ORIENT-EXPRESS SAFARIS
KHWAI
RIVER LODGE
Under
An African Sky
Khwai
River Lodge, Eagle Island and Savute Elephant Camps are three
unique Orient-Express properties each set in a magical position in Botswana, a landlocked
country of unspoiled wilderness and one of the last remaining
magnificent safari destinations in Africa.
A country
offering a treasure trove of adventures from the famous
Okavango Delta, a jewel as precious as the diamonds, which fuel the
economy of Botswana, to vast grass plains of migrating zebra and huge herds of majestic elephants.
Khwai
River Lodge is a sanctuary on the outskirts of the delta. Poised on the
banks of the Khwai River with limitless horizons, river views and a
munificence of birds. The scent of wild sage
is your introduction to Khwai.
Peaceful, there is a sense of limitless space. Soaring high
thatch and walls
of canvas house dining areas with towering leadwood trees.
The wide shaded mahogany decks are
open to the breezes, which drift through during the warm summer
days.
View the
river from the lodge, at times flowing swiftly, stemming from a
source deep in Angola, threading through tall
grasses; thatch, goose and bulrush.
The thatched tented
suites are the essence of luxury in the wilds. Elevated on stilts
they have deep decks and clear river views where you can enjoy the
prolific game, drawn almost to your doorstep. Elephants wading in the
water, pods of hippo wallowing, snorting, yawning and
honking every so often. Graceful water antelope, the red lechwe, unique
to this area in the Delta. Spot
soaring imperial Battaleur eagles. Take time to view these close-up with the
telescope.
Large suites with pale cream
interiors are air-conditioned with gently revolving
punka wallahs.
Enjoy the
comfort of spacious hand-carved four-poster beds, rich dark wood dressing
rooms and capacious showers. Sway in
your cream cotton hammock and breathe in the scents of the bush. Each of the tented
suites are set among towering trees and fan palms, and are so aptly named ‘Knobthorn’, ‘Large Sour Plum’, ‘Brandy Bush’
and ‘Buffalo Thorn’.
A wake-up
call in
the early hours at Khwai River Lodge.
Life stirs
in the early hours, when
the first steaming flasks of boiling water are filled ready for your
filter coffee to be brought to your room and accompanied by little oat
biscuits.
A brisk walk through the
fresh, chilly early morning to a light pre-bush drive
breakfast.
Choose from bowls of
fresh fruit, a choice of cereals and homemade muesli. Add flaked coconut, sunflower
seeds or sprinkle
over walnuts. Delicious with Bulgarian yoghurt. Help yourself to cups of
steaming hot coffee and
muffins.
Game
viewing is at its best as the animals forage for food in the early
morning. Hear the shriek of the Franklins and rain birds
singing. Come across a pride of lion who are silently watching the Red Lechwe
grazing, a distance between them in their comfort zone.
Drive,
creaking and crunching,
over the slender mopane log bridge
of the Khwai River,
through the North gate into the Moremi Game Reserve. Cheeky vervet monkeys jump around
with great excitement. Look out for the grey billed hornbill.
Your excellent guide, thoroughly versed in bush lore, will recount
stories such as how the
acacia camel thorn tree originated in the
Kalahari,
the seeds arriving with the migrating elephants. Explaining that they set down deep roots +-45 m, and as
the water table rises, they drown. Conversely the feverberry trees have adapted better to the annual
flooding over the vast
plains.
As
you drive deeper into the wilds, see
a lone male impala, fully developed at 5-6 years old. Notice how the
tsessebe is closely related to the
hartebeest and wildebeest.
See white billed franklin scuttling around. Overhead there is the thrill
of seeing a martial eagle, the most imposing of all the eagles, perched on a
leadwood tree clutching a francolin. Stop, hush
and listen to the tree squirrels chattering in distress, could it be
leopard or cheetah on the prowl?
While everyone is on
their game drive, the chefs are orchestrating the brunch
buffet, knowing that everyone will return exhilarated and famished.
While at Khwai you will brunch in the bush, have a grand picnic or on
other mornings breakfast on the shaded deck at the camp.
There is
an excellent choice from French toast, omelettes to order filled with
ham, tomato, onion, grated cheddar or crumbled feta. Add a little hot
atchar to spice things up. Blueberry pancakes, drizzled with cinnamon
sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon, are scrumptious! While munching on
your delectable brunch, the elephants are having their most ravishing
snack, the M&M's of the bush; velvety acacia pods (for short ‘elephant ears’) from the
camel thorn
tree.
A
salad of avocado, sweet green melon, chives and sunflower seeds tossed with
raspberry vinaigrette. James has introduced cous
cous with smoked beef, baby marrow, patty pans, jalapenos and red
onion, piquant with a poppyseed dressing. Rolled golden pancakes are filled
with horseradish creamcheese and smoked salmon. Have a fluffy blini or a warm Prego
roll piled with sirloin steak and barbecue sauce. Enjoy a hearty beef sausages
teamed with crisp sweetcorn fritters and serve with a green salad sprinkled with
feta and radishes.
