HELP! There’s a lion sniffing my tent
13 turns out to be a lucky number for Sally Loudon on a trip to Botswana’s Okavango Delta
We flew from Lanseria Airport into Santawani in a small plane. It was a beautiful camp, where we could walk around with a game ranger and were astonished to see a lioness scampering away from us into the reeds. Then we went on to Savuti South on the banks of the Boteti River, which was bone dry. Driving to the camp from the airstrip, I wondered what animals could survive in this desert environment. We saw black-backed jackals and lilac-breasted rollers but little else.
My tent was the first in line, near the dining area, far away from the game ranger. There was a stone birdbath just outside. Retiring early, I missed the leopard coming to drink but my encounter with the lions later was far more dramatic.
I had zipped up my tent as directed but was woken by lapping sounds. I got up and peered out at 13 lionesses and cubs sprawled around within spitting distance. I was terrified. I went back to my bed and then thought, “No, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I need to look again,” which I did until one lioness ambled towards the tent and started sniffing at the tent flap.
The first person I saw in the morning was using a rake to remove all traces of lion prints. I said “iBhubesi” (“lion” in Zulu), and he responded, “Yes, many lions.” Although this was at the end of July, it was hot as hell and we were looking forward to a dip in the pool at Kwai River Lodge.
The pool was empty, much to our dismay, but on our game drive we came upon this inviting pond. The game ranger warned us that there might be crocodiles but we stripped and waded in heedless. He didn’t join us.
The game, of course, was prolific. We watched a lion hunt, which ended in far too many cats sharing one warthog. There was an elephant in the camp at Savuti, shucking pods off my tent roof whilst I snoozed inside.
The Okavango has to be on your bucket list. I went with Wilderness Safaris 30 years ago. Do yourself a favour and save like mad. You won’t regret it.
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