Day 25 to 27 May 6th – 8th Pangolin Voyager Photo Safari
The transfer from land to sea was made more interesting – and time consuming – as it involved border crossings. The land safari was in Botswana the river houseboat was moored in Namibia – the Namibian immigration office was off a partially flooded pier, up a hill, and into a small office at the top.
Finally we were on the river and on the way to Pangolin Voyager – the sight of the 3 storey houseboat as we approached caused excitement on the tender. Even more so as we boarded and were taken upstairs to the lounge for a briefing and met our new team. Full length picture windows on 3 sides, delicious plump, squishy sofa and chairs, elegant dining table with bar behind. Oh this is the life.
But wait – we were then shown to our rooms with a large comfortable bed dominating the room made with the softest, silky, cotton sheets and a bathroom with a toilet and shower. Heaven!
The routine was more or less camp transferred to water – light snack at 6am out on the tender by 6.30am back for a hearty brunch then rest time or photo review till 3pm when it was high tea and out for evening spotting complete with Sundowners on the water. Home again for a superb 3 course meal.
Sara remained with us Killer was replaced by Fabian for the water safaris. Another master spotter and apart from being frequently wiped out as my camera swung towards him out of control Fabian took great care of us.
The tender was set up with stands for cameras and while daunting at first we quickly became adept at twiddling knobs to get the camera mobile and pointing in the right direction. It also required new settings and thinking as the light changed not only with time but where wildlife was found – land, sea or sky! Hippos proved particularly elusive with their big dark bodies in the light coloured water.
Highlights of our time on the water included:
Watching and playing with cameras with a group of photogenic pink storks crowded into a tree mid river.
Bliss was going to sleep to the sound of Hippos honking away in the distance and water lapping outside our bedroom. Then seeing them early morning on the banks and afternoon in the sunset. Never got tired of Hippo sightings.
Watching the elephants at the waters edge. Enhanced when Sara encouraged looking for different angles and parts of the animals. Further challenge was to get the water as clear droplets.
Trying to catch a bird in flight in focus, complete!
Watching a huge crocodile devouring a kill – to make it crocodile tasty and palatable it is left on the river floor till it is decaying and waterlogged. A macabre and fascinating sight.
Visiting Ijambwe, a Nambibian village on the Chobe river. We were met by a villager, Joseph, who explained the family community who lived within the village and how they earned a livelihood from fishing and livestock then selling it across the border (river) in Kasane.They also had cows and chickens which he described as their bank account. A wakeup was that certain members of the village had passports, and visits to sell or shop in Kasane were balanced with the cost of filling up the passport with stamps which meant the cost of a new passport.
We were welcomed to the village with song and dance inviting us to join in.
The village population is 55 adults and 35 children. They build their own houses from clay and river reeds.
Photos From Our Voyager Safari
Mel’s Photos – raw and unedited
Chris’s Photos
