for. Our 1 hour drive had taken 4 hours. We were comforted by our next door neighbor who had also got very lost. Craig a South African, is very passionate about wildlife and was emphasizing to the kid how lucky they are to be seeing the animals in this part of Africa where they are free roaming. In many parts of Africa like South Africa and Kenya they are in large game parks that are surrounded by electric fences. This has the problem of reducing the gene pools of the animals as well as making them very tame, taking the excitement out of seeing them in the true wild. Later in the afternoon we decided to visit Jessie's Pools again now that we knew how to get there. There was some game around but no lions so we headed over to paradise pools, following a safari truck full of local kids. We thought they might be in the know and off to see something interesting so we followed through deep sand and water, but it turned out they were going to see some hippos who were not happy. Once again it was dark when we got back. Beautiful sunset though. Our water tank had leaked through the back of the car and was now empty. Luckily there are taps nearby and we only have one day to go before civilization in the form of a lodge in Maun. We are all excited by that prospect. Everything is in need of a very good clean. It's warmer tonight, we still need a fire but it's not as cold going to bed.

Location:Moremi