Photographing my travels: Lagoon in Botswana with Tracks Safari

I booked my safari to Botswana with Sue Preater of Tracks Safari. Finally, I made it to Botswana after a postponement and cancellation from a few years ago when I booked with Tatra Photography. After the flight from UK via Johannesburg and a short hop in a small plane from Maun, I arrived at Lagoon Camp in Kwando, run by Kwando Safaris. I was made very welcome and after a trip to see my room, I returned for high tea at 4 pm ready for the afternoon game drive at 4.30 pm. Even though I had had little sleep for 24 hours, there was enough to see that afternoon to keep me awake. I met up with Anne Marie, who like me had booked with Tracks Safari and had arrived from another camp that day. Also in the jeep were Maggie and Steve, seasoned safari goers, especially in Kenya.

My first small plane from Maun to Lagoon

Lots of elephants at Lagoon

Close up

Tsessebe and calf

Wildebeest

Baboon with young

Click on this to see the larger pic for the water and oxpeckers

I thought elephants would not run from anyone but this giraffe saw them off

Oxpecker on giraffe

Leopard tortoise

Hippos watching us drink at the sundowner

Mr T was our guide and driver with his colleague Chris. We saw lots of elephants that first day. Back to the camp for dinner at 8 pm. I flagged by then and was escorted to my room by Mr T. I put down my camera and back pack and went into the room behind the bed only to find it empty. My suitcase and clothes had disappeared. I guessed I was in the wrong room but I could not leave as it was dark and we were told we had to be escorted. I called out towards the main lounge then had to resort to the emergency horn. I was taken to my original room. There had been a mix up and the noticeboard had not been updated. Finally some sleep.

Awoken at 5 am with a light breakfast at 5.30 am, we were off on the morning game drive. We were left for a bit in the jeep while Mr T and Chris looked for the two cheetahs, male brothers. They hadn't been seen for a week so we were lucky to see them.

Mr T running back to the jeep having found the cheetah tracks

One of the brothers. More from these guys later in the post

Three headed ostrich

Anne Marie had wanted to see cheetah and ostrich and her wish had been granted. I was still up for seeing anything but a honey badger had gone on the list.

A siesta after brunch until 4pm for high tea. A lot of action seen from my room, especially with the bee-eaters.

Catching the African white butterflies. You could hear the noise from the birds beating the insect against the sticks.

Off for a boat trip in the afternoo. Joined by Christina from Treviso, Italy a tour operator who was working and only staying one night. More refreshed in the evening. There had been a few Canadians when I arrived but they had gone and there were only a few guests left including a Dutch couple and Tom and Stephen, English cousins travelling together.

Watched the elephants crossing the river before we set out.

Anne-Marie on the boat

We had drinks on the boat watching the sun go down.

I woke up on Monday to hear a loud munching outside my bedroom. It was an elephant who moved around to outside the bathroom. I watched him having his breakfast while I cleaned my teeth. On the morning game drive, we dropped off Maggie and Steve at the airstrip and continued on.

Second view of the giant kingfisher as we saw one from the boat. The Egyptian geese scared him off his perch

Lilac breasted roller.

Giant eagle owl or Verreauxs Eagle owl

Marabou stork with vultures

Catching fish

Carmine bee eaters

The Lagoon lions who came out and posed for the other jeeps after we had left.

Flying banana or yellow billed hornbill

Warthog family seen from the lodge

The afternoon game drive provided us with a wonderful experience. Something the guides had not seen before. Mr T and Chris went to some of the marking posts to look out for the cheetah brothers and once found, we followed them on their hunt. Some of the later photos are noisy due to the light level (or my photography).

Cheetahs looking for prey on top of termite mound

I am a little tired

Off on the hunt via the termite mounds to mark their territory

A warthog charge.

The cheetahs then tried to separate a baby zebra from the herd which I didn't manage to capture except in my memory.

Marking this tree which features later and then the cheetahs went to the corner behind the tree before they turned around to survey the land. They then came towards us as they had spotted something.

The leopard is what they spotted

She is thinking what to do

Runs towards the cheetahs

One of the cheetahs running to take up position to chase leopard

The chase

Leopard makes the safety of that tree and it is a standoff

Leopard shows her disregard of the cheetahs now she is safe

The sunset

Last look at the leopard who had been calling to her cubs. Had she been captured, Lagoon would have lost their only leopard and the cubs would have died

We left the leopard and around the corner found the cheetahs had killed a young impala

At the end of that experience, the staff serenaded us with songs before dinner. Very emotional.

Anne-Marie and I were on our own in the jeep that morning, leaving together on the plane. Me off to Pom Pom and Anne-Marie on to Tau Pan. Our first sighting were a herd of elephants who came towards the jeep and then went around us. So close, I hardly needed the long lens.