We were particularly keen on experiencing the Moremi Game Reserve: contrary to a Chobe River safari, here you have to work hard for sightings of the animals camouflaged in their natural surroundings. Unless you’re talking about rhinos or elephants, that is…
Browsing: Nature
The Linyanti region lies north of the Okavango Delta. Its extensive rolling grasslands or savannas are what makes this another distinctive part of Botswana’s geography. Let’s get out of the plane and on the ground!
Who doesn’t know them, the glamorous Big Five of African wildlife: the lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhinoceros? Unbeknownst to many (including me, before I went on this safari), a few “ugly ducklings” carve out an existence in their shadow. Humorously called the “Ugly Five”, just what are the creatures that make it onto that ignominious list?
The Okavango Delta is a one of a kind, must-see phenomenon for anyone traveling to Botswana. Being the largest inland river delta also means it has one of Africa’s highest concentrations of wildlife! It’s enough to make any safari lover’s heart beat faster. Ours included, to be sure!
During our stay at Ngoma Safari Lodge, wild dogs, jackals, and lions all showed us their fangs. And then, Peter, the lodge manager, invited us on a walking safari along the Chobe River. To be sure, with a rifle slung over his shoulder in lieu of us riding safely in a jeep… so what could possibly go wrong?
Botswana’s Chobe National Park, which takes its name from the river flowing through it, shelters one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. The largest remaining population of elephants on earth survives here. For us it was reason enough to mount our telephoto lens and start stalking the huge beasts — eye to eye, so to speak!
The Zambezi River plummets thundering a hundred meters straight down to make Victoria Falls. But before we get more into it, let’s take a little cruise on the river into the sunset. And they just happen to have a cruise for that here… aptly called, what else, the Sunset Cruise.
It so happened that during our South America travels we had missed out on the Iguazu waterfalls in Argentina. There’s just no way you can be everywhere all the time. So, for our African safari in Botswana I insisted all the more on including Victoria Falls in the itinerary. Just so we could get sopping wet — in brilliant sunshine!
Things are happening with the Relais & Châteaux hotel and restaurant association! Eager to highlight the uniqueness of the various Relais & Châteaux houses in Switzerland and create a better understanding of the passion and personal touch their maîtres de maison and chefs bring to these establishments and regions, we were invited to the venerable Mammertsberg in eastern Switzerland. What a treat!
There’s fierce rivalry between the TBs (tramping boots) and the SBs (ski boots) in my life. The cousins have always competed for my affections and the honour of being chosen for the outdoor pursuit of the day.
Justine Tyerman upsets her old tramping mates… again! My TBs (tramping boots) had a hissy fit – literally – at the prospect of being shackled to a pair of rectangular trays with spiked bottoms. It was not a pretty sight, steam pouring from their mouths, laces in disarray, hooks glowing red hot and lots of theatrical sole-stamping.
On Chäserrugg, the easternmost of the seven peaks that make up the Churfirsten range, since very recently shines the newest structure by Basel star architects Herzog & De Meuron: a mountain restaurant of colossal but elegant dimensions! We took its measure.