I recently travelled to Kasane with my family for a weekend of fun and adventure. For those of you who don’t know, Kasane is a town in northeastern Botswana and a popular tourist spot, especially for wildlife lovers.
We arrived pretty late on Friday so there wasn’t much to do besides get some dinner and rest. Our Saturday began bright and early with our first adventure: a game drive. Our tour guide, Jeff, picked us up from the lodge and drove us to the Chobe National Park. It was first established in 1960 as a game reserve, before becoming a national park. Jeff parked outside for a few minutes to register our names and share some facts about the park with us before driving in and officially starting the game drive.
Not too far from the park entrance, we came across a pride of lions resting. We stopped for a while to take some pictures of them, and they were quite calm and unbothered since they’ve grown accustomed to the frequent game drives and tourists. They are mostly active during the mornings and evenings and spend about 20 hours resting. The hunting is mainly done by the females, while the males protect the territories. Another fun fact: after a successful hunt, the females let the males feast to their hearts’ content, before eating as well.
We then continued with our drive and eventually came across the baboons and impalas. Jeff informed us that they live in harmony most of the time, and often alert each other when they see predators. This harmony, however, is not all year round. During the dry season when food is scarce, baboons often kill the calves for food. Impalas have adapted to this by giving birth during the wet season, and impalas that are due to give birth during the dry season can actually delay giving birth for a while.
We also got to see a few fish eagles on the treetops. From that vantage point, they can easily spot fish in the river and go in for the kill. Fish eagles are monogamous, meaning they only have one mate for life. When the mate dies, some often become suicidal. Other animals we saw were warthogs, buffalos, giraffes, and a variety of bird species. We also stopped at one of the rest spots in the park to stretch our legs and have some coffee and biscuits. Despite the track being bumpy most of the time, the whole drive, which lasted three hours, was an amazing experience and I’d definitely do it all over again.
Our second adventure for the day was a boat cruise. It started at 3 pm and lasted three hours. Boat cruises are fun activities, especially during summer. Unfortunately, it’s the rainy season currently. However, despite the drizzling and the cold, it was still a lovely experience and a beautiful afternoon spent touring the Chobe river and learning about the wildlife we came across. We got to see elephants, hippos, buffaloes, water lizards, waterbucks, and some bird species like the African darter, as well as more impalas and baboons by the river bank.
For accommodation, we spent two nights at the lovely Chobe Marina Lodge. For anyone looking to visit Kasane, there are multiple accommodation options since the area is a tourism hotspot. However, if you’re willing to splurge a little on accommodation, I’d definitely recommend Chobe Marina. It’s a lovely place with big, spacious rooms and very friendly staff. There’s also a spa, a store selling souvenirs, and free breakfast with a variety of mouth-watering options. The double room I booked had a very comfortable bed, a spacious bathroom with both a shower and bathtub and a lounge area upstairs with some couches and a second television. There was also a bar fridge, a tray with some tea, coffee, and refreshments, and a coffee maker. The best part was that in the morning when I woke up and opened the door, I was greeted by a fresh breeze and a beautiful, picturesque view of the Chobe river. Since the lodge is situated next to the river, that’s where the boat cruises start.
I was a little sad to leave Kasane and I’d definitely go back again. Cheers to more adventures!
A Brighter Picture 