Overlanding BOTSWANA | Nxai Pans & the Tuli Wilderness | An Adventure you have to do | Ep2

we are back in Botswana an amazing Place stay tuned as I take you on this series into the okavango Delta the naopan area and then onwards to a place I've never been the Thule block I'm really excited to bring you this Adventures so stay tuned and enjoy as Ed and I get out there and experience the wild that is Botswana welcome to cinema we've just come off of the cut line thank you foreign [Music] game reserve and make our way towards the town of my own known as the gateway to the okavenga Delta and then onwards to the nayapan National Park passing through the small villages of morseja and Makala maberi a bit of a welcome relief we are now on the tar Road just did the all-important tire inflation the really nice thing with that Indie flight unit is that it balances and levels out the two tires that you're working with so one tire might be at 2.4 and the other time might be at 2.3 well it levels that out so that's quite nice and I tell you after I mean that was quite a tough drive this morning it's now quarter past one and we left at eight o'clock in the morning so that's that's a tough Drive but beautiful absolutely beautiful so many ecosystems that we went through and yeah quite a bit of water still on the road but it looks like it's drying up we're heading into Mound now and it's got a refuel and get a couple of odds and shots and then we head out to another pad I think we're going to get there quite late if I'm honest but it's an adventure and we're absolutely enjoying it absolutely enjoying it [Music] this is a 262 kilometer distance to travel from Southgate campsites in the muremi and we'll take a good part of the day to do depending on stopovers and the conditions of the off-road sections remember that traveling southwards from Mountain you do cross the makalama berry Veterinary fence so traveling with meat could be a problem [Music] we have just pulled into in La pen and it's very very hot I don't know what the temperatures are but yeah it's cooking eh so one of the really nice things with the Indie flight unit is just how quick it is so I mean this used to be a big slip for me it's no longer a big slip you've got all air in the background letting down his tires also using the Indie flight unit and yeah geez just smart and convenient I reckon John let's let that air out [Music] we are officially in the pan National Park and it looks absolutely stunning stunning stunning it is just we got large cumulonimbus clouds building up but I'll tell you it is outside and I chose to stay inside for the air con it is so hot I think it said 43 degrees Celsius and if that's what he did say then I'm going to say 48 a close to 50. and the thing with the My Pan the Mahari Hari pens uh Salt Flats the sand is white so you know you get sun from the top and sun from the bottom because it reflects off but what a day I mean who would have thought we'd be in the morning at third bridge in the okavanga Delta and today we'd been in live pen two totally different places to totally different ecosystems and each in their own right very very Majestic a long day though a very very long day and I'm feeling it a bit if I'm honest so yeah come on man I'm ready but let's kick it let's get to Southgate driving the main dirt road to the Southgate Camp has to be one of my favorite drives this is a 22 kilometer stretch that is simply something else the sky the open Plains and the undulating roads will leave an impression on you [Music] we get greeted by simply put a Botswana welcome like no other [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] the elephants in this area appear to be a lot whiter than the elephants in other parts of Botswana this is because they use the mineral-rich white sand as a covering against the Sun [Music] this Waterhole is found just before the camp chicken gate and would become part of our daily visits on game drives [Music] oh [Music] after a long day on the road we head for camp where we would be spending the next three nights at campsite eight [Music] shattered and knackered we crawled into bed and slept with the sounds of lions roaring in the distance [Music] [Music] good morning uh we woke up on five o'clock this morning or half past five can't remember now and the time I was off by six in the morning made coffees early and we are driving then iPad game rooms we heard we heard lion fairly early half past four in the morning and they sound very close so we're making a b line for the pens which I've got water in and hopefully they're there we'll see yeah but I didn't sound too far if anything maybe three kilometers maybe four but I tell you this morning it is really really pretty Sun other than our penis just oh man fantastic eh golden take a look at this National Park was originally state land this area is 1 676 square kilometers and was declared again Reserve in 1970. and then in 1992 the boundaries were extended to include Bane's baobabs to give the total land area 2578 square kilometers and National Park status was granted National Park is basically a salt pan and after a good rainfall water flows into the pan and on the grass country the way into the pan should be traveled only by a four-wheel drive vehicle during the rainy season or a high clearance vehicle in the drier months the layer pan has been formed by a process that have begun more than 5 million years ago at that time dokovanga River the chobi and the upper Zambezi flowed along somewhat different courses than those of today Travelers are always struck by the immensity of sky and Horizon of the Botswana landscape added with the wildlife viewing possibilities this area has become a favorite for overlanders to visit and on this trip we clearly