Waterskiing in the bundu

The Strauss family lives in Francistown and the wilderness is their playground (also see page 44). These photos made us take a second look when they first appeared on Instagram…

The Strauss children, Adriaan (16) and Krista (14), always take their GoPro along on their adventures. Over the Easter weekend in 2017, the family drove the Hunter’s Road – an old track north of Francistown once used by big game hunters, which roughly follows the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Richardt Strauss, Adriaan and Krista’s father, explains: “We knew there would be lots of water after late-summer rains, so we took an inflatable boat and waterskis along. We figured if the water was too deep to drive through, it would be perfect for a boat!

“We hacked our way through dense bush and eventually reached a pan that was full of water. We set up camp right there, and skied and played on the water for the rest of the weekend and never got around to driving the rest of the route.

“As residents of Botswana, we have access to most conservation trust areas, like concessions and forest reserves. We’re also allowed to camp in these areas, whereas South Africans and other foreign visitors may only travel through with a guide.

“That said, we always make sure that an area is safe before we visit. We planned to drive the Hunter’s Road again in May 2017, until we heard that the Botswana army was busy tracking down poachers.

“Hunter’s Road is a remote and spectacular route and it always draws us back. Is there anything better than spending time together around a leadwood fire?”