Safari Day 16 - Hanging out in the Okavango

Highlight of the day: Seeing a rare bat-eared fox

Last night we heard hippos and lions around camp. This morning we left just before the sunrise for a 4 hour hike around the island in the Delta. It was a gorgeous morning, and a great way to see what the land of the Okavango looks like before all of the water floods it in just a few days. We didn't see too many animals, but did see a mongoose, a group of about 12-16 giraffes (we sat and watched them from about 30 feet away) and a rare bat-eared fox, which was really cool.

We got back to camp just before noon and had a huge brunch. We spent the remainder of the day napping, relaxing in the camp, cooling off in the water, and playing 'shithead,' our new favourite card game. Around 4:00 p.m. we set off in the mokoros with our cameras and an esky of beer for a sunset cruise. The sunset was pretty, but the best part was seeing all of the different types of animal tracks in the sand. There were lions, hyenas, hippos, giraffes, zebras, small cats and heaps of others.

Back at camp, we had dinner and sat around the fire drinking beer, eating freshly popped popcorn, and listening to the Botswana polers sing their beautiful songs.