We were woken at 6am ready for a light breakfast at 6 30am. That is cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt, cold meats and cheeses. Then it is off on the game drive. My cold is gradually improving but my stomach was very dodgy so had a couple of the pills to control things. I can see that Africa is going to be a giant seesaw for my constitution. 

We were in a vehicle with Heather, Andrew and their son Ollie. They come from Surrey near London and were thoroughly good company. 

It was cold first thing in the morning but each seat has a blanket with hot water bottle on it. The Africans call them bush babies. It was lovely and warm given that the vehicles (don’t know the make or model but suspect they are Fords) have open sides. The tracks are sandy meaning that there is very little dust but our guide, Metal (yes Metal) could certainly move it at speed if he needed to get to something interesting. 

We have noticed in both Zambia and Botswana that people choose any old word as a name if their real name is too hard. Usually it is a name like their own name. At Livingstone mostly they were actual names, but in Botswana they could choose anything. So far we have encountered: Metal, Rest, Score, Owner, Fresh and Lucky. 

First we headed off to where someone had seen 2 cheetahs. We pulled up with a couple of other vehicles and peered into the distance where we could see a cheetah. Then it lay down and we couldn’t see it. There were about 4 guide trucks and 2 self drive vehicles (with campers driving themselves for their holiday).  They stay in designated campsites and tend to follow the guides. The binoculars were fab. We watched for about 5 minutes and then we were off with a hiss and a roar racing along the road. After about 1 km we pulled over and the self drives passed on. Then we turned back and raced back to the cheetahs. Evidently we were the decoy vehicle. Having got rid of the tourists, the guides went off road and encircled the cheetahs so that we could get good photos. I felt a bit sorry for the cheetahs as they just wanted to get on with hunting. 

Next we got word about lions. On the way, we stopped so that we could have a pee. Metal went around the bushes whistling and then pronounced it safe. When needs must! About 5 minutes away we arrived with another vehicle to find a dead buffalo just off the track. Near the buffalo were 4 male lions. We circled the lions, snapping away and then one of them decided it was time for more food. We sat not 5m away watching him pull the intestines out of this buffalo and then get his head right inside. When he’d finished he pawed sand over the intestines to cover the smell. It was both fascinating and disgusting but compelling viewing. 

On the way back to camp, after morning tea at the Baobab tree of course, we saw ostriches, a tawny eagle and loads of other birds, plus elephants, the occasional giraffe, antelopes but no zebras. 

At 11.30 we had brunch overlooking the elephant waterhole. Brunch is a full cooked meal and totally yum. There is then some rest time until the afternoon game drive at 3.30 (following afternoon tea). 

First Metal stopped for us to photograph an albino Cape turtle Dove. Evidently quite rare but we weren’t convinced. Then he took us to a waterhole where we saw a single hippopotamus. Heather was happy, although wanted it out of the water and prancing around. 

Next Metal had heard about elephants crossing the road. We missed that due to our hippo excursion but arrived in time to see 16 elephants come through the bush to drink at a waterhole. 

It was spectacular, capped off when 2 hippos surfaced in the middle of the water. Heather was rapt. 

We had our sudowner not far from a hyena den, where we saw 3 hyenas. Metal again checked out the bushes and off we bravely went for a toilet stop first. Probably more of a fright for the animals if they came upon us, particularly the girls with their bare bums. 

It was really pretty watching the sun go gown and listening to stories and explanations from Metal, who is a talented orator but also has an impressive scientific knowledge of ecology. 

We had to scoot back to be back before 6.30pm but Andrew and Ollie were in the back holding on for dear life rather than us. You get a reasonable workout in the back seat just trying to stay inside. 

Dinner was excellent again. The staff all sing before the meals and I love their harmonies and dances. There is no accompaniment but they sound like a full choir. 

Not a good sleep as the guinea fowl were being chased around the camp half the night. The consensus was that it was a leopard, but if so it was useless if it took that long to clean up all those noisy birds.