Chobe National Park’s beautiful landscapes and abundant wildlife offer first-rate photo opportunities. By Campbell Houston

Our overlanding trip was everything we had hoped for, with Botswana showing off its best self. We approached the last leg of our time in the country with excitement, as we departed Magotho in Khwai and pointed the Land Cruiser towards Chobe National Park.

We were heading north now, through Mababe Gate at Chobe’s south end, for an exciting two-night stay at Linyanti. This would be followed by Savuti for another two nights. I know geographically it didn’t make sense to go further north to Linyanti just to come back south to Savuti. However, being July, it was peak season and campsite bookings were hard to come by, so we were happy to get some nights at all. 

Linyanti bound

On our drive in, after Savuti, we decided to take the most direct road to Linyanti as we were keen to set up camp. Looking at the short distance, we didn’t expect it to take too long. Anybody who has self-driven around these parts knows that was a mistake! We should have checked the travel time on Tracks4Africa. 

Us not having done our research gave the 200 series Land Cruiser the workout of its life. Low range and the revs through the roof until three hours later, we arrived at Linyanti. What we thought would be an hour’s drive took this long because we ended up taking what must the worst road in Botswana. Sand like you would find on a beach, stretching in patches of a few kilometres at a time. We were extremely lucky that we didn’t get stuck and we made sure to take mental notes for next time we were back in Chobe.

After our tense drive up, we were relieved to arrive before dark and couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised by our campsite. It is one of the most incredible campsites we have ever stayed at. The views overlooking the floodplain onto what was Namibia’s Caprivi strip on the other side were incredible! 

We decided to spend our full day at Linyanti catching up on laundry, giving the car a much needed clean and just enjoying the campsite and surroundings. It clearly wasn’t just us who loved this setting so much. At Linyanti we were visited by lions (both nights), a leopard, many hippos and elephants. And, of course, a troop of baboons, who found themselves a comfortable spot above us in the trees. 

Excited for Savuti’s sightings

We were sad to leave Linyanti – it really is situated in a unique piece of paradise – but we will be sure to return soon. To make our goodbye easier, we had the much-anticipated Savuti area waiting for us. As mentioned earlier, it’s a relatively short distance from Linyanti to Savuti. But this time we took the other, slightly longer route via Ghoha Gate to ensure we would arrive that same day. 

We pulled into a very full Savuti campsite and found our campsite. Our home for the next two nights was at campsite 10, a nice flat piece of land with a braai stand and grid. Since it was nice and warm on both our days in the area, we were up at the crack of dawn for our daily morning drives. This would give us the best chance of seeing some exciting things. We were optimistic about the chance of seeing a female leopard with two cubs that had been seen for a few days in a row around the campsites. Just the morning before our arrival, she had made a kill and hoisted it up a tree right next to reception! 

This optimism unfortunately didn’t go our way as, yet again, we were not very lucky on the cat front. However, the abundance of general game in the area was spectacular. Around almost every corner there was something to pay full attention to. Along with the surrounding landscapes, it made for great photographic opportunities.

Taking stock

From our experience, Savuti wasn’t as wild as the other campsites we had stayed at in Chobe and Moremi. But the facilities were among the best, with great ablution blocks and a small shop selling necessities. Any time spent in the bushveld is special and, as far as special goes, Botswana is top of the list. We had an awesome two-and-a-bit weeks exploring what the Botswana wilderness has to offer. Savuti was the perfect way to draw it all to a near close. The main positive about not coming across the infamous Marsh pride is that we will have to return soon.

The Bundu Grand Tour was about a handful of things for Callum and me. Being avid bush lovers, it was obviously about time away from distractions and just being off the grid. Not only was it a chance to reset in the best way imaginable, but the abundant wildlife offered opportunities for special sightings. But beyond this, it was about making memories that would last a lifetime, embracing every challenge, roadblock, braai, sunset, view… Coming back from this trip we both felt a real, deep sense of appreciation for this planet we live on and its natural beauty.