understand why foreign just to think the Ranger and its Land Cruiser 200 series are almost 8 years old now and these old girls have racked up over 140 000 kilometers each respectively of what has to be some of the best adventure over Landing trips you could imagine it goes without saying that the trips in these two beasts has been an amazing journey Our advice you don't need all of the fancy gear but it does help and goes a long way in making your adventure that little bit easier [Music] foreign [Music] with high temperatures we seek shade back in Camp [Music] thank you [Music] so the triple five unit this thing has actually been a really big savior on this trip for me three times one for the fridge two for the computer and being able to dump footage and three to charge my gear I've had a couple of power issues where I've gone really low on the 108 amp hour in the back running that 500 watt Vectron pure sine wave inverter to run the fridge so this little unit here the triple five gives you 500 watts of pure sine wave power and yeah it's just a gem really on a trip like this it's a great backup to the backup for the backup but yeah just dumping some footage [Music] there are seven pans or water holes throughout the area of the dryer pen the main ones are borehole fed and serve as reliable sources of water for Animals during the drier months seek these water holes and you will be rewarded with Great Encounters [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you the bird life during the month of March is simply stunning but the elephant viewings on this trip were just something else Botswana magic comes to mind over and over again [Music] oh it is so so so hot and we've just spent I think two hours at this Waterhole right by the a main entrance to the mayapan south camp but what an absolutely magical experience we just had we I literally had a bull elephant right here and I don't know if you can see that that's two meters you just walked right past your big big [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you in Botswana you get absolutely spoiled and the elephants just continue to come out of the bush foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign Day in Africa as we make our way back to camp and prep for the night's activities bugs on next level [Music] Ryan what's happening mate we're here at Napa campsite number eight but very very magic we've just had two Jackal coming to Camp one literally five meters from us I think he was looking for some Char and then his mate or his buddy came in over there maybe 10 meters from I say she looked like she hit a mole or something in the bush but yeah man it's it's wild wild wild here but absolutely magic and being at campsite you're far away from anyone else so I really really like this campsite but you've got to be vigilant eh you gotta be moving your head on the swivel it seems these jackals are used to being fed in Camp these people refrain from feeding animals in Camp whilst it might be a great thing to have them close they become easily habituated and as a result could become regarded as pests the end result might mean death to these animals which is not what anyone wants sure that is very close very very close I'd almost say even like campsite Tin close that's right here right here that line is right here I've been trying to wake all the it up but he's got that fan on which is it doesn't allowing to you anything wow amazing man very cold very cold tonight's cold and I'll see you in the morning dead it is here at number 10 bro yeah he's right here at number 10. [Music] what's going on Bruce he's a lion right here in the next campsite and it's I think in campsite number 10 which will be camped last time so it's it's half past five which means we can get up and drive so how are we gonna go and find it when she's just in this campsite TX going off Magic [Music] thank you um I've just pulled up to the ablution blocks and look what's here yeah so wow wow what a morning and we were up at four o'clock quarter past four and we work up to this massive male lion going off and we thought he was it seemed like it was 80 meters 200 meters from us so we got in the car by half past five and we were on the road and was Pitch Black and we saw him Scamp off into the bush a big big big male light only the one of them and what it seems is done is he seems he's gone in maybe okay up the road and he's gone all the way around [Music] and now he's in the bush directly behind me and I'm gonna say again 800 meters in the bush amazing eh absolutely fantastic that'll get the blood going that's for sure but yeah we reckon he's gonna go to the water hole here at the gate so gotta get moving [Music] [Music] [Music] the night pan area serves as a migrational route for both zebra and wildebeest and on this trip we seem to have found this at the tail end of the immigration but in saying that one can still appreciate and view the other creatures foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right [Music] so to get you up to speed we went out for a game drive this morning and we were tracking or trying to find those those lion and unfortunately we came up short but they're in the area definitely they weren't too far away from us we got to a water Hall I think it's pen number seven and we switched off vehicles and we heard them roaring I don't know maybe 800 meters from the pan so we went too far but we think they were in the Deep bush we're driving during our afternoon game drive and seen some massive elephants so you know the beautiful thing with an iPad is because the soil is white all the elephants here are white elephant and um the contrast between the blue skies The Green Grass and shrubbery with these white elephant oh just absolutely stunning so so beautiful