PWE Wild Kwapa - Emilia

Profile

Name: Emilia

Age: 27

Trip: PWE Wild Kwapa

Duration: 15 Days

Location: Camp Kwapa, Okavango Delta

Rating

Review of the trip:

My time at the Private Wilderness Experience Kwapa: Two weeks in the wilderness that will stay with me

It was my first time in Botswana, and my first Natucate PWE.

Ever since I joined the Natucate team, PWE Kwapa has been a very special journey for many people I spoke to. For many Natucate team members, and for many of our travellers, it is something quite extraordinary. I had seen endless photos and videos, heard stories and read other people’s experiences, and yet, nothing could have prepared me for what it would actually feel like to be there myself.

It is difficult to find the right words for how impressive, beautiful and intense these two weeks were. But I’m going to try anyway.

Travelling to Botswana and slowly leaving civilisation behind

My journey started in Hamburg, to Frankfurt and then on to Johannesburg and finally to Maun. Everything went smoothly. Along the way, I kept checking with the airline to make sure my luggage was checked all the way through to Maun. In Johannesburg, I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the airport before arriving in Maun around midday.

Meg was there to greet me and we headed straight to Duck Café, where everyone else had already arrived and warmly welcomed me. There was time for a cappuccino before we jumped onto the game-drive vehicles and set off towards Kwapa Camp.

Feeling the warm wind on my face, getting to know the other guests, looking out across the outskirts of Maun, seeing donkeys and cattle, and slowly leaving the hustle of Maun behind…

Two weeks in the wilderness lay ahead of us. Let’s go!

Arriving at Camp Kwapa

We were surprised by nature on our way to camp. Two bull elephants in the dense mopane woodland, and a small herd of elephants making their way towards the water.

A short while later, we stopped for an introduction to our guides and to the wilderness of the Kwapa concession; we symbolically stepped into the wilderness and into our journey ahead. It was a beautiful ceremony that made us consciously acknowledge this transition once again.

During the final few kilometres to camp, one of my absolute favourite moments happened straight away: a pack of wild dogs were drinking at one of the waterholes.

It was a particularly emotional moment for me. Why? Because two years ago, I was at the volunteer project in Zululand, where we spent two weeks scanning for wild dogs. On the very last day, we finally saw them, but not for long.

And now, to be welcomed like this felt almost like:

“Welcome back to the wild!”

Once we arrived at camp, we found our bearings and our tents before heading to the campfire as quickly as possible.

With a cold drink and good conversations, the first evening became a lovely opportunity to get to know one another and slowly settle in.

Joe, the chef, and his team from AGA created delicious meals; I particularly appreciated how much thought was given to vegetarians. You never had the feeling that, as a vegetarian, you were simply being given “something without meat”. Quite the opposite.

Daily life in the wilderness during PWE

A typical day looked something like this:

The alarm would go off between 5:00 and 6:00 am. Get dressed, brush your teeth, pack your backpack and head to the campfire. There, with a hot drink, coffee or tea, we would slowly ease into the morning.

Activities usually started around 6:30 am, most often split into two or three groups. We would head out on a game drive, sometimes on a walk, and sometimes on a drive followed by a walk.

We were out with either Alan, Meg or the AGA guide Huffy. All three have their own perspectives and personal interests when it comes to the Kwapa wilderness. That is exactly what made the time so varied.

Often, we deliberately took some time in the morning to let the sunrise sink in, start the day quietly and listen to the sounds of the morning growing louder and louder. One of my favourite little moments.

From there, the day depended on what we happened to see, hear or sometimes even smell.

One thing I particularly loved was that we practically had the whole region to ourselves. We very rarely encountered another vehicle, and when we did, it was usually a transport vehicle. This gave us a high amount of peace and quiet.

No mass tourism, no rushing around, no “come on, we have to keep moving”, but simply lots and lots of time to explore, observe and learn.

At around 9:00 am, we would usually have breakfast outside in nature. Hot drinks, muesli, yoghurt, fruit, peanuts and much more. We often stopped at spots near a waterhole, and on some days we watched zebras or even elephants in the distance.

By around 10:30, we were back at camp, where freshly baked goods, butter and peanut butter were waiting for us.

At around midday, we would usually have a workshop led by one of our three guides. We learned more about Botswana’s history, conservation and guide training.

Tracking and reading animal tracks were a particularly important part of this. It wasn’t just something we used during our explorations; it was also incorporated into the workshops.

And it was fascinating.

It wasn’t simply about recognising a track; we started to learn how to actually read it: Was it a male or female animal? Which direction had it been moving in? What was its gait like? Roughly how large might the animal have been? How old was the track? Might it have been carrying something; perhaps something in its trunk?

The longer we spent doing this, the more a simple footprint became a little story.

After the workshop, it was straight on to lunch at around 1:00 pm.

From wraps with a bean filling to burgers and rice dishes with chakalaka, to braai with vegetables, guacamole and delicious fresh salad, there was something for everyone.

There was always a selection of sauces and chutneys, as well as tap water and lemonade. Other drinks such as beer, wine or soft drinks could be ordered and purchased separately at camp.

Until 3:30pm, we had time to shower, relax, read one of the many nature books or simply have a chat.

