Maun is the gateway town into what is perhaps the ultimate safari area; Botswana’s Okavango Delta. But only a couple of years ago the choice of accommodation in Maun was pretty dire. So why stay in Maun you might think? Well, firstly it is the only town for many miles, secondly after a long international flight and an internal flight from a major airport like Johannesburg, you may reach Maun at an inopportune time to take your final flip into the Okavango Delta. Or thirdly, you may just be so exhausted that you need a night or two to recover before flying into the Park on a 6 or 8-seater light aircraft and paying top Dollar prices while staying there.
In which case, I would recommend staying in Motsentsela Tree Lodge, or just ‘Tree Lodge’ as it is known. It is only 15km outside town on 200 hectares of mixed bushland, dotted with springbok and zebra and other non-threatening animals. You can wait a day or so before you come face to face with something capable of eating you in the Delta itself, by which time you will be awake and ready to witness the great beasts of Africa.
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This is no ordinary horse ride, oh no, novice horse riders need not apply, as experience and a high level of in-the-saddle competence is a pre-requisite for this adventure with African Horseback Safaris. You have to handle horses that are fit and raring-to-go, as well possible encounters with Okavango Delta big game like leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and wild dog. I was up for the challenge and riding fit and very excited about this trip.
It is my not-so-humble opinion, that the Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas. It offers one of the best all round safari experiences and being on a horse here, is for me, the pinnacle of safari experiences. The potential dangers of the African bush are far less fearsome on horseback than say walking, as the horses play their fair share in warning of hazards. After all they don’t really want to be eaten by a lion either.
GALLOP THROUGH THE FLOODPLAINS.
I was last seen galloping joyfully through the Okavango’s seasonal floodplains, joining in a zebra stampede and trying to keep up with suprisingly speedy giraffe. We never met any lions, who would probably run away from this wild-west cowboy spectacle anway.
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