We drove to Gweta in Botswana with our 13-year-old Kidsetter in tow. Our Kidsetter was excited about the possibility of potentially seeing Meerkats in the wild. Of all our Botswana destinations this was our least favourite.
The lodge we stayed at was exceptionally disorganised as the on-site manager was away. We had booked to go on a Meerkat Safari Game drive to Makgadikgadi Pans and meet the bushmen of the Kalahari Dessert.
We arrived at 1pm in plenty of time as our tour commenced at 3pm. At 3pm nothing was happening, our guide Kuda was busily trying to get us on our booked tour with no luck. Eventually at 4pm we were hurled into the Safari truck with tourists from South Africa and America.
We drove very fast through the roughest terrain and had to constantly duck as branches were scratching us whilst holding on to the trucks sidebars so we didn’t get thrown from the vehicle. Due to our driver leaving the lodge later than anticipated they had to race to catch the Meerkats before they settled in for the evening. I really didn’t mind as long as we were able to see the Meerkats in the wild.
Thankfully after an 1.5 hour drive we arrived and viewed the cute Meerkats from nearby. They were a mucy smaller than in zoos and quite tame. We enjoyed listening to their clicking sounds as they buried their burrows.
The sun set on the magnificent Makgadikgadi Pans and our Kidsetter enjoyed stomping on the salt, breaking it up and making slow motion videos. We also played chasey and had ‘salt fights’.
After the sun set, we hopped back into the safari truck and headed back to Gweta. The return drive was a nightmare. We didn’t anticipate the drive to and fro to be so long therefore did bring any warm gear with us, we froze and had to constantly duck our heads in the dark so not to be scratched by sharp tree branches.
Upon arriving at our Gweta Lodge accommodation we learnt that the lodge had a large group of Chinese guests staying and unbeknownst to our guide Kuda, they had requested that we along with other guests not join them for the bushmen part of the tour hence why we left at 4pm. I was furious. Our guide attempted to amend the situation by arranging for us to travel out there again the following morning but the truck’s suspension was terrible (I had recently broke my sacrum) and the terrain so rough that we decided we would leave it. We will have to meet the infamous bushmen another time.
If we had met the bushmen perhaps I would be saying this is a must visit, but due to the experience we had, I don’t think it was worth the effort required even seeing cute Meerkats in their natural habitat.
