Our Latest Safari - Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana

The way of thinking/life here in Gabs for a holiday weekend is quite interesting.....you must go out-of-town. People don't usually stay home on a 3- or 4-day weekend (Botswana honors Good Friday and Easter Monday as well). All last week conversation among people was, "Where are you going for the long weekend?" It seems one is expected to travel, and if you end up staying home instead, others feel sorry for you. Too funny. We joined the ranks of those going out-of-town for the long weekend. We planned this trip back in January - because lodges get booked quickly.

We went to a reserve, about a 3 1/2 hour drive away, called the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. We've heard about this place from others, and wanted to try it out for ourselves. The appeal for us was the opportunity to drive our own vehicle (4x4) around the reserve, and view the animals at our own pace. Another appeal was the price. Very inexpensive compared to other lodges. However, this was a no-frills place. We had a warm, clean place to sleep and bathe. That's all you need, right? I have to admit - I really, really LIKE being spoiled at the other lodges we've been to. As hubby and I said to one another over the weekend....this is as close as we'll get to camping! I'm a city-girl and don't do 'roughing it'. I must have a place to plug in my hair dryer! Plus, my hubby has done enough 'roughing it' during his two tours in Iraq.

This first photo is of a white rhino. Can you believe the incredible horn on this beast? The horn is made of keratin. Amazing. Do you think t it gets in the way? I've learned there are two types of rhino around these parts of Africa, the black rhino and the white rhino. From Wikipedia regarding the naming of the white rhino:

"A popular theory of the origins of the name "White Rhinoceros" is a mistranslation from Dutch to English. The English word "white" in English is said to have been derived by mistranslation of the Dutch word "wijd", which means "wide" in English. The word "wide" refers to the width of the Rhinoceros mouth. So early English-speaking settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wijd" for "white" and the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the White Rhino..."

This is Mama Rhino's baby....too cute!!!!

Beautiful zebras at a watering hole

Love this photo that hubby took...I think we'll have to get this one framed for our "Africa Wall" that we will create on our return home.

The animals got very close to our car, at times. In this photo, young wildebeast casually walk in front of us. We had stopped, turned the car off, and just enjoyed watching God's creatures grazing.

Another wildebeast, whose photo was taken at another part of the reserve. Note here: on a previous safari, the restaurant served wildebeast on the buffet. I tried it. It tasted like beef, not chicken. No gamey flavor at all. Fairly tender.

This is a closeup of a 'thorn bush'. You see how long those thorns are?! Ouch! I've been poked/stabbed a time or two. Not fun. Thorn bushes are found all over Botswana. I see them in the city as well as out in the bush.



This is a herd of female impalas. As you can see, they were just grazing by the side of the road. We stopped, and they just stared at us as we stared at them.

Now for a little about our accommodations and such. This is a photo of the chalet where we stayed. Notice the thatched roof. The chalet had 2 bedrooms, bathroom with hot water, and a kitchen sink. No air conditioning. The chalet was designed with openings (thankfully covered with netting to keep bugs out) to allow for air flow. Outside we had a 'braai' stand (bricked grill) where we could cook-out or build a fire in the attached fireplace. Below I have pics of us roasting marshmallows.



When we arrived late Friday afternoon, it was raining off and on, and continued raining through our attempts at cooking out hot dogs and roasting marshmallows. Here you see hubby and children looking out at the rain from our chalet.



Roasting marshmallows! Mmmm. They were so good! Too bad we didn't have any graham crackers (haven't found those here anywhere), we could have made s'mores.

Though we didn't expect to see any monkeys on this safari, I did spot a couple in the tree outside our chalet. :-)


I'm working on another post about the Tropic of Capricorn. We crossed that on our journey to the rhino sanctuary. I should have that post up in another day or so.