Drive is going well but I have got to tell you again and I just can't say it enough on this trip I seem to be battling with heat heat heat and something really interesting is what I've noted is that if you get to 45 degrees Celsius well the lithium 108 it struggles to take charge it's sort of says it's on bulk charge but it's it's only it's only pulling in maybe two three amps if that so yeah massive lesson there learned I reckon uh I don't know how to solve it I don't think there is a solve if I'm honest I just think that with great Heat the lithium will battle I think it prefers the cold but it carries on charging just a nice slow trickle charge so that can't hurt we're trying to find pan number one um we remember it from our last pan trip yeah we had great sightings of zebra there the last time but guys it is so hot I have got to put the aircon on man it's hot it and I are just having a nice cold beverage on the pan here at the water Hall pan water all the numbers number one and then I said another one I call that one number seven already I already told to call this one number one no you didn't my bad I did I just told you not because black winged practical you heard it here first I went into the iron Robinson's bird books Robert's bird book and a black Wing practical we think it's the one that the more common one because we can't spot the freckles but there's quite a few of you hijack my birding knowledge I mean I'm sitting with the birding Guru yeah I'm just kidding obviously Ed knows these boots he says they're flying from Europe every year and this is part of their migrational route and we reckon after the rainy season they'll head back over is dots in the sky too true I need to go and get my glasses sorted out but I can't afford it yeah but yes absolutely magic Art on this on the pans here at Nile pan number one all right [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] counters in Camp magic the entire pants area always delivers and even though we didn't see any of the cats we still had memories made special by this truly magic spot last night sees us get prepped and ready for the next part of the adventure where we head for another favorite of ours Baines Bayer babes but I am worried about the Heat thank you so when you get [Music] Brian what's happening uh we just stopped him off at the ablution block quickly developed Earl's 130 liter water tank and then uh yeah hit the road to Bain spare them the unfortunately it's gonna be magic [Music] thank you [Music] the heat is the ultimate test for your setup as of coping it's coping fine but what I have learned is that the lithium batteries they just don't like heat what I mean by that is anything over 45 degrees celsius if it's contained in a box it doesn't like to take thorough charger just trickle charges so it'll go from within like say two hours the guy from like 43 to 48 and then sit at 48 and then bump up to 52 as the temperature dips and dive so yeah just interesting I find the whole thing interesting but otherwise man [Music] so south camp an iPad what a beautiful place to stay look I think I think three nights is a good number of nights to stay at a place like this and be wary the temperatures and UV index are very high at 9 pan absolutely I mean it is incredibly hot and remember that at three o'clock in the morning it does get a bit cold got a bit nippy last night and uh great to be woken up by that male line roaring very close to Camp we're on our way let's enjoy the adventure [Music] it's day 10 and it and I are loving every minute of this adventure [Music] leave a comment below if this is a trip that you have done before and what did you think of this area [Music] well we are on the pans and it looks dry but don't let that fool you what happens on the Salt Flats is a crust and that crust is about two inches thick not in all places but in most places and you can walk on it and it won't break but as soon as you drive one of these heavy vehicles on it that's it it breaks through that crust and underneath this black cotton soil and that black cotton soil wow wow that's how you get stuck and not just stuck proper stuck so just be very careful as soon as you feel your vehicle begin to break through the crust you need to either turn around immediately or reverse out immediately don't take any chances on the maharikhari pads that's for sure oh man my friend cannot connect to the victron unit because it's overheating it is so hot I think if yesterday was 50 today is 150 so literally you can cook an egg on the Bonnet absolutely it's water has a very spiritual feel about it and this is a place that for some reason I keep finding myself drawn to but arriving in the middle of the day and having a few snacks during lunch we make a trip to our campsite campsite number two which is a campsite with bare Bap trees on either side [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] I think that's why we keep coming back here mate it's very special eh we keep saying it and uh I think those people that come here they get it and they they understand and those people who want to come here they will understand it's just um I mean look at that Sunset mate you know it's just special or vast Open Spaces in fact the whole trip really has been absolutely magic okay today's temperature though we're going to have to have a word with someone because 50 degrees Celsius 50 degrees Celsius [Music] um but yeah man I think all these places we get to go to we just privileged hey privileged we enjoy we try and make the most of them and we hope we are bringing you some really good content and if we are and you enjoy the channels and the shows well then come to these places they're amazing absolutely amazing so we've walked out to the pens we're quite quite a way