We continued the Botswana safari portion of the Goldring Travel 2025 Culinary & Cultural Journey, flying from the Sanctuary’s Chilwero Lodge in Chobe National Park to Sanctuary’s Chief’s Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve.
It was a one-hour flight with one quick stop and then a 20-minute drive through the sand and brush to the lodge. This continued our all-inclusive experience in an absolutely beautiful lodge with a very active watering hole and impeccable service. While Chilwero was very good, the service level just doesn’t compare to that at Chief’s Camp. That is said as a compliment.
Each separate lodge had everything you might desire from an oversized bed to a soaking tub, indoor and outdoor showers, a private plunge pool, a huge deck, and views literally for miles with great wildlife viewing. As one of my guests (OK, it was my girlfriend) said, “This is what I expected from Goldring Travel.” Geez! Of course, that was followed by, “I’m never leaving!”
Chief’s Camp doesn’t have an electrified fence around it, as Chilwero did, so animals are free to roam and over the course of our three nights there they did roam. From elephants trumpeting to impalas walking right past our front door, to baboons (and that is a story for later!).
After a late lunch, it was time for our late afternoon game drive. (I arranged for as many game drives as possible for as long as possible.) The Land Cruiser for this part of the safari was beefed-up because we would be off-roading. It was perfect for my six guests. I, however, sat with the guide in the front, in the sun, being battered with insects, grasses, and brush. It was perfect!
We came across large herds of Cape Buffalo and Burchell Zebra, some Waddled Crane, Fish Eagles, Marabou Storks, and, of course, Elephants.
A small den of lions was found, so we spent some time watching them laze in the grass and surrounding brush. It was cute watching the cubs slowly stalk their way out of the brush.
It was then time for our sundowner, beautifully presented on the front of our Land Cruiser; complete with a menu. Why, yes, I will have a gin & tonic. (Okavango Gin is quite good.)
After dinner and some time sitting by the communal firepit, it was time for bed.
In the morning, the first thing we sighted was a Go Away Bird (known for its call sounding like that), but we were not going away…not a chance.
One of the other vehicles (there are only a maximum of three at Chief’s Camp) radioed that a young leopard was sighted, and we were off! And there it was, looking sleek and powerful in the beautiful early morning light. It almost seemed like it was just showing off with different poses. Eventually, it came out of the tree, wandered nearby, and then disappeared into the brush. Breathtaking!
I have to admit that just below the leopard was a Bateleur Eagle, one of my favorite birds, so my concentration was split between the two.
We then drove to a more savannah-like area filled with Zebra, Wildebeest, Tsessebe (a new-to-me species of antelope that looks very similar to Topi found in East Africa), and South African Giraffe.
And, of interest to me, a Little Bee Eater; a beautiful little bird.
Lunch was “Make Your Own Pizza”, which to me seemed so out of place, but everyone enjoyed it. (There was also a nice lunch menu for anyone who didn’t want to partake…but everyone did.) Not bad for Bush Pizza, I have to admit!
During our siesta, a herd of elephants visited the camp’s watering hole. There was a baby elephant just figuring out how to use its trunk and sucking on it like a human child sucks on its thumb. Adorable!
Our afternoon game drive started out with a heard of Cape Buffalo, Saddlebilled Storks (another favorite of mine), and among other things, another sundowner.
There were a ton of Zazu (from Lion King) also known as the Southern Red-billed Hornbill hopping around and flying into the trees. Love them too.
After the “requisite” rainbow over the savannah and a baboon sitting atop a termite mound,
it was time to revisit the leopard, now with amazing sunset lighting causing it glow red. Amazing!
As we drove back to camp, the landscape really came to the fore. Botswana is not just about the animals, but the landscapes. Some backlit giraffe added a bit of African savannah romance.
Our last morning game drive took us deep into the savannah, to areas that are rarely visited and impossible to get to once the flood waters arrive from Angola. Why were we there? Our guide, Chief, was on a mission to find Wild Dogs, as he had seen some footprints. While we didn’t find them, and we did see some Red Lechwe, the scenery was breathtaking, and I felt fortunate to have experienced such unspoiled beauty.
Our final game drive had a surprise waiting for Goldring Travel’s guests. But first, we revisited the lions we had previously seen and a big bull elephant before heading off to a spectacular location for the Goldring Travel Ultimate Sundowner!
I wish the photographs could have captured the hundreds of egrets and ibis roosting in the trees and flying overhead, the hippopotamus grunting as if on cue, and the richness of the sunset. It was definitely one of those moments that lives on in your memory, but if you weren’t there, you just can’t comprehend the richness of the moment.
I felt it was more important to end on a high note than force in a short, early morning, game drive while also allowing everyone to rest a bit and enjoy Chief’s Camp before our flights back to civilization. So, it was a late night of enjoying some of the staff seranading us, and a bit too much South African Chenin Blanc in front of the communal firepit.
That lazy sleep-in would have been perfect. However, the baboons had a different plan.
About 6:00 a.m. it sounded like a stampede overhead, followed by lots of baboon screaming. Up and down my roof, fighting on my porch table, drinking from my plunge pool, jumping down to the ground climbing back up- it was total but enjoyable chaos. I was waiting for them to break in through the outdoor shower, which didn’t happen. It was a very memorable sendoff, for sure.
After a final mimosa and viewing of the water hole, it was time to head to the airstrip, first to scare off all the impala so the planes could land safely, and then onto that little 12-seater propellor plane to Maun, Botswana and, after a short layover, our flight to Cape Town, South Africa for our final night before a full day tour of Cape Town before heading to the Silversea Silver Wind.
Goldring Travel arranged a stay at the One & Only Cape Town with Table Top Mountain View rooms for everyone.
One night in these fantastic rooms just wasn’t enough, especially since we needed to be ready for our 8:00 a.m. start. All of the luggage I had arranged to be picked up in Johannesburg and delivered to the One & Only greeted us and was delivered to everyone’s rooms with their safari bags, without my guests needing to lift a finger.
I did make the most of the hotel, having a delicious and fun evening at Nobu as a guest of one of my favorite clients along with my girlfriend. Lots of food, including Springbok, and sake!
Our tour of Cape Town focused on getting an understanding of what Cape Town outside of the city has to offer.
We visited the Cape of Good Hope, the African penguins, saw an Ostrich, Eland, and more.
But in true Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Journey fashion, our tour and safari ended with a delicious luncheon and a fun wine tasting of South African sparkling wine, Chenin Blanc, a Bordeaux-ish blend, and a dessert Chenin Blanc. Each guest also chose a wonderful lunch of their choosing, from creative salads to tripe and trotters (you know that was my choice!).
After lunch, it was off to the Silversea Silver Wind with our luggage meeting us right at check-in.
While the Botswan Safari and taste of Cape Town had come to an end, it was only the beginning of our Silversea Silver Wind’s 19 Day Sailing up the West Coast of Africa!
