Bush Fire Sunrise - It's getting Close. Safari Day 4, Saturday, March 30, WTRD 14

Bush Fire Sunrise

Botswana Safari Day 4, Saturday,  March 30, WTRD 14

Pompom Camp - Last Morning

We go through the regular routine, board LRC and are in for a really interesting morning. The bush fire is getting closer and there is no wind to blow away the smoke.  Because the smoke is quite heavy this morning , every vista has an etherial mist around it. The sunrise is particularly vibrant with red smoke cloud diffused light.  

The animals seem a bit sluggish this morning, and looking for leopards and cheetahs is challenging in smokey haze.  

Dalton takes us on a real bush romp, through the thickets to spots where cats have been previously found.  I concentrate primarily on landscape photos today as most of the animals we have already seen and photographed.  

Our ride through the bush is quite exciting, bumping and grinding through the vegetation, spinning in the sand, bumping down over and up through hippo trails.  We head westward to find the cheetah and leopard hangouts, but the further west we go the smoke gets thicker.  I put on my face mask.  Our eyes and throats are burning, but if we see a leopard it will be worth it.  We reach the hangouts only to be disappointed.  The cheetahs and leopards are smarter than we are and have undoubtedly migrated out of the smoke zone.

We return to PomPom camp in time for a pit stop, a drink, and a group photo to commemorate our wonderful visit before heading to the airstrip to Camp Labala an hour flight north east of PomPom.  We are sad to leave the people and animals in the smoke.

 

Two planes land in succession on the airstrip.  We board and are airborne on our way to Labala by 10:15.  The vegetation changes as we fly to our new “home”.  There are more rivers and free standing water.

Camp Labala - First Afternoon of March 30

When our plan lands, our new guide is Mike and tracker is Seemo “See More”. Our group arrives about 20 minutes after the first plane group arrives as we had a drop off and pick up at another airstrip along the way.  We are greeted by the camp host and staff with icey cold wash cloths and a refreshing drink.  Immediately we are ushered to the dining room for lunch, our orientation talk, and room assignments.  After lunch, we are escorted to our respective tents.

The tents are lovely.  Our large front porch opens north  to savannah grass lands and is shaded by a large overhanging tree.  It’s a great place to cool off after lunch, read, write and take a snooze.  Unlike PomPom camp where there are always large animals on the delta bed, there could be lions, cheetahs, leopards, all around us but we would not be able to see them.  We will need escorts to and from our tent when it is dark.  The room does not have an entry area, but a much larger interior for the bathroom with a claw foot bathtub, and outdoor shower with two shower heads, and and two sinks.

Russ heads to the pool after lunch, I dress in something cooler, a shower drenched sarong and sit in the shade of the front porch.  We read, I write and work on photos, then take a short nap.  

At 4:00 we present for high tea, board our SLC (an older version of the PomPom newbies), and head out to find some animals.  Seemo sits on a small seat  in the front of the hood of the vehicle.  He is the tracker, and from the upfront seat,  he can see animal tracks in the sand before the SLC runs over them.  He spies some leopard tracks and we spend the rest of the afternoon on the search for the leopard.  Foiled.  We don’t find the leopard, we track some lions and get a location to start our search in the morning,  

At sunset, we do spy a large pod of hippos playing in a pond.

We return to camp for dinner and retire shortly after we eat.  We are beat.  The heat and the search have taken its toll.  We sleep well after warm showers.

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's at Labala Camp, Botswana