Kubu Queen

Trip Start Jul 09, 2008
1
7
20
Trip End Jul 30, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
Kubu Queen House Boat
(Shakawe hotels)

Flag of Botswana  ,
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

We got up early and took some amazing sunrise photos over the river. Breakfast consisted of sausages and eggs on an open fire to set us up for the day. We decided to go into Shakawe as we were not to meet Greg from the Kubu Queen until later. Shakawe was not as big as we had imagined. It had a large Choppies supermarket that had recently opened but other than that there was just a small mall consisting of a bottle-shop (off licence), butchers, furniture shop and clothes shop. Hairdressers were everywhere located in small tin huts dotted around the town. Soon we had exhausted all that it had to offer and decided to return to Drotsky's for lunch until it was time to  go to the Kubu Queen.

Well if it's good enough for Prince Harry.... Yes, we were following in the footsteps of royalty. Prince Harry had only a few months earlier been photographed on this very boat by the British paparazzi! The boat itself had been lovingly restored by Greg Thomson after he had found it semi sunk and neglected. The boat has three double rooms and a shower and separate loo on the main deck. Andy on the Kubu Queen
Andy on the Kubu Queen
 Upstairs are the dining and sitting area where the bridge doubles as the bar! In the stern are two single beds open to and above the river and a spectacular place to sleep. The boat travels into the heart of the Delta where each night you moor on one of the islands. It was a great way to see the Delta.

With Greg was a young South African called Phil who was learning the ropes and two other crew members. The boat drive was incredibly relaxing as we watched the birdlife and local fishermen. There was plenty of interesting reading material and Greg and Phil were excellent hosts.
 Along the river I was surprised by the large amount of cattle in the flooded fields behind the reeds some apparently falling victim to the many crocodile in the area. However Greg told us that the pasture here is good and the farmers believe it is worth the risk. Late afternoon we moored up at an island in the delta and took out one of the 'swampcruiser' tender boats. This enabled us to get up close to the amazing bird and wildlife in the area. I started to make a list of birds I had seen and it contained species like the Goliath, Squawker, Green-backed and Purple Herons, all types of egrets,  Fish Eagles, Spoonbills, Sacred Ibis, Little Bee-eaters, Malachite, Pied and Giant Kingfishers to name just a few. The list was endless. There were also large crocodiles that slithered into the river as we passed and the unmistakable bobbing heads of hippos. Greg was careful not to get too near the hippos as they could easily tip the tender boat over and can be incredibly aggressive despite being herbivores. We did have one large hippo stalk us for a while and I could see that Greg was continually checking that it didn't get too close. Statistics point to the fact that hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa and will attack humans so I was happy to keep my distance despite wanting to get a better photograph. We were also lucky enough to see an African Clawless Otter swimming along and a pair of large Monitor Lizards on the bank.

In the evening we had a lovely meal sat at the top of the boat and watched as the hippos swam downstream. At night the moon was incredibly bright and made a beautiful sight reflected in the water. The honking of hippos was ever present but other than that the night was quiet. 
Slideshow Print this entry