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Let me start off by saying that there is no way that words can describe how bad this road really is. You simply have to experience it to understand. This is serious, 4x4 stuff. It is early January and the wet season is upon us. Not a good time to attempt this trip, but nonetheless Karen and I decide that we wanted to stop over at the legendary Savute campsite on our way to Chobe Marina Lodge at Kasane. Savute is after all the famous area where Lions have learned to hunt the majestic and powerful Elephant.
Sometimes in life too much information is not a good thing so although we have our trusty Shell Travel and Field Guide of Botswana which clearly outlines the perils of this route in the rain season we decide to go anyway.
I have a Tucson V6, 2.7lt, 4x4, which although a great vehicle for around town was never designed for ‘real’ off road travel. I also have standard road tyres, minimal recovery gear (a fold up spade) and we were traveling alone, not in convoy. In short we were breaking all the rules of the serious 4x4 fraternity. But what the hell, life is short and rules were made to be broken. Right?
We got back to Maun Airport
THE ROUTE
The route is North East, out of Maun to Shorobe on a tarred road, then onto dirt roads to Sankuyo Village through Mababe Village to Mababe Gate and into the Chobe National Park
MAUN TO SANKUYO VILLAGE
The 47km tarred road to Shrobe is uneventful and we make good time only having to keep an eye out for Cattle and Goats along the way.
The next 85km consists of gravel road to the Buffalo Fence Gate and then through Mopane veld and firm clayed soils to Sankuyo Village
We passed Sankuyo without incident. The road is sandy and winds through thick Mopane veld, it is more of a dirt track than a road, but firm and relatively easy to drive.
Approximately half way between Sankuyo and Mababe Village
There is a bracket over the prop shaft and this had been moved backward just enough to cause the knocking sound. I jacked up the car and tried unsuccessfully to bang it back with my hammer. This was not working. We needed a heavier hammer.
Karen and I settled down to wait until someone came along that could help. We unpacked our camping chairs and sat under a large shady tree. Karen then set about re-packing the entire vehicle even though it was sweltering hot.
About an hour later we heard a vehicle approaching and a Toyota Cruiser full of people drove up. It was a Saturday afternoon and clearly they were returning from a party as the men all seemed a little under the weather and the back of the cruiser was jam packed full of women and children.
The men immediately jumped out and asked what the problem was. Two minutes later they produced a four pound hammer and two hard knocks was enough to get the bracket back to where it belonged.
In the mean time Karen was handing out sweets to all the women and children and I thought the least I could do was to part with a bottle of Jack Daniels as a thank you to the men. Well you can’t believe how happy they were; after all it’s not every day that Jack visits the bush. They even escorted us all the way to Mababe Village
When we finally went past them, there was much hooting and waving to see us on our way. Thank goodness for the Bush Mechanics that came to our rescue. They are probably still telling the story about the bottle of Jack and those idiot tourists from SA. The people in Botswana
Once we got past Mababe Village Tucson Botswana
The distance between the village and the gate is only about 12km but it took us a good hour to cover the distance. We finally arrived at the gate to Chobe National Park
MABABE GATE TO SAVUTI
The last stretch to the gate had been bad so we set off thinking that the worst was behind us. Nothing could be further from the truth. About 2km from the gate we had our first encounter with Black Cotton Soil, probably one of the most slippery clay soils in Africa . Now the name doesn’t do justice to this type of clay which we would have to navigate for the next 40km.
Driving on Cotton Soil is like driving on Ice, except that Ice is flat and the mud had other vehicle tracks through it. Once you were in the old tracks there was no way of getting out of them. If you turned the wheels you just carried on going in the direction of the tracks.
My first experience of this phenomenon was when we got to a point where the track split into two, with a large tree in the middle. There were two options and so I chose the right hand track. There had been rain recently, so it was not possible to see where the vehicle before me had gone. Ten meters later I realized that this led to a deep donga with a thick bush on the one side. I didn’t fancy trying this because if I slid into the donga there was a strong possibility that I would not get out. “No problem” I thought, “I will just reverse back and take the other route”. I duly reversed back and turned to go the other way but the vehicle continued along the route I had just reversed out of. You must understand that although the soil was soft my tyre tracks were no more than 2cm deep. No matter what I did I could not turn out of my original tracks and the more I tried the deeper they got.