away from the campsite which is not illegal to do you can do it you're just going to be very wary but we wanted to come out here because we saw we thought maybe someone else got stuck here and instead what we found is elephant tracks and this poor elephant must have had a really really tough time in this mud have a look at this foreign look how deep its footprint went now if that's not an indication as to just how dangerous the pens can be well then you need to think again and I can show you so it feels hard on the foot maybe a bit softer than the stuff we just walked on but have a look at this [Applause] [Applause] and there's the wet stuff so two inches crust and then you hit the clay and that's the stuff that'll get you bugged down that's for sure so be cautious like we always do stay on the main tracks when you aren't driving any pans any salt flats in any place but more so in the maharikhari pan and greater area an iPad included stick to the main tracks but yeah what a Sunset and I've got the short lens on so we just saw an elephant walking across from one pan to the other beautiful we slept in this morning and we are now on our way back to Baines we've got a bit of content to shoot and yeah I'll tell you what guys they are very hot it's half past 10 in the morning and I think it's already at 35 degrees Celsius it's so hot that the bees are coming in and drinking the leftover water that we use on AIDS trailer and yeah they've they gathered in the hundreds so we thought let's just get out of campsite and go for a nice drive charge up the batteries and sit in the air conditioner so what we've been doing is Ed's got this little spray nozzle on the back of the Echo and we spray ourselves down with water and I tell you what it is an absolute game changer phenomenal just how nice and cool we get after spraying ourselves with water they saw him spoke out on the pans running all the animals this year seem so skittish hey I don't know if it's got something to do with the kettle posts that are dotted around the entire pan area or what I I don't know but yeah the game seems very skittish on this trip but anyways let's get to bands [Music] a hot day out there grabbing content out on the pans and with the clouds building up we hope for rain [Music] thank you [Music] with the rank trying to build up and failing on our immediate Horizon a slight drizzle begins [Music] foreign we've spent two nights here at Baines and as a great place as it is I for one was very tough to evade the Heat and make tracks for a new destination that I've never visited before the Thule Wilderness Reserve situated on the Eastern side of Botswana with the Thule blocks surrounding it I can't wait for this one as we get to experience a bit of luxury in what has to be botswana's best kept secret [Music] [Music] on day 12 we head for the Thule Wilderness reserve some 682 kilometers from the Baines Bayer Babs [Music] this would be a tough days drive that would take us a good nine hours to do stick to speed limits and you will be safe from their roadside cop and avoid the mini livestock crossing the roads [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] at the Thule Wilderness Reserve late afternoon and drive into the small and secluded Bush campsite called Mojave campsite where we would be spending the next three nights truly Wilderness is owner managed by Stuart and Julie Quinn who are absolute Legends [Music] for inviting and treating us to a little Slice of Heaven mixed in with insane amounts of luxury [Music] it up as we explore this area an area I didn't even realize was as impressive as it turned out to be to quote from the Thule Wilderness Reserve website the unfenced Mojave Bush Camp is rented at a daily self-catering rate and one has exclusive use of the entire Camp respective of number of persons but up to a maximum of 10 people [Music] foreign guests can upgrade to a fully catered at an additional cost the camp offers accommodation in five units overlooking the dry Mojave River two of the units have ensuite bathrooms whilst the three units share two outdoor communal Ambitions all operations have flush toilets and hot water showers [Music] there is no electricity so lighting is provided using gas paraffin and solar shower water is heated by a solar geyser and the cookers and freezers are gas operated there is a central Lopper or dining area with a fire pit as well as well as a small Splash Pool the night sounds heard at Mojave are magical and games such as elephants lion Brown and spotted hyena servic Janet and African wildcat may possibly be seen in and around the camps the Mojave River is a hot spot for game movements and the remoteness of this Camp ensures that you will truly feel that you are in the Deep Wilderness in this unique and special place foreign [Music] [Music] waking up early morning we head out with the head game guide Big Joe now whilst this isn't my preferred thing to do I have to say that it was a truly magical experience visiting Brown hyena dens and listening to the wealth of knowledge that Joe has to share at every corner [Applause] [Music] it was a magic change of pace and something that I could get used to maybe not but what an experience and what a privilege it was to share in this adventure [Music] thank you [Music] the truly Wilderness private and exclusive 24 000 acre concession of Botswana Wilderness makes an ideal getaway or stop over point for travelers between Botswana and South Africa as well as a unique and true South African safari experience for international guests [Music] the reserve forms part of the transferentier park between Botswana South Africa and Zimbabwe this means that Wildlife can flush freely across borders into neighboring countries but what that actually means is that the