An African Safari - Day 1 – 10 March 2022 - Gaborone to Serowe - Khama Rhino Sanctuary - 402 km

Kiron drove me to the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport after dropping Eva at the Thornhill School and a short prayer at the grotto of the Cathedral. At the Hertz counter near the arrival lounge we spent a few anxious moments trying to get my Debit Card accepted. Finally when it was, the transaction was declined, for God knows what reason. Embarrassing to say the least, I had to rely on Kiron's Credit Card to make the 10025 BWP payment, which included a BWP 2500 refundable deposit.

Copies of my Passport and Indian Driving Licence supported the hire besides Kiron's residence address. Once the paperwork was done with, another person walked us over to the car, a relatively new VW Polo. The manual transmission vehicle had done just 7370 km and was registered in South Africa. I checked a few things with the Hertz employee who did the inspection paperwork for the formal handing over. A prominent chip on the windshield was its only apparent defect. He explained how the reverse gear worked, opening the gas tank, type of fuel it took in and parking gear. Took leave of Kiron after moving my luggage into what would be my companion for the next 11 days of the African Safari.

I took my time carefully positioning things in the car, the charger, mobile holder, sunglass, food, water, wet wipes, etc. They all had to be within easy reach while driving. The 15th edition of Record Drive started by 8.30 am. The day was bright and clear, in fact quite hot. It was a long time since I have been on manual transmission for a long drive. It is natural to forget using the clutch at times. Fortunately, I had some time within the Gaborone city limits to build a rapport and working relationship with the Polo companion. The A1 was initially four laned and grid separated. Evidence of agribusiness was prominent with warehouses and equipment garages. Vendors had started putting up their wayside kiosks to sell their daily stuff. The drive to Mahalapye was scenic and smooth. Most of the 200 km stretch was 120 kph, but permissible speed limits varied between 80 and 60 kph in villages and other busy places. The surprising fact is that the top speed of 120 kph is permitted on single lane highways.

Just short of Mahalapye I came across the location where the Tropic of Capricorn passes through in Botswana. Columnar joints have been installed here to mark the imaginary southernmost latitude Tropic. The 13 joints indicate the countries through which the Tropic of Capricorn passes around the world. Besides, the Tropic of Capricorn passes through three oceans, namely Indian, Atlantic and Pacific. The columnar joints were found near Francistown and is believed to belong to the Mesozoic era, more that 180 million years ago. Many have likened the columnar joints to Stonehenge in UK. The new landmark was unveiled in 2018 and the old one lies just a few feet away from the present one.

As I was driving through Mahalapye, which is at the edge of the Kalahari Desert, I was astonished to see the HQ of Botswana Railways to my right. I detoured and drive to the barrier controlled gate of the HQ. The lady security guard asked me to park and go to the reception for permission to take photographs. At the reception they took a nod from a senior person, to who I explained that I am a retired Indian Railways officer. I walked around a bit and took some photographs of the building before getting back on to the road. Botswana Railways was developed in the 1980-90s by RITES India. The 890 km network is now in decline with hardly any passenger trains operating on the metre gauge sections. It is understood that there are plans to revive its business through government investment. However, the condition of some of the rolling stock I saw in the Mahalapye yard tells me that it is going to be an uphill mission.

Past Palapye, on the A14 route to Serowe, is the Morupule Power Plant and collieries. A 600 MW thermal plant at the same location got into issues due to differences of opinion on pricing between Botswana and China. More than 50 percent of Botswana's power requirement is met through import from South Africa and Zambia.

Serowe is Botswana's largest village and is the birth place of two of Botswana's past presidents. The village became a prominent cattle post after the Bamangwato tribe migrated from South Africa sometime in early 19th century. The development of the village is the story of the House of Khama. A visit to the Khama III memorial museum in Serowe proved illuminating, in the company of Kabo, the guide. The museum is the former home of Khama III and his family, built in 1910, that was ceded to the State to be converted as a museum to enlighten visitors about the way of life that was and is in the village and the development of Botswanian politics and democracy.

The museum has an entrance charge of BWP 50 for non-residents, which includes superb historical commentary by Kabo. The tradition shaking decision of Seretse Khama to marry a white lady, attempts to get him to forsake her and become Chief and his ascendance as Prime Minister and first President of Botswana are stuff of legend. While walking around the premise Kabo showed me the Marula tree, the fruits of which are used to make the famed Amarula liqueur, jams, squashes and the like.

At the Museum, the friendly lady at the reception connected me to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary office in Serowe. I was told that I could reach the Sanctuary for a half past three game ride. The sanctuary is nearly 30 km away from Serowe on the A14 Orapa highway. I reached the sanctuary a bit before 3.30 pm and paid the entrance and game drive fee totalling BWP 937. The game drive fee of BWP 850 odd is for four persons. However, since I was the only one about I had to bear the charges in full. The reception area has a small store with some refreshments and memorabilia for purchase. I was assigned the young Duncan in a 9-seater Toyota Hilux to be my driver and guide.

The Khama Rhino Sanctuary was established in 1992 covering more than 8500 hectares of erstwhile settlements and is a community initiative to save the White Rhino population and the once pristine wilderness. More than 90 percent of the people who work at the sanctuary are from the community. Currently the sanctuary has 60 white and black rhinos, 30 giraffe, 500 zebras, impalas, springboks, red hat beasts, elands, warthogs, wildebeest, Oryx, leopards, hyenas, Kori bustard and the like.

The Kalahari Sandveld can be done in a 4x4 self-drive vehicle too. It was indeed fascinating to be so up close with the wildlife. Duncan explained the difference between the white and black rhinos. The former feeds on grass and hence, their necks point to the ground and their jaws are round to pound the grass they feed on. A full grown male weighs about 2.3 tins and the back of their feet are W shaped. The black rhino, on the other hand, are smaller at 1.2 tins and feed in leaves. Hence, they have a pointy jaw that is held parallel to the ground. The back of their feet are U shaped.

The lines on the zebra are unique like the human fingerprint; no two zebra hides have the same pattern. The animals in the sanctuary feed and drink what is available within its contours. The leopard and hyenas feed on Impalas and Springboks, which keep the population in check. There are no elephants, lions or buffaloes in the sanctuary. Just like the Big Five of elephant, lion, rhinoceros, buffalo and leopard are the ugly five, namely, warthog, vulture, hyena, Moravou stock and wildebeest. The two hour tour was educational and brought home the efficacy of such community initiatives.

On the way back to the pleasant Rest and Digest guesthouse I was staying in I stocked up on a few bottles of St. Louis beer, a loaf of bread and smoked ham. The friendly ladies at the guesthouse cooked me a dinner of beef roast, flavored rice and vegetable salad.