Eventually after four or five tries it was obvious that we were wasting our time. We drove up to the donga and while Kar held a thick branch back I tried to get between the bush and the donga, which sloped down to about 1m deep, was 1.5m across and 2.5m long. I almost made it, but at the last moment the vehicle slid sideways into the donga. All I could do was to floor the accelerator and hope for some traction. Luckily there was a root across the hole that first my front and then my rear tyres managed to get a grip on. With a great deal of relief I got out the other side and Karen, now splattered with mud and understandably a little grumpy got back into the vehicle.
The ‘road’ and I use this term very loosely because at best it was a track and whenever there was a bad patch ahead the road split into sometimes three or four tracks, with tracks leading off the tracks. Often my GPS was showing the road several hundred meters away.
The weather was changing quickly. Where there had been clear blue sky an hour ago there were now storm clouds rolling in. Black and ominous there was rain on the way and the water was going to make things far worse.
There were many dongas, a lot of surface water and of course loads of mud, but we were making slow progress. Sometimes we had to get out and then make our own road around the really treacherous areas. I just walked the proposed route making sure that there were no tree stumps or anything that might damage a tyre. We got around them all and even though it was now raining lightly, we were able to advance.
Then I made a bad choice. There was the option of two tracks, both filled with water from the rain. I took the right one and soon realized that it was the older route. The mud was thick and even though I had good momentum to start off with, the mud was collecting in front of the wheels and I was slowing. Just two meters from the hard sand the Tucson
By now the rain had stopped and the sky was absolutely beautiful as the setting sunlight shone under the thick black rain clouds. This was a photographers dream and the kind of light where anything you photograph will be bathed in stunning golden sunlight.
However the last thing I was thinking about was taking a photo. The light was fading fast and we had passed at least two prides of lion, the last of which was less than a kilometer behind us.
I got to work immediately. First digging the mud away from the tyres with my portable spade and then I stripped branches off nearby trees and layered these with some stones and pieces of wood. Walking on the mud was like walking on ice. I nearly fell several times. Karen was not so lucky. She was walking towards the vehicle, when suddenly she was horizontal and came down with a bone shuddering thump. She landed in a puddle of thick black mud. Fortunately she was not badly hurt but she was sore, covered in mud and not happy.
Back in the vehicle I reversed, went forward, reversed again and then had enough forward momentum to get out. Parked on the welcomed sand, we cleaned ourselves up as best we could with some towels and got back underway. There wasn’t much conversation at this point. We were wet, muddy and Karen had hurt her back in the fall. It was also almost dark by now and we still had a long way to go.
Shortly thereafter we came to the split in the road that was at least signposted and we took the road up onto the Magwikhwe Sand Ridge where the going was to be much easier. No more Cotton Soil. The distance from Mababe Gate to the split was 21km. It had taken us almost 3 hours to do this distance.
It was now 19h15 and we had been traveling since 11h00. More than eight hours. We still had 43km to go, but the road was better. The problem was that every 200m or so there was a puddle to navigate. Now some of these ‘puddles’ were more like lakes, up to 20m long and there was no way around them. We were in thick Mopane veld, much loved by Elephants and there were plenty in the area as confirmed by the number of branches in the road and piles of dung.
At first we waded through the deeper, longer, puddles but we gave this up when we went past two Lionesses on the side of the road and one charged the car. It was simply too dangerous to get out of the vehicle.
By now it was dark and driving through these puddles was terrifying. You have to hit them with a bit of speed to maintain forward momentum, but when you do this the water washes up over the lights and windscreen. For a few seconds it is pitch black and you are not sure if you are under water or not. Then the water runs off the windscreen, the lights shine again and you know you are going to get through.
We saw several huge Elephants, along the way, silhouetted on the side of the road by the car lights. But we probably passed dozens that were out in the ink dark night.
When they are right on the side of the road and you only see them when it is too late to stop, it is quite frightening even though we are Ele fans. You never quite know what they might do in the dark, especially since they are not accustomed to vehicles driving at night. Fortunately there were none in the road. We did however see a pair of Bat Eared Foxes which we were extremely excited about, as neither of us had, had the privilege of seeing these amazing nocturnal animals before.
Then ahead we saw lights approaching! I immediately thought that it must be Parks Board staff coming to look for us. I reasoned that the ranger at the gate, when we entered the park, must have radioed ahead to tell Savute camp that we were on our way. No such luck. When we got along side them they asked what we were doing driving around at night. However they were friendly and told us that it was only 15kms to the camp. Thank goodness. We were both exhausted from the drive.
