BOTSWANA: Makgadikgadi Pans, Jack’s Camp

The wild, pristine beauty of Botswana shone brightly in the Makgadikgadi Pans, the third destination of my adventure. Contrasting starkly with the lush habitats of Chobe and the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans are the last remnants of what was once the world’s largest prehistoric lake, now reduced to salt plains fringed by grasslands and Mopane thickets.

Stephan the capable bush pilot dropped us into Jack’s Camp (above) in the nick of time, just before a strong afternoon rainstorm grounded most flights. The storm curtailed afternoon activities, but allowed ample time to relax in the remarkable, 1940‘s-style tented safari camp, set within a palm grove. A spacious, open-sided, pagoda-like tent served as the camp centerpiece, where we dined and enjoyed the bar. Our tents were scattered around the palm-fringed island overlooking grasslands that concealed roaring lions at night. Our host Kirsten and cheerful ranger Chuba welcomed us warmly, providing everything possible for our comfort and enjoyment.

The arid conditions of the Pans host an amazing variety of wildlife, including species not seen in our other travels. We found Rufous-naped and Sabota Larks calling from low-scrub vantage points to attract a mate. Eastern Clapper Larks and Desert Cisticolas displayed by taking to the air and calling, and Southern Anteater Chats busily fed their young fledglings. Rounding out small arid loving species were groups of Spike-heeled Larks (above), and a few Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Larks outnumbered by Grey-backed Sparrow-Larks.

At sunrise we paid a visit to the stars of the popular Animal Planet show, “Meerkat Manor.” This clan of 18 eagerly exited their burrow and stood on their tippy-toes to soak in the warmth of the sun’s first rays, and scan the landscape for predators. Well habituated to people, some of the Meerkats clamored onto James’ shoulders as he sat on the mound to gain a better view, while Robert filmed intently. In chain-gang style, they formed a line to excavate their burrow. Much to our delight, the last animal, the one well out of the burrow, seemed quite happy to dump sand over James’ legs, in his shoes and up his shorts!

I couldn’t take my eyes off of a particularly cute young pair of siblings, who were always together, holding each other for support and playing joyfully. We followed the clan as they scampered off in the short grasses in search of a morning meal. Interestingly, Meerkats forage only for invertebrates found just below the surface of the ground, leaving those on top of the soil for other predators. Perhaps the underground grubs are juicier? I wouldn’t know.

Our visit to the Makgadikgadi Pans coincided with the beginning of Blue Wildebeest and Zebra migration around the Delta – a lesser version of the grand scale Serengeti-Mara migration in East Africa. The calving season was almost done and we could see a number of youngsters in shorter grasslands, hugging close to their mothers for protection. At the thicket edges, male Impalas were forming harems and gearing up to defend their females for when the rutting season begins in earnest in mid-April.

There was never a dull moment back at camp, especially when an impromptu version of “Fear Factor” began with a plate full of Mopane worms. These colourful caterpillars, larger than your index finger, turned out to be a true culinary delight for natives Daws, Chuba, and South African James. Robert opted out of the live contest, but managed to down one of the cooked ones. Despite James’ cajoling, I was too squeamish to try worms prepared any style! The entertainment continued with amusing impersonations of famous personalities. We howled with laughter, pun intended, at Robert’s perfect impression of Bob Dylan’s dog – “woof, wooaf-wooaaf” in that iconic nasal drawl!

We ventured to the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans (above) to view the vast, desolate landscape stretched as far as the eye could see. Beneath shimmering heat waves, we saw a number of Ostriches, and our first Wattled Cranes a distance away. A Leopard Tortoise crossed the track in front of us. The timing of our visit meant there was little water in the pans, and the spectacle of large congregations of breeding Lesser Flamingos would not appear for another month or so. We had to make do with a hundred or so Greater Flamingos!

Scattered pools of freshwater attracted Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Ruff, Hottentot Teal, Red-billed Duck and an African Spoonbill. We had the good fortune to find not just one, but six pairs of Greater Painted Snipe, a great sighting of these wetland-edge skulkers. Their plumage is striking, albeit different for males and females. The female features a rich chestnut-coloured neck and chest, while the male shows earth-toned patterning. The female Greater Painted Snipe (above), like some other shorebird species, defies conventional gender roles, in that she lays her eggs then leaves her mate to incubate and raise the chicks.

The sparse grasses of this arid, desert region is perfect habitat for small flocks of Temminck’s and Double-banded Coursers, both of whom easily outran us to keep a safe distance away. Nomadic sandgrouse also thrive in dry, sandy areas, and we had the fortune to locate a pair of beautiful Burchell’s Sandgrouse (above) showing white-spotted, cinnamon bodies.

I was greatly intrigued by the Northern Black Korhaan, a beautiful bustard found in taller arid grasslands or savannah. This bird spends much of the day, and some nights, calling raucously to attract a mate. If the call was not compelling enough, it took to the air, circled it’s territory calling all the while, then parachuted slowly back down with its conspicuous white primary feathers in full display (above) – a marvelous sight to watch, considering it’s ample size.

Raptors were well represented in this environment, including Pale Chanting Goshawks, Brown Snake Eagle and Tawny Eagles, who kept an eye on the multitude of Southern Ground Squirrels, it’s favorite prey. We followed circling vultures hoping to find a kill, but all the White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures (above) had already gorged on whatever they’d found, leaving only a small scrap of hide, and some individuals milling around on the ground digesting their meal.

Unique amongst raptors is the striking Secretarybird, a long-legged, terrestrial hunter of the grasslands. Chuba, our ranger guide, was delighted to see his first one in several months. In fact there were a pair, a testosterone-driven male in hot pursuit of a young female with a short tail. We followed the two, having a hard time keeping up as he chased her over the open landscape for well over 2 miles. Eventually he got the hint, she was just not ready, and he opted to go hunting. A Secretarybird’s long legs enable them to cover a great deal of territory on foot, in search of grasshoppers and other insects. When they find something, they employ a foot stamping technique (above) to flush and kill it. We were lucky to see this in action, when the male we were following began to stamp his foot and lift his wings at the same time. He had killed an olive-coloured snake about 3 feet in length!

A major highlight of my Botswana adventure was interacting with some native peoples of the Kalahari, known as San Bushmen. Four men generously spent time showing us various aspects of their culture and livelihood. They demonstrated game-tracking skills and hunting techniques utilizing compact bows with poison-tipped arrows (above). One man dug a tubular root from the ground, squeezed the thirst-quenching liquid into his mouth, than replanted the plant to live on. They showed us how to build a bush fire, and retrieve a scorpion from a hole, though they don’t eat them. They even played a fast-paced game of hand gestures, roughly based on “rock-paper-scissors,” but with a hunting theme. We couldn’t quite understand it all, but it ended with universally-recognized smiles and high-fives all around! One of the men spoke english, interpreting their fascinating language of clicks, sounds and sing-song inflections. Filming everything intently, Robert was shocked to feel a sharp cut on his knee when he kneeled down to focus at close range. For a moment he thought it was a poison arrow, and imagined the bushmen talking about how he was now a goner! Luckily, it was just the sharp end of a bow.

I felt extremely lucky and grateful to have experienced this amazing region of the world, and, as usual, wished we had more time to explore the vast habitats of the Makgadikgadi Pans. But I looked forward to the next and final leg of our Botswana adventure, a visit to the Moremi Game Reserve.