This weekend we stayed at the Khwai River Lodge for a couple of nights so Paul could train them on how to use their new telescope and do a star show or two for their guests. I’m starting to feel like I could be one of those travel writers that goes undercover and evaluates resorts – quality of accommodation, food, staff, etc. In my seven years (yes, it has already been 7 years since I started coming to Africa!) I’ve had the privilege to stay at a number of Botswana’s best lodges (perhaps 9, if I’m remembering correctly) and have come up with a list of the things I like most about traveling in luxury in the bush.
The reception – from the moment you arrive you know you’re some place special. I half expect Tattoo to come out and say, “Welcome to Fantasy Island!” (from a TV show in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the same name). At times, multiple staff come out to greet you, clapping and singing. Other times you are welcomed with a refreshing glass of juice as you are properly oriented and escorted to your room. We hand over our dust ridden bush luggage and discretely move our battered and dirty Land Cruiser to a less obvious location. Once at the room we are invited to join afternoon game drives (which we decline since we do our own game drives) and we are told what time high tea and dinner will be served.
The quietness of the lodge while guests are out on drives – while most
guests take advantage of the game drives and other activities (walks, flights,
boat rides), we are typically back in camp setting up for the star show or
training session that allowed us to be transported into this world we could
never afford (this weekend’s accommodations costs far more than we could ever afford!). In the quietness you get a real feel for the place. You can
quietly watch the animals and listen to the birds in the area without the
bustle of visiting guests. Variations in eating venues – while staying at some of these lodges for more than one night we get to experience the changing of the venue for dinner. Most lodges have what is called a “boma” night, for example. On this night, dinner is served in a traditional boma or outside location enclosed by a rustic log fence. Traditional foods are served like samp and beans, mealie meal (mushy corn based porridge that is a staple at most meals), chakalaka (a spicy chutney), boerwors (spicy Southern African sausages), etc. If you’re lucky, this also involves the staff providing some entertainment of singing and dancing. The singing is typically a blend of harmonious voices emerging from a closely clustered group with coordinated hand gestures and foot movements that glide them in a circle around the fire. Other venues for dinner include the main dining room or a “hide” typically used for discrete animal viewing which can be transformed for a romantic dinner.
The
nightly turn down service –
each night you return after dinner to find your room magically transformed for
the evening. Bedding is turned down. Slippers and bathrobe laid out. A bottle
of water is on the bed stand. On your pillow you may find a mint or cookie or a
bedtime story written by a local author. I like when the pillow treat is different
from night to night…adds a little surprise to the end of the day.
But no matter where you slept the
night before, in a luxury lodge or a tent, the things you see on any given game
drive are equally stunning. On this particular trip we visited the den of a
pack of wild dogs. While the pups had yet to emerge (they were still too young),
we could hear them chirping and squeaking from their hole in the ground, dust
seeping out of the ground to indicate their movement, while the attendant pack
took care of them. We were even luckier at the hyena den in that the four pups were just emerging in the late afternoon to explore their new world. They scramble in and out of their den. Galloping around a bit, they play like canine pups with each other, often pouncing on one another and biting their sibling’s neck. At one point the bravest of them came right over to our safari vehicle smelling the tires, looking up at us in the windows (we must look like giants from their ground level vantage point). Her siblings follow her lead until all four of them are investigating our vehicle. Mom looks on from a distance undisturbed. Something spooks them and they all high tale it back to Mom. It was quite cute!
Finally, at midday as we (sadly) leave the Khwai area to drive back to Maun, on our way out we see a leopard trying to catch his breath having just killed a young lechwee. He pants and gasps until he slinks off the riverbank and back into the tall grass to find relief from the grunting and snorting of the vigilant surviving lechwee. A fine way to end a weekend of luxury in the bush!
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