Our mobile camp in Khwai, surrounded by water, attracted wildlife throughout the day
(Credit: Alexandra George)
My tent stood at the edge of our mobile encampment, and the elephants were rarely far away. They seemed perfectly at home in the surrounding channels, and their quiet presence became part of the rhythm of each day.
Looking out from my tent each morning, it was not unusual to see elephant families drinking, resting or quietly making their way through the channels around camp. Sharing the landscape with them was a daily reminder that we were visitors in a wilderness they had called home for generations.
A family of elephants in the waters surrounding our mobile camp (Credit: Alexandra George)
My tent stood at the edge of our mobile camp in Khwai (Credit: Alexandra George)
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Crossing the waterways
Each morning began with a journey through the waterways surrounding camp. This was part of the rhythm of daily life.
Every day we would drive through the waters around our mobile camp to set off on our game drives (Credit: Alexandra George)
Finding wildlife often began with patience and observation.
Early one morning our guides stopped the vehicle several times to examine fresh lion spoors pressed into the sandy track. Listening carefully to the alarm calls of baboons and vervet monkeys echoing through the bush, they pieced together the lions’ movements until, at last, we found three magnificent black-maned brothers resting separately in the open.
We spent several unforgettable hours with them as they gradually stirred from their slumber. After periods of resting and leisurely strolling, the brothers resumed their territorial patrol. Alert and purposeful, they occasionally paused to survey the surrounding bush, and moved silently through the landscape with the quiet confidence of dominant males.
One of three black-maned lion brothers on patrol (Credit: Alexandra George)
When we encountered them again on our afternoon game drive, the atmosphere had changed completely. Their morning patrol was over, and the heat of the day had settled across the bush. Two of the brothers lay side by side in the long golden grass, their dark manes blending so perfectly with the vegetation that they almost disappeared from view.
Two black-maned lion brothers rest in the grass in the afternoon (Credit: Alexandra George)
Lion brothers retain strong bonds throughout their lives (Credit: Alexandra George)
During that afternoon, we also came across a black-maned male resting with a lioness, a quieter and more intimate scene after the excitement of the morning patrol.
One of black-maned lion brothers with his consort at dusk
(Credit: Jenny Brennan)
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The Evening Gathering
At around 5 p.m. each evening, the mother hyena and her two cubs emerged from the den. Soon afterwards, female hyenas began arriving from the surrounding bush, gathering to socialise and interact with them.
The adults settled quietly around the den while the mother remained close by, watching over her cubs as they explored the immediate surroundings with the curiosity and confidence of youth. The scene revealed a side of this matriarchy that is seldom appreciated: strong family bonds, cooperation and a surprisingly rich social life.
Hyena cub in front of den (Credit: Jenny Brennan)
According to our guide, this hyena had found the bone at a nearby campsite
(Credit: Jenny Brennan)
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Before Dawn in the Okavango
The wildlife encounters were, of course, the highlight of the safari. Yet life in the mobile camps formed an important backdrop to those experiences.
Long before dawn, a member of staff would arrive to escort us from our tents to the campfire. We could not leave our tents unaccompanied during the night, as wildlife frequently moved through camp after dark.
A basin of warm water would be waiting outside the tent, and by 5:15 a.m. we would gather around the fire for coffee and breakfast before setting off into the bush. Within an hour, we could find ourselves watching wild dogs, lions, leopards or elephants as the Okavango awoke to a new day.
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Master of the Night
As darkness settled over the Delta, each night drive promised the possibility of the unexpected.
The leopard first appeared high in the branches of a large tree, draped across a limb. Beneath him hung the remains of an impala, safely beyond the reach of scavengers. Illuminated by the spotlight, his golden coat glowed against the darkness while the surrounding bush seemed to dissolve into shadow.
Young leopard in tree with an impala kill. (Credit: Jenny Brennan)
For the next several hours we watched the young cat move between the world of the trees and the world below. At times he remained high above us, feeding or resting among the branches. Then, with remarkable agility, he descended into the darkness and disappeared from view. Just when it seemed the night had swallowed him, he reappeared, emerging silently from the bush before making his way back towards the tree.
The young leopard makes its way back to the tree (Credit: Jenny Brennan)
There was something almost unreal about the encounter. One moment he was hidden among the leaves, the next he materialised in the beam of the spotlight, his eyes shining brightly as he paused to survey his surroundings. Then, as effortlessly as before, he climbed back into the branches to resume his meal. For a few unforgettable hours, we were granted a glimpse into the secretive world of one of Africa’s most elusive predators.
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The Perfect Subject
Every game drive began with patience and careful observation, as our guides searched the landscape for the subtle signs that might lead us to another unforgettable encounter.
