Grade 7 - Botswana Trip

The day had finally dawned – we were off on our Grade 7 adventure to Tuli Wilderness in Botswana! Having bounded onto an extremely comfy bus and made the journey from Clifton, heading seamlessly through to Platjan Border Post, it all became real when we boarded the Tuli Wilderness vehicles and headed into the Tuli Block; a real wilderness!

After our safety briefing and an introduction to our guides and hosts, a week-long immersion in the African bush began. There is something magical about hearing the calls of lions, leopards, elephants, and a myriad of other animals at night… perhaps the unknown sounds or the bloodcurdling call of a jackal are more terrifying than the rest! What a privilege to have had these sounds to lull us to sleep after busy daytime activities. We were exposed to exceptional game viewing, stargazing, sumptuous meals, and continued lessons and information from our encyclopedic guides – every sighting provided a lesson, as did the quiet trees and the moments of reflection that tend to find one from time to time in such a setting. 

There is no question that the trip was the experience of a lifetime. Having the opportunity to look for leopard, lion, and cheetah in the eye. To walk in the footprints of elephants, and to admire the beauty in a perfectly formed flower, a bird flitting through the undergrowth or the smooth beauty of a river stone – these encounters change one somehow, particularly when these experiences occur with close friends at hand.