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James Clarke
visits Mowana, in one of Africa's most magical areas
The Okavango, Zambezi and Chobe rivers, whose headwaters
drain the highlands of Angola to form the great floodplains
of Central Africa, lure a concentration of wild animals
and birds that is probably unequalled anywhere on Earth.
They provide a spectacle in Africa that unfailingly
fills one with inexpressible wonder.
Certainly they provide the rather drab land of Botswana
- a country larger than France - with two of Africa's
most magical areas.
In the centre of this meeting of rivers is Mowana Safari
Lodge, on the Chobe at the northern extremity of Botswana.
The lodge's high timber decks give a panoramic view
of reed beds and open forest, where more elephants are
concentrated than anywhere else in Africa.
The channels around Mowana, apart from their dozens
of species of wild mammals, are also recognised as one
of the world's great birding areas, on a par with the
Okavango's inland delta.
Mowana's resident jeweler, Hans Meevis, on January 7
2001 - with a team of four - identified 290 species
of birds, almost half spotted in Mowana's grounds before
breakfast. That established a Southern African 24-hour
record.
But for most visitors it is Chobe National Park's
40 000 elephants that intrigue. Travelling in one of
Mowana's broad-beamed piloted river cruisers, I came
within 10 metres of a large bull elephant feeding placidly
in the reeds. One comes very close to crocs too - and
birds. I came within 3 m of the rare copper-tailed coucal.
There are, at times, as many as 45 000 elephant concentrated
in the 11 700 sq km Chobe reserve. Altogether 70 000
migrate back and forth between the Botswana wetlands
and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The carrying capacity
of this region is badly overstretched as Europe's powerful
lobby of fund-dispensing "bunny huggers" managed
to persuade Botswana not to cull elephant for several
years. Now there's no choice, and one sees areas where
riverine forests and the open teak forests away from
the rivers have been destroyed.
Mowana, which is on the outskirts of the small town
of Kasane, is only 6km from the entrance to Chobe National
Park and visitors are faced with a pleasant daily dilemma
- does one go there by boat or open vehicle?
Either way the visitor will see plenty - lion, elephant,
buffalo, giraffe, puku, Chobe bushbuck, sable, red lechwe,
hyena and leopard. For those who want to round off the
Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard),
one can see rhino near Victoria Falls an hour's drive
up the road.
The region must have one of the greatest concentrations
of hippo in Africa. In one pod there were 40 huddled
together.
Among the activities at Mowana, whose name, by the
way, is the local name for the baobab tree, is a day-long,
four-nation circuit - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and
Namibia which, of course, includes the Falls. In fact,
what is rather droll about being near the point where
four nations meet is that for the best fishing - for
tiger fish or very tasty bream - one has to cross the
Botswana/Namibia border and have one's passport stamped,
which takes but minutes. A companion caught a 4kg tiger
fish (using bait) but catching tigers with a fly rod
is also popular.
Mowana is an interesting drive from Gauteng - 1200 km
on tar via Francistown (800km), where one can stay over,
leaving a 400 km drive next morning with a good chance
of seeing wildlife on the way. Or there's a 90 minute
flight from Johannesburg to Kasane and free transfer
to the lodge.
Game viewing and birding is good all year round but
the dry months are best - March to October. Coolest
months are May to June.
The lodge has spectacular views across expanses of
water to the Caprivi and has all the luxuries one expects
from a top-rate resort. The gardens are well wooded
and there's a nine-hole golf course, which goes down
to the riverside.
Mowana Safari
Lodge
PO Box: 266
Kasane
Botswana
Tel: (267) 65 0300
Fax: 65 0301
E-mail: resmowana@cresta.co.bw
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