Open
Danish sandwiches on freshly baked health
seed loaf are topped with raw grated beetroot (mixed with a little sugar and
red wine syrup) and slices of camembert. Brown
bread is teamed with pastrami, cucumber and a sweet chili mayonnaise. Have
avocado, cream cheese, seasoned very simply with sea salt and
black pepper. Try the basil pesto with roast beef and glazed red onion.
There
is always a selection of refreshing drinks; chilled homemade
lemonade with bitter lemon. Ice tea, an infusion of Rooibos, (South Africa's renowned
health tea) prepared with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, all spice and orange,
strained and scented with fresh mint.
After
a restful day sunning at the pool, stroll over to the
bodycare centre,
gymnasium and spa. Be pampered with shea body butters, black pepper and
wild sage scrubs or marula nut wraps. Have a soothing facial or simply a manicure and
pedicure.
Late afternoon
discuss
with your guide what you would prefer to drink at sundown; choice estate
wines,
sparkling or cocktails. The kitchen
hums as sundowner snacks are
prepared for the bush drive.
Sunsets
in the bush are spectacular, a glowing burning orb followed swiftly by darkness.
The scene is set; view pods of hippo at their most playful. Sip
sparkling wine and absorb the sights and sounds of the bush surrounding
Khwai.
For
ardent bird lovers this is Nirvana. Blacksmith Plovers run riot. Wattles,
a rare immigrant, winter here. Sadly they used
to come in numbers but are now noticeably fewer. You may be fortunate to see flocks
of pretty green and yellow Meyer's parrots, the only parrot in Botswana.
Notice the way the African darter, with their long snake like necks, open
their wings to dry after having dived into the water hunting for
catfish, bream or squeakers. Quietly listen
to the Red billed Hornbill chattering in among the knobthorn and
rain trees.
Watching
hippo (Greek word meaning ‘river horse’) is fascinating. Your
guide will tell you that they live in families and are always tussling, as they cannot
easily demarcate their areas properly.
Having no sweat gland, they need to remain cool in the pools, no problem as
they have 50 mm skin. Look out for endangered Wattle Cranes and
Botswana’s national animal Burchell's zebra.
(Above)
14 ct
gold with elephant hair matched necklace and bracelet
Bush sushi;
cucumber, carrot and spring onion are marinated in soya and hoisan sauces
wrapped in nori and sushi
rice that has been cooked in mirin with a touch of sugar and tops
them with sweet red and yellow peppers. Marinated beef fillets are
served with
dips of horseradish creamcheese or grain mustard and jalapeno chilli
providing kick and colour.
Much later back at
the camp wind your way to candlelit dinners set under a blanket of stars in the main dining area or Bird
Hide. For utter privacy dine on the veranda of your tented
suite.
The dramatic call to dinner is the sound of a throbbing drumbeat.
Catering at the three
camps is an exercise in expert
logistics as all the camps are in remote exquisite settings, surrounded by a wilderness.
Although Botswana has
outstanding beef, rated as among the best in the world, vegetables and fruit are extremely
scarce. In the kitchen,
special attention is paid to basics, as each item is prepared from
scratch including stocks, sauces, dressings, breads, cakes and pastries.
Relax
over a glass of wine and enjoy the starters of sweet potato and
apple soup. Blackened honey chicken with oriental sauce is served with an intriguing salsa of tomato, crisp spring onions,
pineapple, olive and mint. Glazed red onion marmalade, prepared with red
wine and honey, is an interesting counter point to the dish.
Among the
mains are fresh Okavango bream, Botswana beef or traditional bobotie. For those that prefer a
venison
potjie, cubes of venison are simmered in beer, tomato, garlic with beef jus for
2 hours or until the meat is tender. Venison is removed,
vegetables are added and gently simmer in the sauce. Once they have softened the
venison is heated through together with the vegetables and served with hot
puff pastry rounds sprinkled with sesame seeds.
The
tour de force for vegetarians is the delicately wrapped timbales of
cous cous. To make these, steaming vegetable stock is poured over the cous
cous, which is left to swell then tossed with sautéed red onion, garlic, chopped petit pans and sweetcorn.
Spoon the cous cous into a
timbale, lined with thinly sliced grilled baby marrow and
carrot strips, flavoured in basil pesto and black pepper. Unmould and
serve with turned potatoes and mushrooms.
Desserts
are delicious; among them an outstanding praline ice cream, creamy and crunchy with glazed nuts
(see recipe).
Under
an African sky.
After
dinner chat around the leadwood fire, sipping a brandy and enjoy chocolate
truffles with coffee and recount the events of the day. On
still evenings hear the night sounds of the bush under an African sky.
ORIENT-EXPRESS SAFARIS
Tel: +27 (11) 274-1800 Fax: +27 (11) 481-6065
E-mail: reservations@orient-express-safaris.co.za
Website:
www.orient-safaris.com
A
Showcook
Production
Photography by Franz Lauinger
*
Uwe Koetter *
KWV
International * Laborie
Cellars * Von Geusau
* Recipes
*
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For
further information on Orient-Express Africa contact Manley
Communications