We planned to go to 3 different camps and Setari was the first of them. Setari opened last year and is located on an island near the start of the Okavango Delta (technically NG/24 Okavango Jakotsha Community Tust) where there is a permanent water all year round. This year the water levels are the lowest anyone has ever seen due to insufficient rainfall during the rainfall months of November-February. We heard that the annual rainfall is normally 800mm; this year it was only 100mm. Many areas of the delta that never used to dry out have completely dried out this year and only the main channels contain water. The beef industry has suffered loses because the drought has affected many herds. Our guide, Lenny, was the first to point this out to us. Setari camp has had to stop using the channel leading to the main entrance of the camp as the water level is too low. Instead we arrive by the back entrance, usually used for receiving supplies and such.
We take the flight from Cape Town to Maun, Botswana. It’s a tiny airport that is the main jump off place for all of the little planes that service all the camps. These safari camps are growing in popularity and more and more are being built each year. We land and pass our luggage go the airline rep. Going though security I get subjected to further inspection because something in my carryon is suspicious. They take my passport and record my information in a big book. I’m not sure what this information is used for but hope that they allow me to leave the country.
We’re only allowed to carry on 40 Kilos including carryon for the small planes that carry us to the camps, but I know I’m over that limit. Fortunately they don’t seem to care. There aren’t any scales around. We’re directed to walk over to the plane at the far end of the tarmac where our Mack airline plane is standing with all the other ones. Our pilot is a young woman, Fifi, who’s been at this for about 4 years, working towards getting her commercial pilot license. The plane is a Cessna Grand Caravan which seats about 12 people. I can’t get the seatbelt tightened around my lap as its stretched out as far as possible doesn’t seem to want to adjust anymore. We sit in the front seats right behind the pilot and co-pilot seats and strap in using those near useless belts while our luggage is stowed under in compartments.
When we take off it’s interesting how sensitive the plane is for steering. There is some zig zagging as we taxi down the runway but the plane takes off without a hitch. In the flight instruction, the pilot indicates that it will be a bumpy ride because of the heat. She wasn’t kidding. There was lots of air turbulence and in such a small craft, you can really feel when the plane hits one of those pockets of warm air making it fall so that your stomach has to catch up with you. I look out the window trying to find animals but I’m unsuccessful. Judith was able to see a couple of elephants and a giraffe out of her window.
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Our pilot Fifi. She stayed overnight at Setari.
She flew out the next morning with some of the
Setari guests that were going to their next destination, |
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| Our plane. |
These small planes fly to the various airstrips to bring tourists and fresh produce to the camps. Some of the camps share the airstrip; some have a dedicated airstrip. These are all built and serviced by the camp owners; there isn’t really any other route to camp unless you’re willing to spend several hours or maybe days getting there. The airstrips are made of hard packed clay based dirt and aren’t really smooth. The camps each have a fleet of Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles one of which usually goes out to the airstrip before the plane lands to make sure there are no animals on the runway and stays to ensure the plane subsequently takes off safely. The pilot always circles the airstrip to make sure it’s safe to land. It’s a quick stop to land, taxi to the spot where passengers are dropped off or picked up, off load and/or store baggage, taxi back over to the end of the airstrip and take off again.
The planes make several stops during their flight path to drop off or take on new passengers. It’s sort of like a commuter bus for camps. The camps are usually small, maybe eight to twelve cabins in size and tourists spend about 2 to 4 days at a camp before moving to the next one. Each camp has different experiences as they have different terrain or have different animals within their areas. Some camps are located in national parks; other are located in private reserves. Most of the people we met were like us, going to three different camps.
At Maun airport we decide to grab a snack. Given Judith’s need for salt we get some fries to share. Surprisingly they were among the best fries I’ve ever had despite taking so long to come. . From Maun airport, we were the third stop and last stop on our flight. Up, down, up, down, up and finally down. I like flying and being able to see the instrument panel was fascinating even though I didn’t understand 99% of that screen. There is a significant amount of pre-flight and post flight checks that need to be done in the little craft we were in.
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| The plate of exceptional fries at the Maun Airport. |
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| My bag and fresh vegetables supplies being unloaded. |
At the Setari airstrip, we were greeted by our guide Lenny and some other staff from the camp. We walked over to the river where our luggage was loaded onto our water craft and we were off. The boat was a single level flat bottom aluminium craft with about a 40 horsepower engine and had a canvas shade cover that provided some relief from the hot sun. We learned that Setari camp was about 45 minutes away. It was great fun zipping along the narrow channels of the delta. On our way we see our first two elephants by the river. Although they weren’t that big, it didn’t seem that way when you’re in a small boat about 20 feet away.
