IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE EXPLORERS

One occasionally hears of some lucky individual winning the Lotto twice. I recently had a similar double-delight experience on my trip to Botswana with Protea Safari Tours: I was driving a brand new Mitsubishi Triton Athlete, and towing a Mobi Lodge. A magnificent combination! The vehicle’s two-tone orange and black body kit seemed almost custom-designed for the caravan.

Believe it or not, I had never before had the pleasure of staying in a Mobi Lodge during an extended trip. Sure, I had photographed it more than once, but this time I had it all to myself for three weeks!

What I love about Jannie Rykaart’s tours is the balance between the bush camping and the unexpected luxuries that he always throws in when you least expect it.

And although Jannie is extremely well organised, the trips aren’t about rigidly sticking to itineraries, but about spontaneity and going with the flow.

This is perfect for me. If you’ve read some of my previous adventures, you’ll know that I sometimes like to go wherever the wind blows me. So, it was great that on this trip, our group changed some of the plans… and that’s how I got to experience the beauty of Chapman’s Baobab.

The “changing of plans” started on our very first day. Our group had arranged to meet