Journey Impressions: Maun

Maun: approx. 0.44 m inhabitants
Botswana: approx. 1.9 m inhabitants
Population growth (2008): 1.4%
People per km²: 3.3
Gross national income per person in 2008 PPP: 13,100 USD


20.11.2010 Kwara camp: We stayed in Kwara camp for two days. It consists of tents with little verandas. On the first evening, I spotted a huge elephant from my veranda. The next morning, the scene was repeated with a hippo. Monkeys are everywhere in the camp. You have to close all windows and doors and can't leave anything lying around outside. It would definitely disappear quickly because the monkeys just pilfer everything.

In the late afternoon, we went on a safari with two very able trackers. We saw giraffes, deer, elephants and hippos. After looking for about two hours, we also encountered about 15 lions. They were moving about through the bush and clearly preparing to hunt impalas. Our two guides were very clever in getting us near the pride. They weren't even interested in us people in the vehicles. We were obviously not part of their diet. As a result, we were able to observe their behaviour at our leisure and watch how they divided up the responsibilities. The lions for example wait for the lionesses to hunt the quarry and get them something to eat.

On the way back we saw about 50 hippos with our torches. They were grazing in the reeds. They had even left their beloved lake to do so.

The first evening was rounded off with a meal together with a group of Belgian women. About 20 to 25 people sat around the dimly lit table. After the meal, we said goodbye and the two guides took us to our tents. A night in a tent in the African bush is quite something else. All the very loud animal noises alone are quite unusual. For example, we heard the frogs in the lake nearby, the hippos, monkeys and lots of other animals.

To cap it all, in the middle of the night there was a heavy thunderstorm with lightning, but hardly any rain. But in the end I did sleep quite well.

21.11.2010 Kwara camp: The next morning I got up at 5 a.m. The first thing I saw was the lake and that another hippo was grazing in front of my tent.

A little while later we were off on safari again. At 6 a.m. we set off again - unfortunately in vain - to look for a pride of lions. Instead, giraffes and different types of deer crossed our paths. We also spotted our first crocodile.

Although there had been a light thunderstorm, we embarked around evening on the promised boat trip. It looked a bit like the Everglades in Florida. But there were no crocodiles to be seen. The weather was probably too wet and damp for them. Our trip was aiming for a bird colony with perhaps ten different types of birds. Martin was really bowled over by them. As a result, he took a lot of pictures of different birds. We could hardly keep him in his seat - but for reasons best known to himself he didn't want to share the top deck with some English people. After this photo session and explanations from a bird encyclopaedia, we started going back. On the way, we saw another group of elephants and their calves.

After finishing the boat trip, our guide Jacob picked us up with his scout who always sat at the front of the car. Both of them reported that lions had been seen near our camp. Now we wanted to find out where they were. We discovered them while they were hunting impalas at dusk. This time they were quicker though - we too, so that we were back unharmed for supper. Later, shortly before retiring to bed, we heard the lions roar. It gave us goose pimples - it was a really weird feeling. This was despite the fact that Jacob had reassured us several times that humans were not natural prey for lions. Their quarry tended to be on four legs.

That night, Martin and I shared a tent. His concern that I might not be able to sleep because of his snoring luckily proved unfounded. Quite the opposite: the hippos and frogs were a lot louder than Martin could ever have been.

22.11.2010 Kwara camp: The next morning, we didn't do any sightseeing tours, but prepared for our next flight in peace. Just by chance, we discovered that there was no telephone or anything like that for any of the staff in the camp. So we unpacked my satellite telephone and showed everyone. To their great joy, we allowed everyone who had helped us to phone home. At the same time, it shouldn't be forgotten that they can only go home once every three months. We thanked them for the African singing during a 30-minute cultural display the evening before. All in all it was a pleasant and impressive stay with lots of lions and the excitement of the hunt, but we had had time to relax too.