The final 15km took another hour, but eventually at 22h00 we drove into the campsite at Savute. There were Hyenas everywhere and only four other campers that we saw when driving in. We picked a spot under a large tree and immediately set about putting up the tent. Then off to the ablutions, by car, because of the Hyenas. There is no way to explain how good that shower was. There is nothing that is as invigorating as a long, hot shower to wash off the fatigue, mud, sweat and tears of the day.
Back at the tent we had a beer each and then turned in for the night. We were both dog tired. It had been a very long day. I made sure that there was nothing left outside and locked everything in the vehicle. Hyenas are notorious for chewing everything they can find, from pots to chairs, bumpers and even tyres.
I awoke just before 06h00 and staggered outside to check the vehicle. Everything was fine so I opened the back to find the kettle to make some coffee. I heard a noise behind me and as I turned around there was a Yellow Billed Hornbill and a Francolin not more than a meter away. I found some Salticrax biscuits and broke one up and threw the pieces near them. They started to feed straight away and within seconds were joined by another Francolin and a Tree Squirrel. This was great; I went to wake Karen up. I know she loves to feed animals.
Karen, hair all over the place, half asleep and complaining about the time, came out into the bright morning light; her face immediately lit up like a beacon. Within minutes, she was sitting feeding a menagerie of Squirrels, Starlings, Hornbills and Francolin’s. It is quite amazing that these animals were even prepared to eat out of her hand despite the wild isolation of Savute and the fact that there are not that many people that are prepared to drive there. Even in the Kruger National Park
We drank steaming hot coffee, ate crisp Rusks and Karen fed all the local fauna by hand. What an incredible start to a beautiful, hot summer’s day. If it wasn’t for the fact that we had reservations at Chobe Marina Lodge that night and we were far away from any mobile phone reception we would have stayed another night in this magnificent location.
In order to get to Savute one has to be completely self sufficient. You must carry ample water, fuel and food as there is only water available in the campsite and food and beverages for guests at the lodges in the area such as Savute Elephant Camp and Savute Safari Lodge.
Unfortunately all good things must end, so at 10h00 we paid our fees at the office and left for the last leg of our adventure to Kasane. We were looking forward to a bit of luxury for the next four nights.
SAVUTI TO KASANE
Not far out of the camp we came across a waterhole called Pump Pan, teeming with wildlife. Black Backed Jackal, Wildebeest, Zebra, Giraffe, Knob Bill Geese and many more were drinking the sweet water. We stopped for a while and then headed off with trepidation down the unknown road to Kasane.
The first few kilometers we encountered lots of the ‘puddles’ similar to those that we had experienced the night before. I think my front number plate washed off in one of these. Thereafter it was sand, more sand and then some more sand. However compared to the mud it was a breeze and we made relatively good time.
80km further on and after navigating the thick sand roads, we arrived at the Ghoha Gate entrance to Chobe Forest Reserve. This is a beautiful area where after the first 42km we had a very pleasant drive on winding sand roads through beautiful rural villages dotted with magnificent Baobab trees. Many of them were massive and potentially thousands of years old. The road was improving and from Muchenje it was relatively good. We finally exited the park at Ngoma Gate. Soon after this the road becomes a very welcomed tar. The total distance from Savute to Kasane is 160km and it took us over five hours to drive.
Our arrival at Kasane at 15h30 in the afternoon was a relief to say the least. At last some five star accommodation at Chobe Marina Lodge. Also on offer would be cold beers and cooked food.
Dinner that evening was at Ambassadors Restaurant. This was to be a never to be forgotten experience. Lots of red wine and sumptuous grilled Sole, cooked to perfection. This was followed by a good night’s sleep in a soft luxurious bed with crisp white Percale linen and en suite bathroom. We felt that this was just reward, as we had been camping, deep in the bush, for the last nine nights.
Savute is a very special place that has left a lasting impression on both Karen and I. So much so, that a few months later we named our puppy, found on the side of the road, “Savuti”. He has grown into a big strong boy (40kg) and is a fantastic and loyal guard dog.
We will definitely return to Savute, and spend at least a week there; this will give us time to really appreciate this pristine, unspoiled corner of Africa . But I think next time we will do the trip in winter, when the road is less challenging. No Cotton Soil to navigate and more chance of the wildlife congregating around the scarce available water. We might even be lucky enough to witness interaction between the famous Savute Lions and abundant Elephant herds.
Till next time!
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