Wild BOTSWANA PART 2: CAVES, RIVERS, HILLS & PANS
Under the disapproving frown of a leaden-faced sky, our hesitant reconnaissance of the world’s saltiest cemetery was like the final act of a slow gunslinger. Knowing the outcome, we ran away. (In reality, we prayed for gripping wheels, all the way on our retreat from the lonely island to a man at a gate who could not stop laughing.)
It was a close call, all this trying to relive the past on one of the planet’s largest salt pan complexes. But, more about that later. For now, we’ll continue from where we left off on our “Wild Botswana” trip – having visited Lake Xau, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Lake Ngami.
Now, four truly magnificent destinations and a good sprinkling of adventure awaited us.
First, we headed north-west to experience something completely different: a time travel all the way into the bowels of the earth.
It takes 4 to 5 hours from the A35 tar road on a mostly easy 143km drive to Gcwihaba (Drotsky’s) Caves. The initial open track becomes an even easier tweespoor from the marked turn-off southwards, but once past the borehole turn-off, a section of very thick, red sand across low hills guards the beautiful fossilised valley that channels the splendid, meandering tweespoor through the Gcwihaba Hills to the gate house. The lack of signage made it difficult to find the designated campsites close to the main entrance of the caves, so we were happy to get directions from construction workers we came across.
Goodbye, old Madala
On our Saturday afternoon arrival, we saw a helicopter making its exit and later heard that Ian Khama, the president of Botswana, had paid the area a visit. So, we were not surprised by a traffic jam in thick sand against a hill. A local woman’s bakkie was stuck, so one of our party – mechanical engineer Steve Bester – ambled over, checked the clutch and got the bakkie out of trouble. The place was crawling with soldiers, some of whom came crashing past in a Hummer-like vehicle, bundu-bashing. Suddenly there was a man at my window, who said his name was Job. He also said he was our man for the caves.
As a result of the president’s