Our guide scanning the horizon for lions (Credit: Jenny Brennan)
We found the Lion King resting in perfect light, pausing as though he had stepped into a professional studio rather than the wilderness of Moremi. He really did seem to be posing for our cameras, every glance and every turn of his head producing another portrait.
The Lion King poses for us, travellers, who had come from afar.
(Credit: Alexandra George)
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From Bush to Camp
After six nights in mobile camps, we arrived at Mme Dinare, where our beautiful rooms overlooked a vast Okavango waterway, with elephants often feeding and wading through its tranquil waters.
A view of Mme Dinare lodge from my mokoro (Credit: Alexandra George)
After six nights in our mobile camp, with no electricity and where bucket showers under canvas were part of daily life, the comforts of Mme Dinare felt almost extravagant. Running water, electricity, indoor and outdoor showers and a proper bathroom were luxuries I had come to appreciate in a new way.
The beautiful bird motifs on the basins contrast with the evidence of six nights spent living in the bush. (Credit: Alexandra George)
Yet those six nights without permanent structures or modern conveniences were an essential part of the experience. Living close to nature, listening to lions at night and waking before dawn each morning allowed us to experience the Okavango in a way that no luxury lodge ever could.
Exploring the tranquil waterways of the Okavango by mokoro.
(Credit: Alexandra George)
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Inside the Pack
After arriving at Mme Dinare for the final three nights of our safari, we were introduced to another side of the Okavango. Earlier that morning we had visited a wild dog den, and that evening conservationist Peter Brack of the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (BPCT) brought our observations to life. He explained the remarkable social structure of African wild dogs and BPCT’s work monitoring eight packs across the Okavango.
One of the most popular Photo Tales in Nine Days in Eden features 11 wild dog pups that had recently emerged from the den. Photographed by Jenny Brennan during an earlier visit to the Okavango, the images captured a rare and hopeful moment in the life of one of Africa’s most endangered predators.
Eleven wild dog pups explore the world. The pack is part of Botswana Predator Conservation Trust Wild Dog project (Credit: Jenny Brennan)
Our own visit took place the following year. Although the pups remained hidden underground, spending the morning with Peter at the den offered a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of the pack. As the adults rested nearby and remained alert to their surroundings, Peter explained the remarkable cooperation and social structure that make African wild dogs one of Africa’s most endangered and captivating predators.
The wild dog pack resting in the shade after the morning hunt (Credit: Alexandra George)
Two members of the pack rest near the den (Credit: Alexandra George)
A pack member on the lookout near the den (Credit: Alexandra George)
A painted dog pauses to scan the surrounding bush near the den (Credit: Alexandra George)
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The Pride Awakens
When we first encountered the Mme Dinare pride on an early morning game drive, the lions were sleeping peacefully in the shade. As we watched them begin to stir, a lioness suddenly bared her teeth in a low growl, reminding us that even among family members there are boundaries to be respected. Pride life is built on cooperation, but also on a complex web of relationships, status and occasional disagreements.
A lioness suddenly bared her teeth in a low growl, a reminder that even among family members boundaries must be respected (Credit: Alexandra George)
Gradually the pride came to life and separated into smaller groups. Some stretched and set off walking, others continued to doze, while younger pride members played, groomed and socialised. Watching these interactions over several hours provided a fascinating insight into lion society and the harmony and social cohesion that underpin life in a pride.
Four members of the pride enjoy the morning (Credit: Alexandra George)
Two young lions from the pride of eight relax in the cool of an Okavango morning.
(Credit: Alexandra George)
After the Hunt
Two days after the hunt, the remains of the buffalo continued to attract members of the Mme Dinare pride. While some lions rested nearby, others fed methodically on what was left of the carcass, occasionally disappearing inside the rib cage as they searched for the last edible scraps.
Two lions from the pride of eight feast on a buffalo two days after the hunt
(Credit: Jenny Brennan)
It was a vivid reminder that every part of a large kill is utilized and that a buffalo can provide sustenance for a pride long after the excitement of the hunt has passed.
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As we drove back to Maun, one final encounter captured the true spirit of the Okavango. An elephant approached the veterinary fence, paused for a moment, then calmly climbed over it before continuing on its way as though he had done so a hundred times before. It was a powerful reminder that these ancient migration routes belonged to elephants long before fences, roads or people arrived. We are the newcomers. They are not crossing into our world; we have built ours across theirs
An elephant climbs over a veterinary fence on land that has belonged to elephants for millennia. (Credit: Alexandra George)
If Nine Days in Eden leaves readers with one lasting thought, I hope it is this: these remarkable animals deserve more than our admiration. They deserve landscapes where they can continue to roam freely, and the conservation efforts that will safeguard their future.
It therefore feels especially fitting that Nine Days in Eden has returned to the Okavango. Kwando Safaris has placed six copies in the libraries of its lodges, where I hope they will inspire future guests to appreciate – and help protect – this extraordinary wilderness.
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