This was published 15 years ago
The thrill of the pigskin
Visiting Chobe, Frank Walker didn't expect to be bailed up by a wart-hog.
By Frank Walker
UnspecifiedCredit: Frank Walker
There it stood, right at the glass front door to the luxury lodge - a big, black wart-hog, sniffing and thrusting its dangerous sharp tusks in the air as if it wanted nothing except to gore the fresh Aussie meat that had arrived in Botswana just hours earlier.
Worse still it was time for dinner and the only way to get to the restaurant in time for drinks and the superb feast was to pass this wart-hog.
Time for a desperate phone call to the front desk. "Help, there is a wart-hog at my front door trying to get at me. Send your biggest bravest warrior with a big gun."
A few seconds later help arrived. But she was a mere slip of a girl armed with nothing but a pen and pad. "Stop. It's right at the door. Go back."
She smiled and walked right up to the wart-hog. It lifted its big ugly head and sniffed, tusks gleaming in the afternoon sun.
She looked down at the gnarled horny beast and uttered that timeless war cry of the great hunters: "Shoo!" The wart-hog squinted up at her dolefully, slowly turned and trotted off into the bush, tail sticking defiantly straight up in the air.
Sure enough a hippo surfaces just metres away and looks straight at the boat, its ears wagging.
"Don't worry. That's Harry. He grew up around here."
But those tusks, and why did he stay right at my door?
"He smelt something new and wanted to have a look at you. Are you ready for evening drinks now, sir?"
Welcome to Botswana. This is Chobe Chilwero Lodge overlooking the lush Chobe National Park where wild animals, including elephants, hippos, buffaloes, puku, antelope, lions and baboons, are thick on the ground, attracted by the Chobe River waters.
Chilwero Lodge is a throwback to colonial days when guests were waited on hand and foot. The accommodation lodges are luxurious with a sunken spa bath, private garden with outside shower, huge beds draped with mosquito nets and a good supply of wildlife books to prepare for the safari outings.
Dinner and drinks are served in the main lodge on a veranda overlooking the Chobe River. Elephants and hippos can be seen in the distance against magnificent sunsets.
Safari guide Paul Visagie warns guests climbing into the open 4WD to stay absolutely still if they see a lion while going through the Chobe Park.
"They see the vehicle as one unit but if you move it breaks the image and they can see individuals. We have had lions walk right up to the vehicles and sniff around and settle down in the shade."
Sounds like fun. Overnight the rains had suddenly arrived, and the African wilderness was suddenly alive with flying termites. Birds swooped, feasting, and even turtles were out gorging.
A tribe of baboons crossed the path, babies jumping up to cling to their mothers' backs. One was too small to get up that high and clung desperately to its mothers' tummy. She reached down a paw and swooped it up on to her back where it sat upright, king of its young world.
That evening featured a boat ride on the Chobe River. "We have to be careful not to go close to the hippos," Paul said. "They are very territorial and can charge the boats."
More fun. Sure enough a hippo surfaces just metres away and looks straight at the boat, its ears wagging. Paul backs off into deeper water. On shore, vultures are ripping apart a dead buffalo. Sea eagles dance together, bobbing their heads and jumping up and down.
Time for "sundowners", that wonderful African tradition of serving up a stiff drink with the sunset. Paul lays down the white tablecloth and pulls out glasses that look more like milkshake containers. He pours gin and tonics - the quinine keeps the mozzies off. A few more hippos and a few more G&Ts and Botswana feels like a home you never want to leave.
TRIP NOTES
· Qantas flies five times a week to Johannesburg. Then fly British Airways to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, followed by a two-hour drive to Chobe, Botswana.
· Chobe Chilwero Lodge costs $420 per person per night from January to March and up to $740 a night from July to October. Price includes meals, drinks and safari trips.
· Some camps won't allow children under nine, but kids of all ages are welcome here.
· Packages can be arranged by The Africa Safari Co.Phone 9584 0520 or see www.africasafarico.com.au.
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