Thule Wilderness Reserve has a good population of both elephant and lion entering and exiting the reserve constantly forming new and important biodiversity highways that create valuable ecosystems that are very unique to this area [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] guys [Music] um we work in single fight and we're giving space in between don't trip your we are walking to Eagles Rock and uh all the party involved look a bit nervous because it's quite far and I'll show you how far it's all the way over there so yeah got the hiking boots on and ready to get thirsty very thirsty the bush looks amazing I absolutely fantastic I'll show you the view when we get there look at this is a wild walk so Joe our guide is armed up with what looks like a video six the idle iron here and um leopard are not uncommon sightings and after that sighting we had this morning well safe to say we all believe him I'm guessing cleanser we're nice to get the legs stretched and working first status report I think we've only walked 300 meters and we begin the ascent sorry [Applause] and then we're gonna go over there good friend [Music] getting a bit hard now and also people left here cops are beginning to burn [Music] I can't tell you what it is a pit stop never hurt nobody to it I've been advised to tell everyone just how hot it is there's how hot is it meant it's as hot as Elvis maybe it's 37 it feels like 57. it was [ __ ] meanly math are you making good progress [Music] so beautiful up here man the bush [Music] from this heart they're actually so green there on all these Hills truly Wilderness Reserve looks fantastic from up here hey such a unique um environment man all these Hills and a nice river that runs through them [Music] absolutely Magic actually quite fascinating this walk oh Joe's just told us that there's a settlement here that's from 1100 to 1500 BC and uh behind me you see that wall over there sorry I'm holding my camera in the other hand but that's an archaeological build from around in and this tree here behind me that one is rated to be thousands of years old it was planted when the chief used to live here and apparently the chief used to live up on the top there's two grave sites here and what's really fascinating is that Joe was saying this is on the South African side and there's a mapungubwe in the Zimbabwe inside and all of them I'll have massive archaeological history which I find so fascinating and apparently the Botswana side the guys moved over to South Africa the South African Kingdom and they fell apart and some of them moved back into Zimbabwe and some of them moved back here um but yeah just fascinating here he has two years two graves here [Music] what could look like just two piles of rocks to you and I was actually a burial site so I'm gonna just give it some birth [Music] we made it to the top was it and behind me I think it's called The maolutsi River the river of elephants I believe I stand to be corrected sir please feel free to add a comment if I'm wrong but have a look at this View and I tell you guys wow wow wow we're so high up that though a pair of Vero Eagles Nest just on the side of the cliff and um I think that's rather special we're high up and we're overlooking this River have a look at this [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] so that's one of those experiences [Music] that you really come away from just think wow how worth it it's about a 20 -25 minute walk I'm not going to say hike first you know easy going it's very hot but speak spectacular absolutely spectacular and overlooking the river really really beautiful but I think the most interesting thing for me is the the archaeological significance that these places have and to have one in the truly Wilderness Reserve wow absolutely spectacular special and uh yeah just doing a whopping back to the corner I'm looking forward to just grabbing that water of mine it parched definitely deserve a cold refreshment [Music] the last game Drive of the truck Bittersweet really but let's go and see if we can find those lines [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] has become one of the most memorable ones that I've had with exceptional wild encounters from the back of a safari vehicle [Music] have a look at their website below to find out more and reach out to Julie for your next magic and intimate Adventure you won't experience anything quite like it and without a doubt you'll be glad you visited the special place with friends and family this truly is botswana's best kept secret and I look forward to visiting New Friends made at the Thule Wilderness Reserve [Music] Christmas [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] this epic adventure that I shared with my mate Ed please leave a comment share and all that good stuff down below it helps the YouTuber logarithms and grows the show till the next adventure I'm Ryan Crocker stay safe keep trucking and I'll see you out there cheers for now a big thank you to the patrons that are active and support the 4x4 Ventures Channel the show supported by Indie flight and Lacy [Music] foreign

Channel: 4x4ventures

Views: 60,502

Keywords: botswana, overlanding, overlandingbotswana, botswanaadventure, overlandingoffroad, 4x4offroad, adventuredrivingbotswana, botswanasafari, wildbotswana, overlandinglife, wildlifedocumentary, traveldocumentary, botswanatravel, travelbotswana, selfdrivebotswana, botswanaoffroad, 4x4ventures, 4x4venturessouthafrica, adventuretravelbotswana, adventure, offroadadventures, botswanaadventures, wildaadventures, nxai pans, nxai pan national park, baines baobabs, tuli wilderness reserve, tuli wilderness, tuli block

Id: i0dmVTNVOCE

Length: 68min 55sec (4135 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 14 2023