Beautiful baobobs, love stories and sacred sites

Beautiful baobobs, love stories and sacred sites

Botswana hates us! – Or at least that was the only conclusion we could draw, as the rain came down once again upon our return to the country. However, fortunately, it only lasted for a day or two and by the time we reached our first stop at Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi pans, the skies were clear of clouds. It was no mean feat to get to the Island – plenty of soft sand and narrow tracks. Not Bertha’s first visit either (though she was known as “Truckie” then) and, as we pushed our way through the scratchy acacia bushes, she was no doubt thinking “oh no, not again”!

The rock island was once surrounded by water and provided abundant game hunting for the San people, but it now juts out from a lake of salt-encrusted mud. We approached from a rough track in the North, arriving directly at the very basic campsite, so, initially, we were rather underwhelmed by what we found. It was only when we went out to explore, that the true beauty of our surroundings became apparent. The majestic baobob trees, some hundreds of years old, changed colour by subtle gradations throughout the day, until night fell and there was a new spectacle – countless stars in a sky without light-pollution. Our day visit turned into a night … and then another night. For our last night we were joined by Charlotte, Dave and Dave’s granddaughter, Taylor (visiting from the UK). It’s always fun to meet up with other Overlanders and share travel (and truck) stories. We first met in Namibia in February (which seems like an awfully long time ago!), so we had plenty of catching up to do!

After leaving Kubu, it was time to learn a little of the history of Botswana. The Bangwato (Bamangwato) is one of the principal chieftaincies of Botswana and its capital has moved several times, with the last move in 1902 to Serowe at the behest of Khama III. We visited the museum in Serowe, which outlines the history of the Khama family. Khama III was the grandfather of Sir Seretse Khama, who, whilst in the UK to study law at Oxford University, fell in love with Ruth Williams, a white English woman. Their marriage in 1948 caused controversy in both Britain and Bechuanaland (as Botswana was then known) and, following pressure from the South African government (where racial segregation was strictly imposed), the British government forced Seretse into exile until he agreed to renounce the chieftainship in 1956. When he was allowed to return to Botswana, he founded the Democratic Party, helped negotiate the terms of Botswana’s independence and the peaceful transition to self-rule. The 2016 movie, “A United Kingdom”, partly filmed in Serowe (and which our guide said was “95% accurate”!) brings the story to life.

We went next to the ruins of the previous Bangwato capital at Old Palapye. When the capital was moved to Serowe, Khama III ordered that the settlement at Old Palapye should be destroyed, so the ruins are mainly composed of some stone walls and stone boundaries of former constructions. However, a fair amount of the London Missionary Society Church remains intact, made with locally quarried red mud bricks.

Entrance to the ruins included a visit to Motetane Gorge and a short shady hike took us to a small waterfall. The whole area of the Tswapong Hills is regarded as sacred to the local people, associated with ancestor worship. The pure, clean water from the springs is thought to be spiritually cleansing and Christian baptisms as well as traditional ceremonies take place there. The second gorge (Moremi Gorge) we visited entailed a slightly longer, more scrambly hike, but the waterfalls at the end were worth the effort. This is one of only two places in Botswana, where the endangered Cape Vulture can be found. It was breeding season and there were hundreds soaring at varying heights above us.

So after a shaky, scratchy start, we’re leaving Botswana in the belief that, maybe if She doesn’t love us, at least Botswana means us no harm!