Senyati Safari Camp

By Elise.

It's afternoon and we arrive in Kasane in a mini bus, slightly larger than a kombi but much smaller than the coaches that have been our main mode of transport. We have way too many bags with us, and not enough hours sleep. There are warthogs lying on the side of the road. Insert joke about Pumba doing it rough once that Lion King money ran out, or became famous, moved to the city and ended up pulling tricks on the street. We finally find a taxi (there were tears from a very tired Elise) and head towards the campsite.

On the main road out of town we pass a large, lone elephant and two more further on. It seems elephants will not be hard to spot here. Chobe National Park, and the bordering town of Kasane, is known for having the largest elephant population in Southern Africa. Hence, the reason we are here. Due to Botswana's long stance against poaching the elephants are reasonably unafraid of people and will even walk into the middle of town looking for water.

Our taxi driver is not very good at driving. Allegedly, he knows where he is going, however, he tries to take us on the 4WD access road (in his Toyata Carolla) and gets us bogged immediately. He tries to rev his way onwards, then tries to rev his way backwards. In the end he and Zach have to get out and push while I reverse us back onto the main road. Turns out there is another road, he was just trying to avoid driving the extra couple of kilometres. On the way into camp we pass a troop of baboons, and arrive at the campsite.

Senyati's main attraction is a man-made waterhole, strategically placed in front of a viewing platform. Upstairs there is a bar, tables and seats facing the action. Down stairs is more seating, and couches. There is a dugout right in front of the watering hole, accessible down a ladder, through a long a dark corridor, then into a small metal box with little windows a couple of metres from the waters edge. Reminiscent of a wartime bunker. The whole set up is focused on the show, and the show being elephants. Lots and lots of elephants.

When we arrive there are three elephants drinking and playing in the watering hole. We are a bit shocked that people at the site are acting super casual and barely taking notice. Three large elephants, maybe 20 meters away, and only one guy has bothered to get his camera out. There are giraffes in the background, and the occasional baboon. After we have set up our tent, and washed away the days travels, we plonk ourselves down on the couch, with wine and chocolate and wait for the show.

Switching between the couch and the dugout it isn't long before a small family of four elephants approach from the east. There is a little baby among them. We find out later that the tusks of the elephants are removed by park staff to discourage poaching. They share access to the bubbler, a little fountain giving fresh water to the watering hole. The viewing platform is filling up with people for the nights show, but the elephants don't care less. Two male elephants come from the west and join the sunset bubble party. Sitting in the dugout we get nothing but views of elephant butts, so we relocate back to the couch.

The rest of the night is a continuous display of elephants casually joining the fun, with the occasional male charging in and scattering the group. There are flood lights aimed at the waterhole, but elephants take no notice of the crowd watching them. It is enthralling to watch these beautiful creatures interact with each other, jostling for closer access to the hole, a large female scaring off a small male that is becoming a bit to rowdy. There are elephants waiting in the dark behind the hole, with some sort of pecking order is at play. There are some cheeky ones splashing about with little care in the world, and some behaving quite good and proper. A large owl sits on a near by tree stump, also watching the show. When the last elephant leaves, we decide to call it a night.

We set our alarm for sunrise to catch the morning and sit back on the couch. The morning is peaceful and antelope approach from the east. They are skittish, and keep their distance from the platform, with only a few brave souls coming to drink from the watering hole. There are various birdlife, such as the African hornbill, and some large colourful geese, taking a drink. The baboons are stretching in the background, with the scouts running around searching the area, picking through the elephant poo from the night before. After an hour or so the mothers and babies appear from the west and pass through this wildlife corridor we have on display. They attempt to enter the unfenced campsite, but the guards shoo them away. A lone male elephant rolls around in the mud, and we watch as a small family of warthogs is accosted by a male rival. The father of the family prevails, and the lone male wanders off.

Can you see the giraffes in the background? 

We were only able to spend one night at Senyati, as they don't have a restaurant or a proper kitchen, and were too far from the town of Kasane. But even with one night we saw maybe forty elephants, herds of various deer and antelope, a tower of giraffe (although in the background), so many baboons, a family of warthogs, and all sorts of bird life. It was a real life nature documentary.