Words – Tessa Buhrmann
Pics – andBeyond & Tessa Buhrmann
A branch snaps. My husband stirs. In the moonlight, they move like grey ghosts — elephants, just ten metres from our tent. We sit up in bed, silent and spellbound, with only the flysheet between us and the wild. It lasted only moments, but it’s etched in memory forever.
This is our first time sleeping under canvas in the vast wilderness of Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for years, though as someone who prefers crisp linen to sleeping bags, I hadn’t imagined it would be possible, until I discover andBeyond’s luxurious mobile camping experience: Chobe Under Canvas.
Recent rains have coaxed new life from the parched bush. Kudus browse just metres from our vehicle, uncharacteristically relaxed. A yellow-billed kite drinks from a puddle in the road; a water monitor sniffs the air near a flock of alarmed lapwings. We watch buffalo raise dust as they cross the road in front of us, and lionesses lie stretched out in the heat. It’s midday, and we’re ready to head to camp.
The secluded, semi-permanent camp lies hidden among tall Zambezi teak and other indigenous trees. Rounding the bend, we’re greeted by the rich harmonies of the camp team, chilled lemon-scented cloths, and icy drinks. Any doubts I have about camping melt away the moment I step into our tent. Our tent is spacious, the crisp white linen on our queen-size bed is inviting, behind it is an ensuite bathroom, complete the beautiful amenities, a bucket shower – with hot water available on request, and a separate flush loo! There’s even a washbasin and mirror, luxury in the heart of the bush.
A well-worn game trail winds between the tents to the main guest area where a generous gazebo set beneath the trees. It’s where meals are served, and stories are shared. Later that afternoon, we gather our cameras, hats, and binoculars and head out on a game drive.
We follow the sandy track running parallel to the Chobe River, with riverine forest on one side and vast floodplains on the other. Birdlife is prolific; White-crowned Lapwings, Red-billed Teal, a Grey Heron and Little Egrets. We make our way through open grasslands where herds of impala graze, Red-billed Oxpeckers feast and a Kori Bustard, Botswana’s national bird, struts through the open veld.
What could be better than pre-dinner drinks around a crackling fire in the wilds of the African bush? I sigh contentedly… savouring the sounds of the bush and the gentle evening breeze.
I awake the next morning to a symphony of sounds… the high-pitched chorus of cicadas joined by the ‘work harder, work harder’ of the Cape Turtle Dove, the cackling chatter of Green Wood Hoopoes and the shrill whistle of a Pearl Spotted Owlet. I unzip the flysheet and emerge into the soft morning light; bees buzz in a Kalahari apple leaf tree and crinum lilies bloom nearby. A Red-billed Spurfowl calls, and an Africa Grey Hornbill squawks from a branch above.
With the sun peeking through the still bare branches of the mahogany trees we head to the gazebo for coffee and breakfast, before setting off on another game drive. We see lion tracks, then lion and buffalo tracks, both heading into the thicket. Was there was action during the night, we wonder?
We follow their tracks into the bush, scanning the undergrowth. No kill, but two lionesses are dozing beside the track. One slumbers; the other watches us closely. A Lilac-breasted Roller takes flight, a rainbow of colours against the African sky and a Coppery-tailed Coucal suns itself in the soft morning light.
Then, just as we think it’s time to head back, a herd of elephants emerges and strides purposefully to the river. We sit silently, hearts full, as they pass, unhurried, majestic, and utterly wild.
