Luxury Travel Advisor Marge Yoder departed the bush in Botswana with the memory of a lifetime, an intimate encounter with 22 members of the Marsh Lion Pride in Chobe National Park. Learn why Marge no longer considers an African safari just a “trip of a lifetime.”
Botswana offers a fairly diverse desert landscape to experience an ark full of animals in the wild from the waters of the Okavango Delta to the salt pans of the Kalahari Desert and the grasslands of Chobe National Park.
Chobe National Park is one of the best areas in Africa to see the “Big 5” and is known for its incredible population of elephants. Just over a two-hour drive from Victoria Falls, the park is a perfect choice for first-timers or seasoned safari-goers looking for a new adventure.
Satuve Elephant Lodge, a Belmond Safari Lodge, is a tented oasis beside the Savute Channel, an ideal base to explore the Chobe National Park. With only 12 luxurious tented rooms, the lodges’ surroundings are peaceful and serene with an occasional roar of a lion, chatter of monkeys or trumpeting of elephants.
The primary activities at Satuve include twice daily big game drives at sunrise and sunset. No two game drives are ever the same, and experienced guides open a showcase of wildlife viewings every time.
The drive usually begins and ends with Impala sightings; you’ll never tire of seeing the interplay of these beautiful creatures. In between, you will certainly see giraffe, zebra, warthogs, monkeys, and baboons.
Coming across a den of hyenas, a herd of wildebeest or a pride of lion is very special. Be prepared! Onboard the vehicle, the cameras go wild trying to capture it all. If you’re lucky enough to catch a sighting of wild dogs, a leopard or a cheetah, it’s a truly special day!
At the end of the day, there is nothing as breathtaking as an African sunset. Stop for a Sundowner and sip your favorite beverage as the sky becomes a brilliant blaze of orange. Then it's back to the lodge for a superb meal prepared and served in an elegant but casual style. Having dinner and reflecting on the day's adventures is the perfect cap to an amazing day.
On the day Marge’s group came across the Marsh Lion Pride, her guide had spotted the pride earlier, but delayed the group’s visit until late morning. Lions are lazy and will sleep during the day and hunt at night. The pride was laying in the open field grass, but as the day warmed, they moved to the woods for shade and water.
When Marge arrived, she counted 22 of the 44 lions in the pride. They came right up to the vehicles for shade and then slowly, one by one, began the trek into the woods. After an experience like this, Marge is convinced an African safari won’t be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for her – or any of her clients!
