A Not So Silent Night in Savute

We are about mid-way through a seven-night safari with a family of 15 of a Furman alumnus when I hear footsteps outside my tent. It’s about 1:30 AM. Something is in camp. I listen to see if I can identify the steps. Not as “bouncy” as a honey badger gait (one was spotted earlier in the night near the supply vehicle). Whatever it is seems to be scoping out camp. Walking around…sniffing at things. It doubles back to Paul’s side of the tent and makes this low guttural stomach-y growl loudly right next to Paul’s head.

 

Paul peacefully snores. “Paul”, I whisper. Useless, of course, because if he didn’t hear the nocturnal animal that just shouted in his hear, he certainly isn’t going to hear me whisper. I try a little louder, “Paul!” Snorrrreeee…

 

Finally, I haul half of my body across the abyss between our single stretchers positioned on either side of the tent and pull on his blankets. “What? What?!”, he responds a bit too loudly. I say, “Don’t move! We’ve got something in camp.”

 

Whatever it is continues to walk behind the half circle of our nine tents. It makes the low guttural stomach-y growl again. “Leopard?”, I ask. It’s not the typical sawing wood sound of a leopard but it is our best guess. It goes behind the tents and seems to walk off into the Kalahari apple leaf trees. We exhale and get up to pee in our pit latrine in the “ensuite” enclosure at the back of our tent. When I say “enclosure” imagine an open-air outdoor bathroom with a three-sided canvas “wall” fastened to the back of our tent. There are great views of the Milky Way across the Southern sky when one needs a “bush break” in the middle of the night. There’s also plenty of room to crawl under the “wall” which is not attached to the flooring.

 

Only minutes after we’ve safely returned to our tent we hear it again. “Damn…it’s back”, I whisper to Paul.  Whatever its motives (in the morning the camp staff speculate it was a mom leopard with cubs or mating leopards, given the unusual utterances) it is staying with us for the night.

 

I listen for zippers hoping none of the inquisitive young boys on the trip decide they want to get a closer look. The camp is completely silent, except for the growling leopard. I learn in the morning that some have slept through it and others were just holding their breath…for hours!

 

As dawn approaches, I fear that our clients might unknowingly wake up to start to get ready for our morning game drive and go outside their tent before they can see better than the leopard can. Leopards have great night vision. Humans do not!

 

I urge Paul to get up before them and tell everyone to stay in their tents a bit longer as we’ve got an uninvited visitor in camp. The camp comes alive as the adults, who have heard the noises ALL NIGHT LONG urge their children to stay in their tents!

 

Someone sarcastically wishes one of the clients a happy birthday reminding her that she said she wanted to see a male lion but instead got a leopard! Nervous laughter erupts. It is certainly a birthday she will NEVER forget!

 

The impetus for this trip is a Zoom information meeting in August 2023 about a Furman Alumni safari to be offered in June 2024. One of the participants remarks that it looks like that trip was likely to fill and asks if I would consider offering another one just for his family of 15? I need to check campsite availability and dates before I can commit but soon we are off and planning for a second safari in June 2024.

 

The group arrives via bush plane and after we get them off loaded and their bags into the trailer we head off. One client asks what we didn’t see on our prior alumni safari and I say, “Wild dogs. I haven’t seen wild dogs in a while.” Within a matter of minutes, we drive up to a pack of wild dogs resting in the high grass before they begin to hunt at dusk.

 

The safari goes this way. They mention lions. We find lions.

 

How about some cheetahs? “Lets”, one of our guides, spots a pair sleeping up under a bush as we transit from Moremi to Savuti along the marsh road. How he saw them is beyond me!

 

Next, “We’d really like to see a leopard.” And we find one tucked up under a bush eating a recently killed impala (sorry didn't get a good picture of this one).

 

Looking for Leopard on Impala Kill

Impala

We have many beautiful sightings including some elephants crossing the Chobe River to get to the grassy plains on the Namibian side (everything on the Botswana side has been eaten). But this sighting comes only after momentarily getting stuck on some rocks just after the boat guide informs us that this particular area of the river, where birds nest to have their young, is “teeming with crocodiles.” No, I’m not kidding. The river is especially low because of the poor rains during the rainy season and we get “beached” on rocks. Our boat guide is trying his best and failing to get us off the rocks.

 

Hippos on the Chobe River

I’m starting to get a little nervous. While we’ve been “stuck” many times in Botswana it is usually in sand or mud but never in a river “teeming” with crocodiles. The thought of having to swim for the shore dodging crocodiles (and maybe hippos) makes my heart race!  (according to my Fitbit my resting pulse went up 2 points that day!). Fortunately, we have an expert boater among the clients and he jumps up to assist. “Gun the engine! No! MORE! MORE!” and our vessel is freed from its high ground. We carry on with our Chobe River Cruise ignoring the danger we were in. “Yes, thank you. I will have a gin and tonic.”

 

Throughout this family safari, I wonder to myself how much this family safari is worth to Worth (the patriarch sponsoring the trip)? There’s plenty of time on long transit days for the eight cousins ranging in age from 14 to 22 to reconnect. The families are scattered around the country (Florida, California, Washington State) and only see each other occasionally. They debate issues from a variety of political positions with respect and curiosity. Downtime in camp inspires card games and deep conversations. Worth jokes about spending their inheritance but what a gift to bring this family together for an adventure they’ll never forget.

 

Worth with Grandkids at Victoria Falls

It makes me remember celebrating my sister’s 50^th (10 years ago) by bringing her and my nieces on safari for two weeks. In my opinion, totally “worth” it!