Situated on the banks of the Thamalakane River, our barn was a curiously large edifice because its original purpose was to treat and store elephant hides. Its walls were made of chicken wire that had once seen a splash of cement – to reduce, but not quite eliminate, transparency – and this makeshift structure was…
One of the scariest experiences a person can have is to realise that they are utterly lost in the wilderness with no clue which way to go. I know. I have been there. It must surely rank alongside the helplessness of being diagnosed with a terminal disease or, perhaps, realising too late to do anything…
We live in far north-eastern Botswana on a heavily wooded property that overlooks the Chobe / Zambezi River confluence. We have a constant parade of wild animals around our boundaries. Elephants, buffalo, hyaena, hippo and leopards are regulars as are bushbuck and an assortment of other herbivores and small predators. We have, rather scaringly also…
When he heard news of the three missing young men, Haydn Willans, the manager of Muchenje Campsite, was in Ireland. He took immediate action and briefed the Kasane WhatsApp group in Botswana in the following post on 8 April 2024 at 12.23pm. Good morning, Help is urgently needed. 3 guests travelling under the name of…
While wilderness recharges souls made weary by modern lifestyles, the bush can be fatally uncompromising for the unwary. My friends John and Lorraine Bullen, who had done several overland safaris with me in Botswana as well as a fishing trip in the Okavango, went on safari on their own in Botswana in a remote area…
One of life’s ultimate treats is to spend a day out in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, travelling the waterways in a traditional dug-out mokoro with a private guide who will pole you in gentle solitude and then take you for a game walk on the animal-rich islands while pointing out signs of the wild.…
It is one hell of a thing. Gail Mattson lived in Minnesota USA for 79 years and I am sure that during her long life she never suspected that it would be ended in a remote wilderness area in far-flung Zambia at the hands of a raging bull elephant. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxvwEuRPHso Elephants…