Traversing the pristine countryside
Including ‘ overseas’, the notable Mohembo/ Okavango
Over the years I have travelled, from Cape Town to Rome and Frankfurt, to many areas in between. But funny enough, I knew many places outside of Botswana but few locally. Someone once asked me, “Why do you always go outside the country but have travelled little within Botswana?” Well, it is because we always assume that the whole country is the same like Molepolole, Mankgodi, Kanye, Mochudi etc and all the areas we all know down here south.
The Covid- 19 restrictions put a damp on any ambitions I had to travel. We were forced to travel local, and there are many amazing places such as Moremi, Mokolodi etc that are affordable and interesting. Once or twice I have had a chance to visit local tourism areas in Maun, Kasane and Xhanoga, which are home to some of the most biggest attraction sites, and this planted within me a desire to see more of remote Botswana.
Southern Botswana:
My local travel started off in Kgalagadi, in Gantsi and further down to Tsabong. Gantsi is ‘ around the corner’ - a distance of about four hours. But goodness, it is hot! A bit of a distance from Jwaneng, I felt the temperature change and it started getting very hot. Despite only enjoying my dirty 30s, I felt like a premenopausal woman battling hot flushes as I fanned and wiped myself endlessly. I slowly peeled off the layers of clothes I had on until I was left with a tank top.
The heat is what turned me off the Kgalagadi area because it’s so humid, hot and sticky. I recall I walked a distance of roughly 500m and felt like I had just taken a trek across a desert. I thought, what on earth did I just experience? The people are friendly and welcoming and I found them to be kind souls. The people of Kgalagadi are my ‘ cousins’ in that my roots are embedded in the Basarwa and
Bakgaladi. As someone with a mixed heritage of Bahurutshe, Bakwena and Barolong, I always also acknowledge the San and Kgalagadi because their ancestral lineage runs alongside ours. They are also quite friendly and polite. The best place to sleep is Kalahari Arms Hotel because it is in the centre of town and close to amenities. Tsabong, on the other hand, has many guest houses and lodges to choose from. I packed a swimming costume because I love water and to cool myself from the extreme heat and it worked like a charm. I found the Kgalagadi to be an ‘ anti- climax’ area because it was not as exciting as I imagined. It’s very rural and quiet, and if you enjoy farming, eco- tourism and conservation, the outskirts settlements and villages are a better place to visit.
The Kgalagadi area is developing at a fast rate, maybe largely because of the Kalahari TransFrontier. The roads are better and so are the facilities improved. There is a new mine opening on the outskirts of Gantsi soon, bringing with it great excitement of the local economy growing. Solar usage is taking precedence and the locals are developing local economies based on tourism, transport, retail and farming sectors. It is slow placed and quiet but people survive.
North- West Botswana:
Whenever one mentions North West, most people think of Kasane and Maun. But there is also Chobe and Okavango/ Mohembo. When one imagines the place, the vast Okavango Delta comes to mind, expensive lodges and pristine tourist areas. Interestingly, the villages around the area are quite undeveloped for a place that is home to the globally attractive tourist sites. Most Batswana cannot afford to travel to those areas out of leisure because it is quite expensive. The cheapest room in those fancy tourist areas goes for an average P800 - P1200 per night, with some even going over P15,000. Definitely, not for us who ball on a budget! The only way to visit those areas is to save or contribute with friends for a road trip.
It’s easier to fly to Maun or take the bus. Further above is Mohembo, which has many villages such as Kauxwi, Tobera, Xakao, Sekondomboro, Ngarange, Mogotho, Mokgacha, Seronga and Gunotsoga, among others.
If you are going further into the Okavango, it’s best to fly to Maun to avoid exhaustion. From Maun to Mohembo, Seronga and Eretsha there is no transport so you have to hire an off- road 4 by 4 vehicle, SUV preferably since it is tar road from Maun to Mohembo; from there, the road is gravel for about 400- 600kms, which can take up to 2- 3 hours. The gravel is a marvel of sights: The long stretches of trees, river beds, cattle, donkeys and wild animals such as elephants, lions and buffaloes, among others. The hope here is that you don’t have any encounter with elephants or rain because once it rains the road is not used as it would be muddy and deep with high chances of getting stuck. Now imagine being stuck there and a herd of elephants or pride of lion come by. It’s a chilling thought! When you drive from Maun to Gumare, you might think that it is nothing but once you get on that stretch, you realise that it is quite a distance! It takes roughly 6- 7 hours from Maun to Mohembo/ Okavango because the road has many animals. Seronga is quite remote but it’s better. They mostly use solar.
KP Kavindama hospital is a multimillion state of the art hospital along the road that leads to Shakawe.
Despite being a highly organised and economic robust rural area, there is still a lot of poverty in Shakawe.
The area has many camps such as Krokavango, Riverside etc. The stretch is long so one needs a good playlist - some thing upbeat like Splash, Stimela and/ or Abba would do. It is also good to drive slowly because the road is thin - a belt of a road. The state of the roads is bad. I used to think the roads from Francistown going up to Kazungula are terrible but the ones towards Okavango take the trophy. From ‘ skopelo’ as Gumare is commonly known, it is a long drive and it’s not for the fainthearted.
Further up is Eretsha, a largely farming community. There are many
community conservancies around the area because of the challenge of human- wildlife conflict. While it’s a wonderful place to stay - for an urban slicker such as myself it was a mission because the thought of being attacked by an elephant or lion unnerved me. Could I outrun an animal? I can’t even sprint for 200m because well, over the years, I have lost gravity!
Most understandably, the people in the area are physically fit and lithe. It’s largely because they walk, toil the soil and eat a healthy diet comprised of mostly sorghum and morogo. The favourite delicacy and treat is fish. The people up there cook the best bream with minimal oil and a bit of salt; I found myself eating it daily!
I was struck by how the water is yellow and unfiltered and was worried it would make me sick, and I expected a bout of diarrhea but if anything it felt like it boosted my immune system as I was energised. I’m actually convinced that water has
healing properties because I felt clarity and cleansed after I consumed it.
The routine is simple and easygoing. I found myself happily running with dogs and going into the cattle bomas with ease. It is good for the health to visit remote areas where the flora and fauna is still balanced and in its pristine state and one regularly breath in fresh air and experience simplicity, unlike in urban areas.
The really amazing thing about the Okavango/ Mohembo area is that it lies at the belly of the Okavango Delta. There is green vegetation, many river bodies and long stretches of shrubbery and sceneries that are breathtaking and calming.
My naughty self could not help think of how the area is so serene that it makes one feel amorous; imagine making love on the river beds of the Okavango river streams, straight under the watch of the skies around shrubberies and wildlife in the periphery. Magical!