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| Roaring upstream. |
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| Our first elephant! She wasn’t very friendly. |
We arrived too late to join in the afternoon trip which started at 4:00. We got an introduction to the camp from the managers Lean (LEE-An) and his spouse Elmarie who showed us our room. The accommodation at Setari camp looked great. This isn’t a shabby place. Sure the rooms are fabric and they refer to them as tents, but you’d be hard pressed to think that. You get to the rooms via a raised boardwalk which is at least 6 feet high which serves two purposes: first, the camp can flood during the rainy season and two, you’re safe from the critters such as hippos.
Here are our room pictures.
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| The managers Elmarie and Lean |
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| The raised walkway to our tent. It was a long walk |
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| The font of our tent. We overlooked a floodplain. |
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| Vanna opening the door to the tent. |
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The main room. It had already been turned down for the night.
The mosquito netting is set as part of the turn down.
Unfortunately the mosquito coil was also part of the procedure. |
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| Looking back towards the front door. |
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Sink area on the other side of the headboard wall.
I found it odd to hear water noises coming from the headboard. |
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| Tub and toilet. The indoor shower is on the other side of the room. |
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The view from the outdoor shower.
It felt like I should have sunscreen on when using this. |
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| The swimming pool |
The camp is all water based so everywhere we went involved getting into the small boat and motoring someplace. There’s only Judith and I in our boat for most or our excursions. All meals are community based where the entire camp gets together with the guides for breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner. It’s an open bar so everyone helps themselves to whatever they want. A typical day at Setari involves waking up at 7:30 to go for breakfast at 8:00. There is a selection of cereals, fruits, bread, muffins and you can order eggs or an omelette. It’s buffet style, so you fill your plate and find a seat at the long meal table and have conversations with the people around you. At 8:30 there’s a quick run to the bathrooms to get into the van to take you to the river boats. Get onto the the boat find a seat and get yourself ready to cruise the waterways searching for wildlife and enjoying the cruise.
Our guide was great. It was easy to take pictures from the boat as the river was smooth and flat. They are lined with papyrus plants – the same type that Egyptians used to make paper. Nowadays they are used for making sleeping mats. There are tall grasses, morning glories and many water lilies, The temperature is pleasant. The water in the rivers have a cooling effect and I didn’t feel that its too hot. The camp has no central air or heating so you get whatever Mother Nature dishes out.
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| Lenny at the helm |
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The different boats docked together.
Ours didn’t have a viewing platform which would have allowed us to see over the tall plants at the river edges. |
The morning excursion lasts for about 2.5 hours and you come back for lunch at 11:30. It’s all western based foods so you don’t get a chance to try any indigenous items. There’s a break after lunch that you’re on your own so you can use the pool, have a nap, use the common area lounges or retire to your tent. I always went back to the room and had a nice long nap; it just seemed like the right thing to nap the heat of the day away. There were baboons that would hang around the tents. They weren’t habituated yet, so there wasn’t any issues with them taking things as they were pretty skittish around people. There was one amusing instance where the youngsters were hanging off the mesh window and looking in at Judith and I. One had his hand shielding his eyes from the sun so he could see in better. It was such a human like action.
Around 4:00 we would gather again for high tea. Usually a snack with drinks, fruit or other light snacks. Then off to the boats again for a sunset cruise and check out more wildlife. After a couple of hours or so, we’re back for a community dinner at 7:00. Everything is included in the meal plan, including wine. The dinner menu is announced just before each meal and we all shuffle past the buffet table to pick from the selections available. It’s usually beef as the main course. There’s always vegetables so Judith never leaves hungry.
Then we finish and we’re back to our rooms to start the day again. Most people stay for 2 nights in the water based camps.
Here are some of the pictures from our two night stay.
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| One of the camp’s lounging areas |
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| African fish eagle |
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| African Openbill Stork |
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| Common Moorhen |
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| African Jacana |
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| Malachite Kingfisher |
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| Great Egret |
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| Capped Wheatear |
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| A hippo jaw bone. |
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| One of the other boats from Safari. This one had an upper deck. |
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| Grasses lining the river bank. |
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| Another female elephant. |
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| Red Lechwe |
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| Mokoro boat being pushed through the reeds. |
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A mokoro.
These boats used to be made of wood but are now fibreglass.
The government required this change to preserve the trees in the area.
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Our Mokoro driver is from the nearby village and we ask for a tour.
On the tour we come across a house where pop cans have been used.
They are inserted into the walls and then covered with cement. |
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The village is using tourism to help them improve their income.
They sell woven bowls and dishes made from grass.
They also performed a dance which might have been better without the matching cupcake t-shirts. |
