It is fitting that conversations around recycling and World Water Day coincide, and even more so right now, so I will use this moment to discuss what we are going through in Africa.
In Botswana’s Okavango Delta, we have seen extraordinary rains, pelting sheets of rain (often at night, thankfully), but with millions of gallons flowing from the Angolan highlands to the Kalahari Desert. It is so exciting, even though it can be inconvenient, but it fits squarely into my own personal philosophy to save ‘worrying’ for things I can actually do something about.
In Botswana, it looks like mid-flood season, and yet the flood hasn’t even started! Water, water everywhere. But we are making plans for an extraordinary flood this year. We are fortifying the Duba airfield, and Duba Plains Camp itself is well above high water in the gorgeous ebonies.
Selinda and Zarafa Camps are similarly well situated, and when I left there yesterday, I was astounded by the effect of the high rainwater flood. Usually, the rains disperse wildlife.
Well, not this year.
In 24 hours, we saw cheetah (on a kill), two male lions (on an eland kill), a leopard (on a kill), sable antelope (not killed), and one of the largest herds of elephants I’ve seen in a while (150 plus). Giraffe swam across the deep water, and in general, we were enthralled by the abundance.
Duba, of course, is Duba and hard to beat. That said, I have ordered, and we expect the arrival, in days, of two amphibious vehicles to ferry guests across the river and floodplains to the main island.
We are also now including helicopter transfers to camps if guests prefer. This alleviates dependency on airfields all around. We even relaunched the houseboat on the Zibadianja Lagoon this weekend, from Zarafa Camp. This is a peaceful adventure for an afternoon amongst hippos, swimming elephants and a multitude of crocodiles.
Kenya is also wild and wet, with the rivers swelling and raging, as they did during the filming of Mara Rebirth, our latest film to be released later this year.
Both Mara Plains and Mara Toto Tree Camp have fared well because we built high and on walkways. Mara Nyika, Mara Expedition Camp and Zamara Private are on higher ground too. ol Donyo Lodge is in the hills, of course, and never affected by rivers rising and falling.
So, like most things, we can wring our hands at change, or embrace it. We get excited about it rather, bringing out our cameras to photograph wet lions or rainbows, elephants mudding after storms, or serval kittens following their mother through soggy grass over their heads.
There is literally no bad season to visit now, not at Great Plains and not when this is the week to celebrate Water.