Another lovely surprise: everyone had the opportunity to have their laundry washed twice during the trip. I hadn’t expected that at all and was very happy about it.

This year, there was also Wi-Fi available at camp. Whether you use it or not is entirely up to you. I was happy to make use of it, while some of the others spent the full two weeks doing a complete digital detox.

At 3:30 pm, we had another coffee before heading out for our second activity of the day. Once again, in the afternoon, we let the signs of the wilderness guide us. Depending on what we had seen, heard or tracked in the morning, we would head out again by game drive or on foot.

We would be out until around 7:00 pm before returning to camp. There, a delicious dinner awaited us near the campfire. And if you weren’t ready to head to your tent afterwards, you could simply sit around the fire for a while longer.

The starry sky above us, sometimes the moon, and the sounds of the night all around us.

It was such a lovely way to reflect on the day, exchange stories and slowly wind down before eventually heading to the tent and bed.

Wildlife sightings: Where do I even start?

I think we were highly fortunate.

And perhaps we simply had fantastic guides and a really great group dynamic.

From prides of lions and multiple leopard sightings to wild dogs at their den and even close to camp, cheetahs, hyenas, herds of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, impalas, steenbok, giraffes, African wild cats, baboons and bushbabies.

Plus various owls, a few snakes and an endless number of amazing birds.

One person in our group kept count throughout the two weeks – and we reached at least 96 different bird species.

Simply incredible!

The detailed wildlife sightings we had from the vehicle, in the mokoro and on foot will stay in my heart and memory. Because no words can ever truly do those moments justice.

It is a real privilege to be able to experience this wilderness.

And even more of a privilege to have so much time and peace to truly observe wildlife.

Not just spot an animal, take a photo and drive on.

But sit. Observe. Wait. Listen. Learn.

To watch how an animal behaves, how it interacts with its surroundings, and sometimes how absolutely nothing happens for several minutes. And somehow, that is still fascinating. It is also simply wonderful when you are sitting with people who are just as happy to skip a sundowner and wait two hours for the leopard to finally appear.

I think that is a big part of what makes PWE Kwapa so special to me.

And then there are the hyenas

There is one animal I particularly want to highlight: the hyena.

They accompanied us almost every day, showing themselves, calling and giving us some of the most beautiful, but also most intense, moments of the trip.

A species that is often overlooked and unfortunately has a negative image.

And yet hyenas are highly fascinating. They have an interesting social dynamic, are curious, really strong, can move very quickly and, as I had to discover, apparently quite like sandals too.

Luckily, my sandal wasn’t stolen until the second-to-last day. Rookie mistake, I guess.

So my appeal to anyone who is interested in wildlife:

Learn about the animals – and don’t forget about the hyenas.

In the Okavango Delta, we encountered spotted hyenas. And by now, it has actually become another little dream of mine to experience the other hyena species in the wild one day, too.

When the water arrives: The flood in the Okavango Delta

I had often heard how special the flood in the Okavango Delta is. But it wasn’t until this day that I truly understood what it means.

In the morning, we set off to explore the current extent of the flood and spend an entire day consciously experiencing the water and the flooded landscape. The water, which makes its long journey from Angola to the Delta, shapes the entire ecosystem. It changes the landscape, creates new habitats and brings every animal into contact with the water in its own unique way.

So for us, it was time to take off our shoes, roll up our trousers and put our feet in the water.

And eventually, it wasn’t just our feet. We tried a sip of the water, dipped our heads in and simply stood in the middle of this extraordinary landscape. For a moment, I felt completely free – and at the same time connected to this place.

Feeling the mud between your toes. The cold water on your face. Discovering new plants growing right in the middle of the water.

It was one of those experiences you don’t simply observe, but experience with all your senses.

After a leisurely breakfast overlooking the flooded landscape, we set off in small groups in quiet mokoros. And once again, we were fortunate: in the distance, we could watch a herd of elephants slowly wading through the water.

Complete silence.

Just the sounds of the elephants and the gentle splash of water against the dugout canoes.

A wonderful day.

PWE Kwapa: Two weeks that will stay with me

When I look back on these two weeks, one thing stands out above all: I learned an incredible amount.

About Botswana. About the Delta. About wildlife. About tracks. About ecosystems. About conscious guiding and about conservation.

But perhaps also about how little you actually need to be happy.

A tent. A campfire. A warm meal. A pair of binoculars. People you can laugh and exchange stories with. And a wilderness that has something new to tell you every single day.

PWE Kwapa was not simply a trip to Botswana for me.

It was an experience that is difficult to put into words.

Two weeks in which I felt grateful every single day to be there. Two weeks full of small and big moments that I will probably carry with me for a very long time. Two weeks filled with wonderful conversations, stories and inspiration shared across generations.

And perhaps that is exactly what makes PWE so special to me:

You don’t simply spend two weeks in the wilderness.

You are given time.

Time to observe. Time to learn. Time to be amazed. Time to switch off. And time to build a connection with this special place and its inhabitants.

Every day feels genuine, real and meaningful.

That is why I would recommend PWE Kwapa to anyone who is longing for a conscious, intense and immersive experience in the wilderness of Southern Africa.