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Claire
Land of Legendary Lions, Mysterious Marshland, and Tectonic Flex
Savuti: Legendary Lions, Mysterious Marshes, and Tectonic Flex
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We entered Savuti through the Chobe Mababe Gate and I instantly felt as if my life had met with legend. The magical marsh, the ‘Disappearing River’, mega prides of lions hunting elephant, zebra beating the ground in migration, and stories of crocodiles retreating into hibernation as water vanishes. It’s no wonder that filmmakers have been attracted to this remote, transitory landscape and its wildlife spectacles.
Under the banner of Chobe, this is a world apart from the Chobe riverfront around Kasane, which buzzes with game viewers, boat cruises, and tourist energy. Our entry to the park came after a long, hot drive through soft sand (and it took us into darkness to reach the campsite) – something that reinforced the exquisite remoteness of the area.
In transit, we were introduced to the Savuti Marsh – a shock of space that left me wide-eyed and in total wonder. It is said the Bayeyi translation of Savuti means ‘unclear’. Indeed, the enormous geological changes that have shaped and changed this landscape signal uncertainty. And that uncertainty is written into lore.
Our first sighting of Savuti Marsh was stretches of golden grass and reed extending into a shimmering horizon. Elephant backs were just discernible in the distance and towers of giraffe walked in every direction – a panorama of graceful lope and shifting scale. Livingstone’s ‘dismal swamp’ of 1851 it was not. No darkness; no murk and sludge.
The Savuti Channel periodically and unpredictably flows with water from the Linyanti, filling the marshes. The Savuti Channel can dry up for decades – a process that has been linked to tectonic shifts. In the stillness, everything moves.
Today’s uncertainty mingles with the idea of a landscape wholly different from today’s. The Magwikhwe sand ridge was once the shoreline of an ancient, massive inland lake that covered much of Botswana (many parts of which, today, are pan and sand). Dead camelthorn trees stand sentry as reminders, petrified markers of change. Time smiles at the mysteries she creates – and the result is sometimes beautiful desolation. →
Roads Through Golden Grasslands
Road today, gone tomorrow. The landscapes of Savuti are subject to shifting scales of time - and the roads go first.
We set up camp in the dark on that first night and woke up early to explore. For such a famous place, we felt exquisitely alone. In the icy early morning, we sat with elephants in lavender dawn light, saw tree squirrels huddle in the first spot of sunlight. We watched birds in messy nests get into the rhythm of the day. We made sense of the scenery – hills and sand ridges and creeping dry river systems.
We took in the spindled branches of the Baobab Gallery. The world’s first cubism? Unframed living artworks, it’s hard to look away from the life in their branches. We drove back out towards the marshes and watched wildebeest retreat in an uninterrupted view that met with blue horizon and hot, white skies.
In camp, a bull elephant shook the camelthorn tree at our site – and us from our camp chairs. We watched as the pods fell like confetti. The act of picking up and eating each one was something he did with an astounding delicacy. As he walked past to leave, he stopped for a moment close by - a towering observation, a communication in a gaze – and left. →
Lions in Last Light
As the light got sharper before dusk, we spotted the suggestion of lions in the grass. Eventually, the male rose and walked through the exquisite filigree of golden grass in the day's dwindling light.
On our last day, we found a male and female lion in the shade escaping the midday heat. We watched as their ears and tails twitched and their bellies rose and fell. We couldn’t look away at the risk of missing the odd position change in the encroaching sun. The heat eventually got too much for us (unusual game-viewing behaviour for us) and we moved on to keep exploring.
We clambered into the rocks to look for San paintings – wild life and wildlife-themed stories that are thousands of years old. On returning to look at the lions a little later, we found only lion-shaped emptiness in the bushes. Our drive continued and, as the sun lowered and the grass illuminated in the day’s last light, the male rose from the rocks at the rock art get-out point. We wouldn’t be doing that a second time. A healthy dose of sobering Savuti uncertainty. →
As the elephant walked past to leave, he stopped for a moment close by - a towering observation, a communication in a gaze – and left.
Grey Perspective
Savuti's big landscapes have towering wildlife to match. Elephants in this kind of setting create incredible perspective - whether far in the distance or up close.
We packed up and made the commute back to Mababe Gate early the next day. Not long after we set off, at one of the waterholes, a huge pride of lions fed on a buffalo with an amphitheatre of game drive vehicles in attendance. Red-faced and round-bellied cubs and youngsters romped to the water and back, jackals sent doves up into the sky while they waited, and lionesses set the boundary with yellow-eyed watchfulness.
In transit from Linyanti some years before, we had driven through Savuti on our way to Maun. In the golden morning light, I spotted a leopard in the grass. A Belmond Safaris guide kindly pointed out the second and we all sat together for half an hour, rapt with the interaction of two females as they communicated in a series of throat-clearing rasps. Dwarfed by a huge hyena, we watched the leopard turn into a boiling pot of hisses and pops. In less than an hour, we got a taste of an age-old rivalry in the wildlife world.
Savuti is the land of uncertainty, holding unknowns with every year and every season. From the mysteries of the natural world to not knowing what awaits in my own experiences, I’m so often surprised by the definition-defying wonder of Africa’s destinations. In all the unknown, an important reminder is cemented in places like Savuti, however. While the world may raise many questions, the answers – and clarity - often come in the silence of the world’s wildest places. →
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Sheltering Squirrels
Winter morning drives are very chilly in Savuti. As the sun rose, squirrels sought the warmth of the sun's first rays, huddled in a recess of a tree.
Watching the Watchers
While many of the impala in this herd were relaxed, the watchers were on to something. In the setting sun around the bend in the dry river, a pair of lions shook off the day's slumber.
Prepare for your safari to Savuti in Chobe National Park by following a few simple packing tips and getting the best safari clothing and accessories. Get in-depth Chobe National Park safari packing advice and quick tips for travellers to the Chobe Riverfront, Savuti, and Linyanti from our experts and your comprehensive safari packing list.
Great Gates
National park gates give you a great feeling in this part of the world: a rustic ceremony indicating that something changes beyond this point.
Air Safari
Even if you aren't an avid birder, don't miss out on the action in the air in Savuti. This is an exciting destination for birdwatching and photography.
Game For Drives
Experiencing the wildest days in the wildest ways sometimes involves sitting in the stillness watching elephants prove that they are, at least in part, aquatic.
A Line of Lions
The waterhole antics of young lions are occasionally linear - with frequent pops, hops, and ankle taps.
Botswana Links:
Chobe National Park | Chobe Riverfront | Savuti | One Night In Linyanti | What To Pack For Chobe, Savuti, and Linyanti | Quick Travel Tips for Chobe National Park |