42 SEPTEMBER 2019 leisurewheels.co.za
ADVENTUREDRIVE Ford Everest in Botswana
T
OURISTS make
the journey from all
over the world to visit
Botswana. As SouthAfricans, we can learn a lot
from this country.
Botswana is doing a lot
of things right. The country
understands that tourism and
wildlife are its bread and butter
and do a lot to look
after them. Hunting is largely
banned and civilians may not
own handguns. Botswana
citizens are given rights by
the government that allow
them to take the law into
their own hands and
apprehend would be poachers
and illegal immigrants.
Sparsely populated, the
country protects some of the
largest areas of wilderness
including the world’s largest
elephant population which
is conservatively estimated
at 130 000.
Botswana is one of Africa’s
most stable countries, is
relatively free of corruption
and has a good human rights
record so it is not surprising its
currency is stronger than the
South African rand, currently
at about 1.4 pula to one South
African rand. Botswana is the
world’s largest producer of
diamonds and the trade has
transformed it into a middle-
income nation.We like Botswana. So
when Ford gave us the
chance to rediscover this
incredible country aboard
the updated Everest, we
jumped at the opportunity.
Driving into and out of the
Okavango is entirely possible
but, due to the remoteness of
northern Botswana, many of the
camps are more easily accessed
by air. Maun is the gateway to
the Delta and the Moremi Game
Reserve and the town’s airport
is regarded as one of the busiest
international airports in the
southern hemisphere based on
aircraft movements. The apron
is littered with little planes ready
to whisk tourists to exclusive
lodges and locations.
Fresh off a number of
small aeroplanes, we spent
the afternoon navigating
the Okavango Delta in a
mokoro. These dugout canoes
are made of fibreglass these days
as the local tour operators are
doing their part to protect the
tree population.Top: Navigating the Okavango
Delta aboard a mokoro
canoe. Above: Driving on the
Makgadikgadi salt pans is an
interesting experience. Under
the thin crust it is almost
always moist. Running into
a soft patch can see you
get properly stuck.
Opposite page: Enjoying
some Botswana TV.