Meeting the Queen of the Bush
Some moments in travel don’t just become memories; they become milestones. For me, one of those moments happened on a freezing morning in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, when I came face to face with my very first wild lion. Not just any lion, but a magnificent lioness accompanied by her four cubs. It is a sight I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
The day began long before sunrise. While most people were still wrapped in warm blankets, we were already preparing for our game drive. Chobe mornings in winter cold. I have always been an early riser so there were no issues with a 530am meeting time. cold that I have never been particularly fond of the cold.Waking before dawn wasn’t the challenge. It was stepping into the icy morning that demanded a little courage and a lot of coffee. Fortunately, thick blankets waited for us in the safari vehicle. By 6:00 a.m., our guide had us on the road. Safari time, as I quickly learned, is wonderfully unforgiving. Every minute counts when the wilderness begins to wake.
Our guide was everything you hope for in a safari companion: lively and full of enthusiasm. In the morning was a lovely American family and three of my colleagues: one a seasoned safari traveller whose seemed to spot animals with ease; an advertising executive who paid close attention to all the details, and a photographer whose patience behind the lens would later prove rewarding. As we drove deeper into the park on bumpy terrain, my anticipation rose. Every bend in the road held possibility, every patch of tall grass invited imagination and every rustle in the bushes made heads turn. Fortunately, I did not have to wait long before the Chobe National Park began revealing its treasures. We spotted, antelope, hippos from the distance in the water.
By Tuduetso
26
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