James Gifford Takes the Road Less Traveled in Botswana

by Amanda on Sep 18th, 2009

The current economic climate is doubtless set to disrupt many a family’s vacation plans. It is, however, still possible to visit a new and exciting place without entirely breaking the bank.

James Gifford, for instance, discovers one of the jewels of Botswana – Khumaga – in a recent travel piece. If a trip there is completely out of the question, though, you can always indulge in Mike Main’s gorgeous Picturesque Botswana!

In more ways than one, man meets nature at Khumaga. Follow James Gifford as he explores an area of Botswana that was once the stomping ground of Africa’s largest herbivore migration. What he finds may surprise you.

The rumble, an almost imperceptible bassline accompanying the orchestra of nature’s many voices, starts slowly at first. Then, as the small, dark shapes appear on the horizon, the crescendo begins. The dots metamorphose into larger, definite forms as the leaders of the herd become visible to the naked eye. Minutes later, the deafening sound of four million hooves colliding with the ground is all that can be heard. The wildebeest dominate the landscape, occupying every patch of the parched ground. The Serengeti? Masai Mara? No. This is Botswana, but the year is 1900.

A century ago, this was the largest herbivore migration in Africa – up to a million wildebeest and zebra journeyed from the central Kalahari, some travelling to the Makgadikgadi Pans, others venturing even further to Hwange in Zimbabwe. Since then, a succession of droughts has slashed the numbers taking part. This reduction has only been compounded by hunting (19,000 wildebeest skins were sold in the nearby town of Nata in 1959 alone) and the introduction of permanent water in Hwange.